The first match of the Emperor's Cup will be against J2 Vegalta Sendai.

　Today, Vegalta Sendai will face off against each other at Sendai Stadium in the 4th round of the 84th Emperor's Cup. Every year, the first match of the Emperor's Cup is a struggle. Since being promoted to J1 in 2000, we have lost in the first round for three years in a row against Kofu, Yokohama FC, and Shonan. Last year in 2003, we finally managed to win against Honda Motor in a penalty shootout, showing that today's match against Sendai will not be an easy one.

　Sendai is currently in 7th place in J2, and it is expected that they will have a tremendous enthusiasm for the Emperor's Cup, as their chances of promotion to J1 have already disappeared. Moreover, if the opponent is the Nabisco Cup champion, the tension will naturally rise, and they can be considered a favorable opponent in terms of proving their own abilities.

　Tokyo will also have Kelly, Ishikawa, Miura, and Shigeta returning from their absence due to poor condition for the 11/6 match against Oita. In place of the injured Jean, Fujiyama will be included in the lineup, as they aim for their first match in the difficult Emperor's Cup with full preparation. They will fight with confidence and pride as Cup winners, aiming for their second title.

Creates a decisive chance...

　Manager Hara sent the players onto the pitch with the same mentality as the final round of the Nabisco Cup, saying "Let's fight with the same spirit as we did in the final round." Sendai started the game by defending deep, but Tokyo took an aggressive approach to attack. They applied pressure from the front to their opponent's ball, and effectively attacked using both sides of the field, which is their strength.

　2 minutes left, Toda runs up the center ring with a long feed from Kanazawa on the left side. The ball flows to the opposite side, but this time Ishikawa and Kaji break through the opposing DF with a combination play. 4 minutes, Ishikawa keeps the vertical pass from Fujiyama on the right side and tries to break through the defense with a forceful dribble, causing the opposing DF to commit a foul. Although they couldn't make a shot, they still give Sendai a great surprise.

　And in the 5th minute, Kelly ran up from the right side to the center to Todota, with DF on his back, and passed it back to Konno, who shot from outside the penalty area, but unfortunately it hit the top of the bar. In the 6th minute, Ishikawa dribbled from the right side to the center and passed it through to Lucas, who ran behind the opponent's DF. He dribbled and took a shot, but it went wide. They completely grasped the rhythm of the attack. Sendai has been faithfully executing their tactics of pulling back to their own half and counterattacking. However, the hot line of attack between MF Silvino and FW Sato, who occasionally show up, is a surprise to the Tokyo DF. In the 9th minute, Oshiba broke through the left side and crossed it to the center, but Sato couldn't hit it well with his left foot and the shot went straight to Doi. It was a decisive chance, but Shigeta, who was marking Sato, calmly dealt with it.

　Tokyo's attack continues. In the 10th minute, Kaji passes to Lucas on the right side, who then passes directly to Ishikawa. The opponent tries to escape with a corner kick, but Ishikawa puts the ball in front of the goal and Lucas scores a perfect header. However, the ball hits the bar and bounces over. In the 15th minute, Kelly intercepts the opponent's pass in the center and dribbles through, causing the opponent's defender to commit a foul just outside the penalty area. Ishikawa takes the direct free kick and aims for the goal with a ground shot, 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 from near the center half line, and then sends a vertical pass to Ishikawa directly, shaking off the opponent's DF and entering the penalty area. When he sends the ball to the center, Kelly, who was closing in on the near side, shoots with a heel, but it is blocked by the GK. Although it is cleared once, the ball is exchanged between Kaji, Ishikawa, and Kaji again on the right side, and then a centering pass is made to the center. Kanazawa picks up the loose ball and shoots. Tokyo is dominating the pace, but they are struggling to break through the goal. In the 35th minute, a decisive chance comes.

　FK earned for Kelly on the right side, Ishikawa puts the ball to the far side and now Kono is free from the opponent DF's mark. He traps the ball with his chest and shoots with his left foot from a close distance to the goal. It seemed like it was going to be a goal, but it hits the GK and becomes a CK. Later, just before the end of the first half, Toda reacts to a ball that breaks through the opponent DF's defense and takes a shot, but it doesn't fit perfectly and the ball goes wide to the right of the goal, ending the first half. With a heavy and tense atmosphere, both teams go into halftime with no goals scored.

Both teams became more aggressive after the player substitution.

　At halftime, Manager Hara instructs, "Pick up loose balls and attack without wasting time. Put the ball between the GK and DF from both sides as soon as possible. Let's keep repeating patiently." Tokyo continues to aggressively attack from the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Kanazawa runs up the left side and crosses to the center, but is unable to connect. This time, it's from Kelly to Ishikawa on the right side. Ishikawa cuts back just before being tackled and crosses with his left foot, but Kelly in the center is unfortunately offside. In the 51st minute, Imakawa picks up a long feed from the central half-line and Lucas shoots with his left foot from the left side of the penalty area, but it misses the goal weakly to the left.

　Tokyo moves as the stalemate continues. In the 53rd minute, ABE is substituted for Miura and takes the position of the 2-top with Lucas, while Konno becomes the 1st midfielder. The game immediately starts to pick up pace. Sendai, now able to pick up the ball in midfield, gradually begins to launch aggressive attacks. In the 56th minute, from the hot line between Silvino and Sato, they earn a corner kick and from the short corner, MF Yanagi sends a centering pass, where DF Cedroski, who had moved up to the center, heads the ball. In the 57th minute, Fabino's through pass is cut off by Agechi, but the ball goes to FW Oshiba, who is free in front of the goal, and deftly loops a shot over Tsuchi, who had come out, and just as everyone thought it was a goal, Toda comes in for cover and clears it. They narrowly escape a desperate pinch.

