Emperor's Cup held, facing Vegalta Sendai in the 4th Round

　The 88th Emperor's Cup has already started. From November 2, J1 teams will appear and the 4th Round will take place, with Tokyo facing Vegalta Sendai (J2) on the 3rd. In the previous league match, they achieved victory against the league leaders, Kashima, by giving their all. Coach Jofuku stated, "We must make that performance our average," aiming to carry the momentum gained into the Emperor's Cup and the upcoming league matches.

　From that perspective, they want to show the difference in strength against Sendai and achieve victory, but as seen in the previous day's match between Kashima and Kokushikan University that went to a penalty shootout, there are difficulties for J1 teams in the first round of the tournament and in facing lower category teams. Therefore, while seeking content, they want to prioritize results and ensure a solid advancement. Tokyo's starting lineup features the same attacking members as in the Kashima match. In defense, Shigeno, who injured his shoulder, will miss the match for precautionary reasons, and Fujiyama will take on the role of center-back in the formation.

　Sendai is currently in 3rd place in J2. They are engaged in a fierce battle for promotion to J1. Their basic formation is 4-4-2, with forwards FW Nakajima and FW Nakahara possessing height and strength, while side midfielder MF Sekiguchi has breakthrough ability and a high capacity to take shots. In this match, they changed the lineup, using Chiba, who is originally a defensive midfielder, as a center-back. The midfield consists of three defensive midfielders: MF Nagai, MF Tomizawa, and MF Miyazawa, with MF Sekiguchi playing as an attacking midfielder. They approached the match with a two-forward setup of FW Nakahara and FW Nakajima.

　In response, Coach Jofuku emphasized, "No matter what kind of lineup Sendai brings, the battle lies within ourselves." He stated, "Even if there are mistakes or difficult moments, the focus is on whether we can continue to pursue what we need to do and what we are striving for," aiming for victory with a strong mindset. It was a chilly, cloudy day at Ajinomoto. The match started at exactly 1:00 PM with Tokyo's kickoff.

Took the lead with Hirayama's goal, but couldn't find the rhythm...

　Showing a proactive attitude from the start, in the 4th minute, Cabore sprinted down the left side, brought the ball into the area, and prepared to shoot, but it was blocked and resulted in a corner kick. In the 11th minute, pushing Sendai back, Cabore intercepted a clearance from the DF and passed to Hirayama in the left area. However, the shot taken while free went wide of the goal. On the other hand, Sendai also stole the ball with aggressive pressing and managed to create a finishing opportunity. In the 16th minute, a through pass from the midfield found MF Sekiguchi, who ran behind Tokyo's DF and took a decisive shot, but it narrowly went to the right, avoiding a crisis.

　Tokyo struggled to find their rhythm against Sendai's quick pressing, but in the 19th minute, a direct pass sequence from Nagatomo on the left side to Kajiyama in the center and then to Hirayama resulted in Kajiyama changing direction while drifting to the right and taking a shot from distance. The sharp shot hit the crossbar, but Hirayama managed to chest the high ball into the goal. Their bold attitude in aiming for the goal led to the opening score.

　Tokyo continued to attack, and in the 22nd minute, Nagatomo made an overlapping run and delivered a negative final pass. Cabore's grounded shot from the left side of the area rolled into the net, but it was ruled offside due to Ishikawa's involvement in front of the goal. Nevertheless, they maintained a one-goal lead and managed the game calmly, although their coordination was somewhat lacking. There were also scenes where they lost the ball during their attack and faced a counterattack from Sendai.

　In the 34th minute, a left cross from Sendai spilled to the far side, and FW Nakajima was free to shoot. It was a situation where it wouldn't have been surprising if he had scored, but we were saved by a mistake. In the 42nd minute, from a post play by Sendai FW Nakajima, MF Nagai in the center took a shot, but Shiota caught it right in front. Although we didn't concede a goal, we ended the first half without gaining momentum.

Heyama scores the second goal in stoppage time! Despite the struggle, they advance to the 5th Round

　In the second half, it was Sendai that launched an aggressive attack from the early stages. In the 47th minute, MF Sekiguchi surged up the right side, and FW Nakahara took a dink shot from the cross. In the 50th minute, a quick series of passes led to an early cross, and MF Nagai was there to dive in front of the goal. Tokyo also had a chance in the 58th minute when Ishikawa volleyed with his right foot after a loose ball from Nagatomo's left cross, but it went high over the goal. In the 62nd minute, Sendai's FW Nakahara broke through the defense and took a decisive shot, but Shioda's quick advance and excellent save kept it out!

