Use the previous round's struggles as a springboard to advance to the 4th Round!

　Tokyo advanced to the 4th Round, which will be held on this day, after a bitter experience of barely winning in a penalty shootout against JFL's Honda, their opponent in the 1st Round, in the 83rd Emperor's Cup 3rd Round held on December 14th, one week ago. For Tokyo, the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup is a difficult hurdle, and any win is a win, bringing joy to their first victory in the Emperor's Cup since their promotion to J1. And now, in the 4th Round, their opponent is Kobe. This season, Tokyo has won both of their league matches against Kobe, completely dispelling their past struggles. If Tokyo can play their usual style of soccer, they should be able to win.

　However, complacency is not allowed. Kobe has a strong momentum after a 3-0 victory against J2 Yamagata in the 3rd round. Kazu (=Kazuyoshi Miura), who scored in the 3rd round, is also in great form and is said to be strengthening the team's unity around captain Kazu, despite the team being shaken by company issues. It is impossible to underestimate Kobe, who is determined to take revenge against Tokyo, who they have lost to twice this season.

　Tokyo placed Abe on the right due to Ishikawa's injury, forming a 3-top with Jean, who has recovered from his injury, replacing Shigeno as center back and partnering with Fujiyama. Amaral starts on the bench, just like in the 3rd round. Young players such as Suzuki, who returned from the World Youth, and U-18 Japan national team's Kajiyama, are also on the bench as they prepare for the match.

Despite overwhelming attacks, we allowed the first goal to be scored by being caught off guard for a moment.

　Before the match, coach Hara gave a rallying cry, saying, "We have received information that the bus tour heading this way is significantly delayed due to snow near Nagoya. No matter how late they arrive, let's win with all our hearts for those who come to support us." Tokyo, who approached the match with increased unity, dominated the game with intense pressing from the start, just as the coach had said.

　Early in the game, Kelly attempted a header from a cross from the left by Kanazawa, but Toda was unable to reach the ball and it was caught by the GK. Yusuke Kondo, who has started in the last 3 league matches, also showed his presence with a powerful shot from the center of the goal after a sharp turn in the 15th minute. Abe, who had moved to the right, also threatened the opponent with aggressive dribbling when he had the ball. In the 33rd minute, Abe received the ball on the right side and took a powerful shot from near the right corner of the penalty area, grazing the GK's hand and hitting the crossbar. Tokyo showed their brilliance in attacking from the sides with Kelly's hold-up play and the wide movements of Miyazawa and Miura, coming close to scoring against Kobe.

　On the other hand, Kobe's two top players, Kazu Miura and Kojima, made big movements on the left and right, and struggled to become the focal point in the center. However, the support from the midfield was slow and there were many missed chances due to Tokyo's tough checks. The final line's Jean and Fujiyama's intense defense also prevented Kobe from creating any real chances.

　As Tokyo overwhelmingly attacks, the 37th minute arrives and the midfield is dribbled through, expanding to the right to Bismarck, and a simple cross ball enters the center, which is headed by Miura Kazu near the ball. The ball flows to the far side, where Park runs in from behind and kicks it powerfully into the net. While Tokyo is leading the game, they were caught off guard in the midfield and conceded the first goal.

Despite allowing a 2-point lead, Abe's powerful shot ignites a counterattack.

　In the first half, Tokyo allowed a 0-1 lead despite dominating the game with twice as many shots as Kobe's 3 shots. In the second half, Tokyo made a bold move by substituting Yusuke KONDO for Amaral. With the support of the passionate fans behind them, Tokyo Eleven also stepped up their game. The attacking frequency of players like Kaji and Kanazawa increased, and they repeatedly threatened Kobe's goal, but their crosses and shots lacked accuracy and they couldn't score. Kobe's defense also remained strong, shutting down Amaral with intense marking and attempting to score additional points through counterattacks.

　In the 64th minute, Julian once again ignites Kobe's counterattack. Kobe, who got the ball on the left side, quickly feeds it to the back of Tokyo's shallow defensive line. The center back of Tokyo, who was caught off guard, hurriedly clears the ball, which becomes a mistake and passes it to Kobe's FW Koijima, who runs into the center. Koijima, who was free, calmly kicks the ball into the goal. They suffered a devastating second goal.

　Tokyo, who fell behind by two points in a difficult time, did not panic. Manager Hara, who had already substituted Suzuki for Toda in the 61st minute, made another substitution in the 66th minute, replacing Miura with the 18-year-old Kajiyama. This was the third and final substitution in the game, and it paid off beautifully.

　In the 71st minute, with 20 minutes left until the end, a precise pass was sent to Kelly who had run into the space on the right side of the front line from Kajiyama. Kelly then made a vertical breakthrough and pretended to cross, passing behind with a heel. There, Abe, who had been waiting in the center, made a powerful diving header and shook the net, narrowing the gap to one point.

