Emperor's Cup opening, seize the initiative, and want to show the difference in class

　The Emperor's Cup is being held. The 4th Round, which is the first match for J1 clubs, took place. Tokyo faced Bandionce Kobe, the top team from the Kansai Social League, at Ajinomoto. With a renewed spirit, they approach the last tournament of the season, which will continue until New Year's Day. In the past, they have struggled against teams from lower categories in the first match of the Emperor's Cup. Therefore, Coach Kuramata stated that he wants to "fight with fresh players" in today's match, using GK Shiota, left MF Abe, and right MF Kawaguchi as starters. "They have been delivering results in regular practice and training matches. This is not to rest the previous starting players," he explained his intentions. Additionally, Ikegami returned to the bench for the first time since the Nabisco match against Urawa on May 17. The defensive line will feature Masushima and Inoha as center-backs, as Moniwa and Jean are injured.

　In contrast, B Kobe won the Kansai Social League this season. They participated in the Emperor's Cup from the 1st Round, defeating V-Varen Nagasaki, Aichi Gakuin University, and J2's Yokohama FC one after another. There is no doubt that the team is on the rise. The players to watch out for are the two forwards, Wada and Mori. They possess speed and have plenty of experience in the J-League. Morioka on the left side also previously played for G Osaka and is making his presence felt. Care must be taken against their attacks, which gather the ball to the two forwards from a solid defense and launch quick counters. Above all, they have nothing to lose, and we want to fight without being outmatched by their fighting spirit.

　The key point is how Tokyo will break down the defense set up by B Kobe. They want to utilize the speed of players like Kawaguchi and Abe to challenge, and connect with Lucas and Baba for a steady wave of attacks without rushing. It's also a match where they want to show their superiority by not losing in spirit and taking control with their own style of football. The match started at exactly 1:00 PM with B Kobe's kickoff at Ajinomoto, under clear skies that hinted at winter.

Starting with Masushima's goal, Lucas and Baba capitalize on the chances!

　The match progressed at Tokyo's pace from the first half. However, B Kobe also applied pressure with a 4-4-2 formation, quickly transitioning to attack, making the start anything but easy. In the 2nd minute, B Kobe's MF Kawasaki took a mid-range shot. In the 5th minute, B Kobe's FW Mori delivered a cross from the right side, and FW Watada attempted a header. However, Tokyo dealt with it without panic. They also actively attacked after regaining possession, creating many chances from both flanks. In the 11th minute, a one-two between Kajiwara and Baba led to Kajiwara sending a lob pass to the front line. Abe received it and attempted an overhead shot, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal. In the 14th minute, Tokunaga, who entered the right area, switched to Lucas on the left side of the area. Lucas aimed from there, but the shot went wide of the target.

　In the 17th minute, after earning a left corner kick, Baba's kick was headed in by Nagashima for a goal! Tokyo scored the opening goal at the "desired time." This settled them down, allowing them to evade the opponent's press and show stable gameplay. In the 19th minute, Baba's long shot hit the crossbar. In the 23rd minute, Kobe FW Mori entered the area and collided with Inoha, falling down, but this was ruled a foul by FW Mori. In the 31st minute, a perfect through pass was sent from Baba to Abe, but the trap was too heavy, and it went over the goal line.

　The additional goal came in the 33rd minute. Konno intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Abe, who dribbled into the open space. Seeing the opponent's defender closing in, he made a good decision to deliver a final pass to Lucas, who finished it neatly to score the second goal! In the 41st minute, a pass exchange in the defensive line was intercepted by Kobe's midfielder Morioka, leading to a counterattack, but the final pass from midfielder Tsuyama to forward Watada was caught by goalkeeper Shiota. Then, in the 43rd minute, Lucas, who had drifted to the right side, held the ball persistently. Abe, receiving a pass in the center, boldly made a move, and Baba, who followed up on the loose ball, scored a goal! Starting from Lucas on the side, Abe, who ran into the center, set up Baba from the second line, extending the lead to a three-goal difference as they headed into the second half.

Suzuki also scored 2 goals, leading to a total of 7 goals and winning the challenging opening match!

　The second half continued in the B Kobe territory. Right after the start, Konno made a fierce dribble and passed to Kawaguchi on the right side of the area. Kawaguchi shot with speed, but was blocked by the opposing GK's save. In the 48th minute, B Kobe was awarded two corners, and from the rebound, DF Kamada took a shot from distance, but it went wide. In the 50th minute, a floating pass from Kajiyama found Baba, who broke free and faced the GK one-on-one. He took a precise shot from the left area, and the ball went into the right side of the goal! This was the fourth goal that crushed B Kobe's morale for a comeback.

　In the 53rd minute, Miyazawa was brought on to replace Kajiyama. In the 60th minute, Miyazawa made a big switch from the left side of his own half. Tokunaga received the ball and advanced with a dribble, while Baba took a shot after a cross clearance, showcasing a dynamic attack, but the shot hit the crossbar. Shortly after this, Suzuki came on for Kawaguchi, moving to left midfield, while Abe shifted to the right. Just after Suzuki's substitution, in the 62nd minute, from Tokunaga's right throw-in, Abe and Lucas connected with headers, and Suzuki, who was in the midst of a scramble in the box, calmly kicked the ball into the goal!