　Tokyo tried to change the flow of the game by substituting Emerson for Ishikawa in the 61st minute and bringing in Suzuki for Cabore, who was injured in a challenge, in the 69th minute. They launched a speed-driven attack starting from the sides, attempting to seize the rhythm. However, in the 72nd minute, they were passed around in their own half by Sendai, and a quick through pass was sent to FW Nakajima in the left area. Unable to contain this, it was dropped to FW Nakahara, who ran in centrally and scored... They were equalized.

　This match will intensify the offense and defense. In the 73rd minute, Akamine was brought in to replace Hanyu, aiming to take the lead, but Sendai launched a quick attack to create a chance. Both teams exchanged attacks, resulting in a back-and-forth development. In the 76th minute, Sendai midfielder Sato delivered a sharp right cross, and forward Nakajima dove in, creating another scoring opportunity, but Shiota made the save! In the 79th minute, Kajiyama passed to Hirayama, who surged into the right space and advanced into the right area. The opposing goalkeeper also rushed out, leaving the goal open, but the decisive shot was cleared by the Sendai defender who had come back to cover. In the 82nd minute, Nagatomo's left throw-in was headed by Hirayama, and Suzuki, who turned around in front of the goal, took a shot that shook the net, but it was ruled offside. In the 88th minute, Suzuki took a decisive shot from the left area, but he was unable to capitalize on the chance.

　It was during stoppage time, just after the display of 5 minutes, when it seemed like the match would go into extra time with the score tied. Tokunaga advanced with a dribble and passed to Kajiyama in the center. Kajiyama sent a floating ball pass into the area. Akamine stretched out his foot while competing with the opposing defender, and the ball spilled in front of the goal. Hirayama reacted to this and slotted it in, scoring the second goal! They finally took the lead. However, Sendai did not give up, and there were moments where they managed to get a shot off in the remaining time, but they held off the counterattack and the match ended. Despite struggling against a spirited Sendai, they secured their advancement to the fifth round.

　[Player Comments] Hirayama: "Before the match, we all talked about how it might be a tough game, but it would be great to finish with a win. Sendai had a lot of stamina, and if we had been passive, I think we would have lost. For the first goal, Kajiyama took a good shot, so I was trying to follow up. Both goals came from loose balls, but there were quite a few other chances as well. I want us to be able to score in different ways, such as from crosses, and prepare well so that teammates can be easily used and receive through balls. Also, I want to work hard in practice so that today's goal can lead into the league matches. In the Emperor's Cup, we aim to win and fight until the very end." Suzuki: "Right after I came on, we were equalized, so I fought with the mindset to push forward more. In the situation where we conceded, even though I was tracking back, I couldn't clear it completely, and I was determined to score myself... but I got tense and ended up shooting over. I needed to be calmer. However, I think the fact that everyone showed an attitude of moving forward led to the victory."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "In the Emperor's Cup, even J1 teams have tough matches, so we entered the game with a focused mindset. However, rather than mental aspects, in terms of tactics, individual form, and balance, we were not able to maintain control of our own pace. I reflect on that. However, in the second half, with changes in the lineup and the situation becoming a bit stretched, the number of attacking opportunities and fast-paced moments increased, and it was good that we scored at the very end and got a result. But there were also moments when we almost conceded, and we actually did concede a goal. (There was an impression that the attack was biased to the left side?) There are various reasons, but first, Sendai clearly marked our defensive midfielders, committing numbers to create a numerical advantage, and there were few opportunities to calmly circulate the ball in midfield. Because of that, we couldn't execute stable side changes. Apart from that, we must thoroughly reflect on both defense and attack, and since the league matches are coming up soon, we need to connect this to those games."

　[Summary of the press conference by Sendai's coach Makoto TEGURAMORI] "My honest feeling is that we lost a close game. Tournaments are difficult games. Higher-ranked teams often struggle, and I thought we would have the psychological advantage. I believe we were definitely superior in terms of content, but we lost to J1's Tokyo due to a difference in finishing ability. (What specific points did you feel you executed well?) We were able to maintain possession, move both players and the ball, and play the soccer we had been playing up until the middle of this season against a J1 opponent. There were many support routes, and we were able to execute attacks that broke through the opponent's unit several times. For us, the Emperor's Cup is already over, and we want to focus solely on the league matches, turning today's challenges and what we accomplished into confidence, and channeling the frustration of losing into the league matches."