Only victory!

　The opponent in the 5th Round of the Emperor's Cup is Omiya Ardija, who secured promotion to J1 for next season. They won 1-0 against Shimizu in the 4th Round away, extending their consecutive wins in the J2 league to 13, and they seem to be bringing that momentum into this match. By the way, the last encounter with Tokyo dates back to November 8, 1999, during the J2 era, so almost all players have changed, and it can be said that there is no relevant past data.

　Omiya has already lost three Brazilian players who were the core of both offense and defense, and a decline in strength is undeniable. In particular, it seems painful to lose the powerful two-top of TUTO and Varey, who have contributed more than two-thirds of the team's total goals. In their place, FW Morita, who is the second highest scorer on the team, and FW Takahashi, who has performed well since his time in Hiroshima, have been named in the starting lineup, but it is uncertain how well they will perform.

　On the other hand, Tokyo is struggling with injuries to Minowa, Toda, and Kajiyama, making it difficult to assemble a strong team. In the center of defense are Jean, Fujiyama, with Konno and Miyazawa in the holding midfield positions, and Ishikawa starting on the right and Suzuki on the left in midfield. The league ended in 8th place overall, which did not quite meet fan expectations. Therefore, in the final tournament of the season, the Emperor's Cup, we aim for victory, focusing more on results than content, and it would be great to finish with a clear win, especially to gain an advantage for next year's J1 league against Omiya.

Tokyo dominates from the kickoff, but

　Amidst the overcast sky, the match began with a kickoff in Tokyo. Following the instruction from Coach Hara during the pre-match meeting to "be careful about how we start the game," Tokyo aggressively launched attacks from both sides right from the kickoff, scoring the opening goal just one minute into the match.

　As the ball kept by Suzuki and Kanazawa on the left side was passed to Baba in the center, seeing that the opposing defender was not closing in, he boldly struck with his right foot from outside the penalty area, sending a low shot that pierced the left side of the goal, delivering an unexpected first punch to Omiya.

　Tokyo continues to dominate Omiya. In particular, they create chances from both sides, repeatedly cutting in from the flanks. In the 15th minute, Lucas sends a cross from the right side, and in the 8th and 10th minutes, Suzuki delivers crosses from the left side, pinning the opposing defenders in front of the goal. They completely prevent Omiya from playing football, and then score an additional goal in the ideal time frame of the 22nd minute.

　On the right side, Konno kept the ball and drew a foul from the opponent, earning a free kick. Miyazawa delivered the ball towards the far side of the opponent's goal, and Jean, who was free, headed the ball into the net, scoring an additional point in what has been a nearly perfect match so far.

　However, after scoring the second goal, a slight lapse in concentration from Tokyo led to weaker pressure on the ball from the front line, allowing Omiya to pick up the ball and start to maintain possession. As a result, they were given opportunities for restarts from free kicks and corner kicks. In the 40th minute, a left corner taken by MF Masashi Ando with his right foot allowed DF Tomita to score with a header. Tokyo was unable to regain a good rhythm afterward, and the first half ended with a score of 2-1. There was an atmosphere that suggested the game could be decided in the first half, but the outcome remained uncertain.

Further pulled away by the opponent's own goal, but...

　In the second half, true to Dohi's words before the match, "We cannot lose for the supporters who came all the way to Kagoshima and for those in Tokyo who believe in our victory," Tokyo actively goes for the ball from the front line and launches quick attacks. In the 48th minute, Miyazawa and in the 53rd minute, Konno take shots, and in the 55th minute, Suzuki attempts an overhead shot as they aim for additional points. As a result, Omiya finds themselves pushed back by this momentum.

　In the 58th minute, Fujiyama intercepted a pass from the opponent in midfield, sprinted forward, and passed to Suzuki on the left side. He then dribbled into the penalty arc and sent a shot-like ball between the opponent's DF and GK. Although the opponent's DF couldn't help but clear it with his foot, the ball was sucked into the goal, resulting in an own goal. They successfully extended their lead to two goals.

　However, Tokyo allowed Omiya to counterattack. After a quick cross from the right side by Masaru Ando, in the 64th minute, FW Takahashi scored a header unmarked at the far side, and in the 69th minute, he scored another header unmarked at the near side, resulting in two goals conceded in just five minutes. They were brought back to square one. Before each goal conceded, Tokyo made substitutions (Baba → Kelly, Miyazawa → Miura) to regain their pace, but they were unable to change the flow of the game.