Abe's priceless goal finally puts Sendai in the lead!

　The match was a fast-paced and attacking game, with both teams quickly switching between offense and defense. However, an accident occurred for Tokyo at this point. Shigetaka Morita was substituted for Masaki Masushima in the 62nd minute due to a right leg muscle injury, throwing off the game plan of manager Kenta Hara. Tokyo had multiple chances to score, with Kanazawa in the 64th minute and Lucas in the 65th minute taking shots, but both were saved by the opposing GK. Sendai also made an attacking substitution in the 76th minute, bringing on FW Sekiguchi for MF Suga, but they were unable to create any shots. The game continued without either team being able to break through, and it seemed like it would go into extra time. However, in the 86th minute, Tokyo finally scored the long-awaited goal.

　Substitute Kaji for Kelly, who showed signs of fatigue in the 85th minute. Just one minute later, while Sendai was launching an attack in the center, Kaji, who had stolen the ball, quickly passed it vertically to Abe, who was free near the center circle. Despite facing three opposing DF players, Abe attempted a dribble through the center and managed to break through, leaving the DF behind and facing the GK one-on-one. Without panicking, Abe calmly shot with his left foot, and the ball pierced through the left side of the goal, finally giving them the desired goal! After that, Sendai continued to launch a full-scale attack by pushing DF Cedroski up front, but they were unable to score thanks to Tsuchi, and the game ended. As expected, it was a tough match, but they managed to hold on and secure their spot in the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup.

　【Player Comments】《Konno》It's been a while since I played at Sendai Stadium. Everyone was solid in today's first Emperor's Cup match. It was important to win, so I'm really glad we did. The opponent was defending in the first half and trying long shots from far away, and we had two great chances but couldn't score, so I feel really sorry for the team. We were able to score one goal in the end and win, and I don't think our performance was that bad.《Abe》We couldn't create many good chances, but it's great that we were able to score in the 90 minutes. When I was on the bench in the first half, Sendai was controlling the game and defending, but in the end we were able to win... The goal was possible because Yota and Lucas were moving to the sides, creating space in the center for us to break through. I want to thank them. Last year, I missed a penalty and we lost, so this year I don't want to experience that again and just want to make it to the final. (Did you get scolded by Doi?) I knew he had a child, but I didn't know about the cradle dance... I was wrong. Sorry, Doi-san.

　【Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference】"As expected, it was a tough game for the players. We talked about approaching the game with the same mindset as the Nabisco Cup final. I think the players had a good start, but Sendai defended desperately and if we gave them time, they would pull back all their players from the halfway line to their own goal, making it difficult for us to break through. However, we had some chances, such as Ishikawa breaking through and Kelly scoring from a low ball, or Inokoshi shooting from a free kick. But we couldn't convert those chances and it was tough going into halftime. We were worried about the opponent's counterattacks, especially from Sato and Ohshiba. We needed to be careful and respond properly. We also talked about not always pressing high, but sometimes dropping back to our own half to let Sendai come forward. We wanted to create a base in the front line, so we took out Miura and brought in more attacking players. However, it didn't work out well at first, so we changed the positions of Toda and Abe. We also wanted to bring in Kajiyama, who has a strong left-footed shot, and Suzuki, but unfortunately, Moino got injured and we had to make a substitution. It was difficult to make changes considering Ishikawa's condition and Toda's foot, but we thought we couldn't just let the game go on like this. Kelly was getting tired and it was difficult for him to mark, so we brought in Kajiyama, who could help with the defensive balance while moving the ball. And he scored right after coming on, using his characteristic forcefulness. It was a tough game and there were some dangerous moments, but we managed to stay focused and keep a clean sheet, which I think was the key to our victory. The players also said that the first game was the most important, and I am very happy that we were able to advance. We still have three more games in the league, so we want to raise our level and win each game in the Emperor's Cup. (Did switching to a single defensive midfielder result in Sendai attacking more?) That may have been a factor. But in that situation, we needed to change something to make a difference. We thought we could also attack when the opponent came forward. We were able to create a scoring opportunity by winning the ball in our own half and attacking with three players. When the game is in a stalemate, we need to take risks somewhere. Even if we were to concede a goal, I think it would have been worth it. Today's Sendai was completely different from the team we watched on video before the fourth round. Especially in terms of individual battles and concentration. With this lineup, they could easily be in a higher position in J2, and personally, I really like the atmosphere of this stadium. I hope they can get promoted to J1 soon."

　[Sendai Verdenik Press Conference Summary] "I am not satisfied because we lost the game. We have made every effort to win this game until today. We have prepared tactically for this game in this week's training, and we have also conducted a thorough analysis because the opponent is a very good team. Tokyo's main characteristics are aggressive defense, fast attacks, and counterattacks, and there are some players with high individual abilities within that. Today, we decided to play with the same tactics as the opponent. Specifically, we aggressively defend without giving space in our own half and launch fast counterattacks, and defensively, we quickly return to our own half. This prevents the opponent's fast players from playing freely and not being able to do what they want even in a crowded situation. As for the attack, we counterattack and when we can keep the ball, we put more players forward. The game went as planned and both teams had several chances. I think we had a chance in the last 15 minutes. However, in the flow of the game, it was proven that football is a game of mistakes. When we were pressing forward, we lost the ball and their fast player broke through our defense. Although we only gave them such a situation once in the whole game, Osamu Osaiba unfortunately made a pass mistake. Even in that situation, it is not an excuse for the three defenders in the backline to be beaten. I think we had a good fight against a J1 team. I am satisfied with our tactical approach and the content of the game, but I am not satisfied with the result of losing the game.