　"Tokyo, with a beautiful development that could be called "this is attacking soccer", increased their momentum with a powerful shot from Abe that woke up the crowd. In the 75th minute, a free kick from Miyazawa on the left side caused a scramble in front of the Kobe goal, and Abe pushed it in for what seemed like an equalizer! However, it was ruled offside. Then, in the 81st minute, a free kick hit the Kobe defense and the ball bounced to the left side, where Kanazawa fought for it and crossed it in. Jean, who had moved up, aimed for the goal with a strong header, but it went over the bar.

Despite showing determination to catch up in the last minute, they lost in the penalty shootout.

　Tokyo, who dominated the game but couldn't find the decisive goal, didn't have time on their side. As the game approached the 90-minute mark, with 3 minutes of stoppage time added, drama unfolded. Jean sent a ball to the front line, causing a scramble in the center of Kobe's penalty area. Kelly received the ball and, without hesitation, passed it with a heel kick towards the goal with his back turned. The ball became a through pass and Abe broke free, sliding in to score a precise goal. Tokyo Eleven celebrated while Kobe Eleven hung their heads in disappointment. In just a few seconds, the situation had completely changed.

　The match went into extra time immediately after the end of the second half with the whistle. It goes without saying that Tokyo was in a strong position, having entered their second consecutive extra time. In the 93rd minute of the first half of extra time, Kajiyama's shot from the center rolled in front of Amaral, who was free, but his hurried shot missed to the left of the goal. In the 98th minute, Kelly headed in Miyazawa's free kick from the left, but the shot was saved by the goalkeeper with a fine save. In the 104th minute, Kelly, Kajiyama, and Amaral passed the ball from the right, and finally Kanazawa ran in from the left and took a powerful shot, but it went over the goal. In the second half of extra time, in the 108th minute, Jean headed the ball back to the center from a free kick on the right, and Abe jumped in, but unfortunately it went to the right of the goal. After that, in the 111th minute, Suzuki forcefully broke through the left side and crossed the ball, but Abe's return to the center was cleared by the Kobe defenders. Although they managed to hold off Kobe's counterattack with only one shot each from Okano and Hashido, the match ultimately ended in a penalty shootout for the second consecutive game.

　In the 3rd round, Tokyo was on the defensive, but this time they were on the offensive. Just like in the 3rd round, it was Amaral who took the kick. The reliable Amaral calmly scored the first goal. However, Kobe's first player, Jean, also scored perfectly. After that, Tokyo's second player, Kelly, also scored, but Kobe's Shijikurei also scored and did not give in. Tokyo's third player was Abe, but he was stopped by the goalkeeper. In contrast, Kobe's third player, Tsuchiya, scored perfectly and gave them a one-point lead. From there, Tokyo scored consecutively with their fourth player, Kanazawa, and fifth player, Jean, but Kobe's fourth player, Kitamoto, also scored, and in the end, their fifth player, Sugawara, also scored perfectly. Tokyo showed their determination to score two points in the remaining 20 minutes, but they lacked the strength to score one more point, resulting in their defeat. With this loss in the Emperor's Cup, FC Tokyo's 2003 season has come to an end. Thank you for your passionate and warm support throughout the year. We ask for your continued support in the upcoming season.

【Player Comments】《Abe》"I was able to score two goals in a good tense atmosphere after a long time starting. I was happy to equalize in the last minute with my own goal, but I am more disappointed that I missed the penalty. It's a shame that it ended like this in Amaral's last tournament, I really wanted to win. "《Miyazawa》"It was a tough situation being down by two points, but we were able to catch up by playing our usual soccer in the second half. It's regrettable that we couldn't finish the game in our favor even in extra time. I wanted to play soccer with Amaral until New Year's Day, but it's a shame that it couldn't be realized."《Amaral》"Today's loss is sad and I am filled with disappointment. This was my last game in Tokyo and leaving the team feels like leaving a second family, it's lonely. However, even if I am not here, my fighting spirit will remain with this team. I believe that the current players and those who will come in my place will continue to carry on. The team is steadily improving, so I truly believe that we can win the title next year. I want to sincerely thank all the fans who have supported us until now."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "The result of the penalty shootout was inevitable. Our players did a good job catching up and playing well. Our performance was better and we dominated the game with a wide use of the field that we have been working on for a year. However, we were unable to score that one extra goal and it was our lack of finishing that cost us. Our challenge is to improve our ability to score in crucial moments. However, as a team, we have improved and finished 4th in the league this year. Young players like Yusuke Kondo, Suzuki, and Kajiyama have also shown growth and contributed to our team. We really wanted to reach the final and win this Emperor's Cup for Amaral, but unfortunately we couldn't make it happen. Amaral may be leaving our team, but his spirit and soul will always remain with us. The tradition of this team being able to endure through tough times is thanks to Amaral. We must carry on his spirit and become even stronger."

[Vissel Kobe Vice-Manager Fukushima's Press Conference Summary] "We came together to take revenge on the league game in today's game. We were leading by 2 points but ended up going to PK, but winning in the tournament is the most important thing. It is valuable to have advanced to the next round."