The first match of the Emperor's Cup is against J2 Vegalta Sendai

　Today is the 4th Round of the 84th Emperor's Cup, facing Vegalta Sendai at Nissan Stadium. Every year, the first match of the Emperor's Cup has been challenging. From the year we were promoted to J1 in 2000, we lost in the first match for three consecutive years against Kofu, Yokohama FC, and Shonan. Last year in 2003, we finally achieved victory against Honda Giken after a penalty shootout, which indicates that today's match against Sendai is unlikely to end easily.

　Sendai is currently in 7th place in J2, and the possibility of promotion to J1 League has already disappeared. It is expected that their enthusiasm for the Emperor's Cup will be tremendous. Moreover, if their opponent is the Nabisco Cup champion, it will naturally raise their spirits, making it a favorable match to prove their own abilities.

　Kelly, Ishikawa, Miura, and Shigeno, who missed the match against Oita on 11/6 due to poor condition, have returned. Fujiyama will replace Jean, who is out due to injury, and they will challenge the difficult first round of the Emperor's Cup in perfect condition. They will fight with the confidence and pride of being cup winners, aiming for their second title.

Creates a decisive chance, but...

　Coach Hara told the players in the pre-match meeting, "Let's fight with the same spirit we had during the Nabisco Cup Final Round," before sending them onto the pitch. Although Sendai started by defending, Tokyo aggressively launched their attacks. They applied pressure on the opponent's ball from the front line, showcasing their strength, and effectively attacked using both flanks after winning the ball.

　In the 2nd minute, Toda ran up the left side to receive a long vertical feed from Kanazawa and delivered a cross. Although it flowed to the opposite side, this time Ishikawa and Kaji combined to break through the opposing defense. In the 4th minute, Ishikawa kept a vertical pass from Fujiyama on the right side, and after passing to Kaji, attempted a forceful dribble breakthrough, resulting in a foul by the opposing defense. Although they couldn't get a shot off, they posed a significant threat to Sendai.

　Then, in the 5th minute, Kelly made a back pass to Toda from the right side to Konno, who was charging up while holding off a DF. He aimed and shot from outside the penalty area, but unfortunately it went over the bar. In the 6th minute, Ishikawa dribbled from the right side to the center and made a through pass to Lucas, who ran behind the opposing DF. He dribbled in and took a shot, but it went wide of the target. They completely grasped the rhythm of the attack. Sendai, in any case, pulled back to defend to their own half and faithfully executed a counter-attacking strategy. However, the occasional attacking connection between MF SILVA and FW Sato posed a threat to Tokyo's DF. In the 9th minute, in a scramble, FW Oshima broke through on the left side and made a cross, but Sato, who was in the center, couldn't connect well with his left foot, and the shot went straight to Doi. It was a decisive chance, but Shigeno, marking Sato, calmly dealt with it.

　Tokyo's attack continues. In the 10th minute, Kaji passes to Lucas on the right side, who then delivers a direct pass to Ishikawa. The opponent escapes to a corner kick, but when Ishikawa delivers the right corner kick into the goal area, Lucas makes a perfect header shot. However, he hits the ball too hard, causing it to bounce and go over the bar. In the 15th minute, Kelly intercepts a pass in the center, takes the opponent's ball, and breaks through with a dribble. The opposing defender, unable to hold back, commits a foul just before the penalty area. Ishikawa aims for the goal with a direct ground shot from this free kick, but it goes to the left of the goal.

　The wave attack continues. In the 17th minute, Miura passes to Kaji on the right side near the central half-line. Kaji sends a direct vertical pass to Ishikawa, who shakes off the opposing defenders and enters the penalty area. He sends the ball to the center, where Kelly, who was closing in on the near side, attempts a heel shot but is deflected by the goalkeeper. Although it is initially cleared, Kaji exchanges passes with Ishikawa on the right side, then centers the ball to the middle. Kanazawa picks up the loose ball and shoots. It's Tokyo's pace, but they are struggling to break through for a goal. A decisive chance arrives in the 35th minute.