Decide the match with a goal rush at the end!

　Although they were equalized at 3-3, without panicking and solely seeking victory, they calmly launched an attack, and two minutes after the equalizer, the go-ahead goal was scored. Suzuki sent a vertical through pass to Lucas on the left side, and Lucas dribbled into the center, drawing in the opposing defender and goalkeeper, then sent a ground pass to Ishikawa, who was making a run from the opposite side, allowing him to slot it into the goal with a direct right-footed inside shot. This was Ishikawa's first official goal of the season, which turned out to be the go-ahead goal.

　Tokyo substituted Abe for Suzuki, who showed signs of fatigue in the 76th minute, maintaining an aggressive attacking stance. Omiya, not giving up, launched a counterattack, but Tokyo scored their fifth goal in the 80th minute, sealing the match. Fujiyama sent a vertical pass to Abe with a lob, who then passed to Kanazawa, who surged forward with a heel pass. Just as the opposing defender approached, Lucas, who had made a run from behind, received the ball and calmly shot with his right foot. This struck the right side of the goal. It was a beautiful goal from a flowing passing play that completely decided the match.

　The final goal rush came in the 88th minute when Abe received a pass from Miura, broke through on the right side, and sent a quick cross from near the end line. Kelly, who was free in the center, scored the sixth goal with a skillful right-footed heel shot. The match ended as it was. Ultimately, it was a high-scoring game with a final score of 6-3, but it secured advancement to the Emperor's Cup quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match between Urawa and Shonan at Saitama Stadium on December 19 (Sunday) for the Semifinal Round.

　[Player Comments] {Fujiyama} "I aimed for a goal, but it didn't work out. However, today my main objective was to keep a clean sheet as a defender. I'm really happy to play in my hometown. I want to continue contributing to Kagoshima's football in some way. (Regarding the conceded goals) I reflect on that. I want to make corrections by watching the video before the quarterfinals." {Ishikawa} "Even though it was my first goal of the season, it was a lucky goal. However, I realized that if I'm in that position during those moments, I can score. I was actively attacking today, and although there were times when I lost focus, I think I performed well. I need to improve my shooting accuracy going forward... I want to treat each match with importance."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We finally won against Sendai in the Emperor's Cup 4th Round, and we had information that Omiya would field only Japanese players. In fact, a team with only Japanese players tends to be more cohesive, and although we won the Nabisco Cup, our league performance was not very good, so I thought we made good preparations for the Emperor's Cup. I think we started the match well. Omiya defended with a zone defense, but we used the flanks and took shots actively even from a bit of a distance. Baba scored, and Jean was able to score from a set piece just as we practiced. However, just before conceding, the opponent started feeding the ball to their two forwards and circulating passes. I hoped we could hold on through the first half, but after conceding, things got hectic. In the second half, after scoring the third goal, I thought we were good to go, but we conceded easily again and got flustered once more. Honestly, it was an uncharacteristically sloppy game for us. It's rare for us to score six goals, but also rare to concede three. If anything, it was typical of the Emperor's Cup. Regarding Kelly, who came on as a substitute, I think he gradually showed his quality. We want to use super subs like Abe and Kelly effectively and win each match one by one. I'm happy we can play at Saitama Stadium. I'm glad it wasn't the Saitama Derby; I thought that could wait until next year. We don't know the next opponent yet, but I want to play against Urawa again at Saitama Stadium. Whoever comes, I don't think it will be an easy match, but we want to prepare well for a week and advance. I think Omiya is strong when their three Brazilian players join today's Japanese players, and as a J1 team from now on, they really have potential. Honestly, they gave us a lot of trouble."

　[Summary of Omiya Coach Miura's Press Conference] "Tokyo had a better start to the match, and we conceded two goals there. After that, it became a back-and-forth scoring situation, but when it comes to that kind of development, the team with decisive foreign players has the advantage. Considering that we did not play the game we envisioned, which was a factor in our defeat, I believe the way we started the game was a significant point. Ultimately, we could not stabilize the game. (We were attacked from the sides) It was clear that Tokyo's strength was on the flanks, and I have the impression that we allowed breakthroughs from the first half, and we could not stop their momentum in the second half. Tokyo's speed in transitioning from defense to attack after regaining the ball was at a completely different level than J2, and we could not contain it."