　B Kobe struggled with a stretched midfield and could not apply pressure, completely losing control to Tokyo. In the 66th minute, Ikegami, who was making his official match debut, was brought on to replace Baba. Ikegami moved into the holding midfield position, allowing Miyazawa to push up a line, and they repeatedly threatened the goal with calm passing. In the 69th minute, B Kobe attempted a counterattack with midfielder Morioka aiming for a long shot, but Shiota caught it. Shortly after, Tokyo quickly connected their passes, with Suzuki advancing to the left side of the penalty arc and unleashing a left-footed shot. The ball bounced just in front of the goalkeeper and went in! Suzuki scored his second goal.

　Still not easing off the attack, in the 72nd minute, Tokunaga cut inside and, from a scramble in front of the goal, Ikegami took a decisive shot just outside the area. In the 76th minute, from a free kick in their own half, Abe quickly broke forward and took a shot. Neither was on target, but they actively developed the game. In the 81st minute, Kobe MF Tsuyama made a through pass to MF Shibasaki, who broke free, but Inoha and Shiota worked together to defend without any trouble. Shortly after, Tsuyama picked up a clearance and took a long-range shot, but it was saved by Shiota, resulting in a corner kick.

　After shutting down the attack from Vissel Kobe, Lucas received a pass from Suzuki on the left in the 85th minute. Seeing there was no pressure in front of him, he took a mid-range shot from outside the area. The ball beautifully arced into the net, securing the 7th goal. With Lucas's beautiful goal, the team achieved a historic victory with a total of 7 goals. They advanced to the 5th Round without any trouble. In the next match of the Emperor's Cup, they will face Shimizu S-Pulse on December 9th (Saturday) at Okayama Prefectural Athletic Stadium Momotaro Stadium.

　【Player Comments】《Shiota》"The score gap widened, but it wasn't an easy match. I thought Tokyo would have more opportunities to attack today, so I focused on taking care of counterattacks and balancing the gaps left by the attacking players. We were able to finish without conceding a goal, but it was thanks to not only my efforts but also the hard work of the defensive line and the chasing of the forwards. I have often struggled in the first round of the Emperor's Cup, so I was only thinking about securing a solid result. In the league and the Nabisco Cup, my form hasn't been good, and with only the Emperor's Cup title left, I want to go all out to win it." 《Matsushima》"In matches like this, there are often patterns where the opponent defends and scores from a counterattack. I had been dealing with a long injury, but I finally got a chance, so I wanted to deliver results. Inohara and I communicated with each other, trying to cover for one another. (The opening goal) came from a good ball, so I just had to connect with it. I think scoring there allowed us to relax and fight better. But the goal feels like a bonus; I'm happy that we won without conceding a goal."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "I told the players that they must enter the match firmly, regardless of the opponent. I wanted to score early in the first half and proceed at our own pace. To be honest, there were chances to score a bit earlier, and I wanted to take those opportunities to establish our rhythm. However, we scored three goals in the first half, which made it easier mentally. In the second half, the opponent would be somewhat aggressive in trying to score, so I thought if we could get the fourth goal, we would secure the victory. In the past, the first match of the Emperor's Cup has always been a tough game. Ultimately, we scored seven goals, and there has never been a game won by such a large margin, so I am satisfied. (Regarding substitutions) I intended to bring in Suzuki from the beginning of the second half. He has the ability to make an impact, so I gave him some time before sending him out. As a result, he scored two goals. Kajiyama has a slight injury to the front of his thigh, so I didn't want to push him. Baba also has an injury and is suffering from a groin issue, so I brought in Ikegami and moved Miyazawa forward. We had anticipated such situations and have been practicing since last week. (Were you spreading wide?) I wanted to create an attacking shape starting with Lucas, making him run into the spaces on the left and right, and have players break through from the second line. The third goal was exactly that shape. We scored using the shape we have been practicing all season. Of course, we are aiming for victory in the Emperor's Cup. In that sense, the next match against Shimizu will be a crucial test. We have lost six consecutive matches since losing to Shimizu in the league, which is frustrating. We want to win against Shimizu at all costs and aim higher."

　[Summary of the press conference by Bandionce Kobe's Coach Hashimoto] "We were shown the reality. Both myself and the players were clearly shown the level difference, and I want to sincerely accept the results. The initial plan was to see how long we could go without conceding, similar to the previous match against Yokohama FC. However, we conceded due to mistakes, and we couldn't recover. I mentioned that mistakes will inevitably lead to conceding at the J1 level, and we approached the match hoping to execute our plan, but it ended in this result. We created several decisive scenes in our attacking shape, but it was still thin. We need more depth, so I want to make that a future challenge. In defense, there were unclear parts regarding whether the full-backs or the side midfielders would go against the players entering from FC Tokyo and those opening up outside. There was a lack of communication and slow reactions, which caused confusion when the opponent came at us with such speed. We were instructed to remain calm, including the quality and precision of our play. The lack of communication is also a challenge for the team up to this point. We have a corporate tournament in two weeks, so we want to make corrections. The team's plan is based on the improvement of individual skills, mentality, and condition. I believe that organizational strength comes from individual level-ups. We made many mistakes today. The quality difference in stopping the ball, kicking, and running, and making judgments within that showed. In the match against Yokohama FC, we managed to compete in terms of play quality and precision. However, we have a plan to reach the JFL stage. Today's game made me realize that we need to work harder. I want to take this as a good experience and make corrections so that we can think of today’s match as a good game in the future."