　A foul on Kelly on the right side earned a free kick, and Ishikawa delivered the ball to the far side, where Konno managed to lose his marker and found himself free. He controlled the ball with his chest from close range and shot with his left foot. Everyone thought it was a goal, but it hit the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. Later, just before the end of the first half, Toda reacted to a ball that slipped behind the opposing DF and took a shot, but it was not a perfect fit, and the ball went wide to the right of the goal, ending the first half. With a heavy atmosphere and sighs all around, both teams went into halftime without scoring.

Both teams quickly shifted to an attacking style with player substitutions

　At halftime, Coach Hara instructed, "Pick up the loose balls and attack without wasting time. Quickly send the ball from both sides between the GK and DF. Above all, let's be patient and keep repeating this." From the start of the second half, Tokyo aggressively launched attacks. In the 49th minute, Kanazawa surged up the left side and made a cross, but they couldn't connect inside. This time, the ball went from Kelly to Ishikawa on the right side. Just before he could break through, he cut back and made a cross with his left foot, but the ball reached Kelly in the center, only to be ruled offside. In the 51st minute, Konno made a long feed from near the center half-line behind the opponent's DF line, which Lucas picked up and shot with his left foot from the left side of the penalty area, but it lacked power and went weakly to the left of the goal.

　As the deadlock continues, Tokyo makes a move. In the 53rd minute, Abe is brought on for Miura, taking a position alongside Lucas in a two-top formation, while Konno moves to a single defensive midfielder role. The game then starts to shift dramatically. Sendai, now able to pick up the ball in midfield, gradually begins to launch more aggressive attacks. In the 56th minute, they earn a corner kick from the Silvinho and Sato connection, and from a short corner, MF Yang delivers a cross, which DF Cedroski heads towards the goal. In the 57th minute, although Kaji cuts off Fabinho's through pass, the ball reaches the free FW Ooshiba in front of the goal, and as Dohi comes out, he skillfully takes a looping shot that everyone thinks is a goal, but Toda comes in to cover and clears it. They escaped a dire situation.

Abe's priceless goal finally pulls away from Sendai!

　The match was characterized by both teams being aggressive and quickly switching between offense and defense, but an incident occurred for Tokyo. Moniwa was substituted by Masushima in the 62nd minute due to a right leg muscle strain. Coach Hara's game plan was thrown off. In the 64th minute, Kanazawa had a free shot, and in the 65th minute, Lucas had a free shot, but both were saved by the opposing goalkeeper, and they just couldn't score a goal. Sendai also made an offensive move by bringing in forward Sekiguchi for midfielder Sugai in the 76th minute, but they couldn't get a shot off. After that, both teams continued to struggle to attack, and in the 86th minute, as they prepared for extra time, Tokyo finally scored the long-awaited goal.

　In the 85th minute, Kelly, who showed signs of fatigue, was substituted for Kajiyama. Just one minute later, while Sendai was launching an attack in the center, Kajiyama stole the ball and quickly passed it vertically to the free Abe near the center circle. Although there were three opposing defenders remaining, he dribbled through the center, forcefully bypassing the defenders and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Abe calmly observed the goalkeeper's movements and took a left-footed shot without panic. The ball pierced the left side of the goal, finally securing the much-desired goal! After that, Sendai raised defender Sedlrovski to the front line and launched an all-out attack, but with Doih's efforts, they were kept scoreless until the end. As expected before the match, it was a tough game, but they managed to hold on and secured advancement to the 5th Round of the Emperor's Cup.

　【Player Comments】<Konno> It’s been a while since I played at Sendai Stadium. Today was the first round of the Emperor's Cup, and everyone seemed tense. Anyway, winning was the most important thing, so I’m really glad. The opponent played defensively in the first half and aimed for long shots from a distance. We had two perfect chances but couldn’t score, so I feel very sorry for the team. In the end, we scored one goal and won, and I think the overall performance wasn’t that bad. <Abe> We couldn’t attack very well, but I’m glad we scored within 90 minutes. Watching from the bench in the first half, they were defending deeply and controlling the game, so it was Sendai’s pace, but we ended up winning... For the scoring scene, thanks to Yohei and Lucas moving to both sides, the center opened up and we were able to break through. I want to thank those two. Last year, I missed a penalty and we lost, so I don’t want to have such a bad experience again this year, and I want to make it to the Final Round no matter what. (Did Doihara get mad at you?) I knew his child was born, but I didn’t know he was going to do the cradle dance... It was my fault. Sorry, Doihara-san.

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "It was just as expected. I told the players that it would be a tough match and to start with the same mindset as the Nabisco Cup final. I think the players had a good start, but Sendai defended desperately, and once we gave them time, they all dropped back from the halfway line to their own half, making it difficult to break through. However, for example, Ishikawa made a breakthrough and Kelly connected with a low ball, and Konno took shots from rebounds off free kicks—there were several chances, but we couldn't score, and the first half ended with difficulties. At halftime, the biggest fear was the opponent's counterattack, especially Sato and Oshiba. We were really worried about losing the ball awkwardly and being caught on the counter, so we decided to be very careful and respond firmly. When the opponent had a goal kick, instead of pressing high all the time, we talked about sometimes pulling back to our half and letting Sendai come forward a bit. Since we couldn't score easily and wanted to create a base in the front line, I took Miura off to increase the number of forwards and hoped to establish a foothold, but it didn't go well at first. We changed the positions of Toda and Abe, and ideally, we would have brought in Kajiyama earlier and also planned to bring in Suzuki, who has a powerful left-footed shot, but Moniwa got injured and we had to make a substitution. Considering Ishikawa's condition and Toda's leg, it became difficult to make changes. However, I thought we couldn't continue like this, Kelly was getting tired, and since he was tightly marked, I brought in Kajiyama, who seemed able to maintain defensive balance while moving the ball. Right after that, Abe scored in his characteristic somewhat forceful style from a good opportunity. It was truly a tough match with some dangerous moments, but I think the key to victory was that everyone stayed focused and kept a clean sheet. The players said the first match is the most important, and I am very happy to be able to advance. There are still three league matches left, so I want to raise our level a bit more and win the Emperor's Cup step by step. (Did switching to one defensive midfielder make it easier for Sendai to attack?) That is true to some extent. But in that situation, I thought nothing would change unless we disrupted the balance somewhere, so in matches like this, we have to make moves. There are risks involved, but I thought if the opponent comes out, we can also go forward. Letting them come forward actually created counterattack chances, and in the end, we won the ball in our half and attacked with three players. When the game is stuck, you have to take risks somewhere to change things. Even if we had been scored on by chance, it would have been unavoidable. Today's Sendai was completely different from the team we saw on video four rounds ago, especially in every contest and concentration. With today's members, it wouldn't be surprising if they were ranked higher in J2. Personally, I really like the atmosphere of this stadium and hope they get promoted to J1 soon."

　[Sendai - VERDENIK Press Conference Summary] "I am not satisfied because we lost the match. We have made every effort to win this game up until today. This week's training focused on tactical preparation for this match, and since the opponent is a very good team, we conducted thorough analysis. Tokyo's main characteristics are aggressive defense leading to fast attacks and counterattacks, and among them, there are several players with high individual skills. Today, we decided to play with the same tactics as the opponent. Specifically, we defended aggressively without giving space in our own half and launched fast counters, and defensively, we returned quickly to our own half. By doing so, we prevented their fast players from playing freely, and they were unable to perform as they wished even in congested situations. In attack, we focused on counterattacks and, when we could keep possession, we committed more players. The match unfolded as planned, with both sides having several chances. I think we had chances in the last 15 minutes. However, in that flow, near the end, it was proven that soccer is a game of mistakes. When we pushed forward, we lost the ball, and a speedy player broke through our defense. Throughout the match, we only allowed such a situation once, but unfortunately, player Oshiba made a passing error. I believe even our teammates were surprised, but that does not justify the three defenders in the back line being broken through. I think we fought well against a J1 team. I am satisfied with the tactical approach and the content of the match, but I am not satisfied with the result of losing the game."