The Emperor's Cup to conclude this season

Two weeks after the league matches ended, the tournament that concludes this season, the 80th Emperor's Cup All Japan Soccer Championship, has begun. The tournament has already progressed to the 2nd Round, and FC Tokyo, which competed in J1 this season, will make its appearance starting from today's 3rd Round.

Their opponent is Ventforet Kofu from J2. Although they struggled in the J2 league and finished at the bottom, their determination to give their all in the final tournament should be strong.

In Tokyo, goalkeeper Doi and midfielders Sato and Asari, who fought in J1, are dealing with injuries. Today, the starting members include Horikike as goalkeeper and Nakai and Kina as defensive midfielders.

Dominating Tokyo: The Wall of Kofu DF Stands in the Way

Right from the start, Sakai sent a long ball to Masuda, who ran into the space on the right side, and Masuda delivered a cross from just near the goal line. The transition from the defensive midfield position to the side showed a proactive attacking attitude, raising expectations for today. However, Kofu also responded in the 2nd minute, with forward Fujita dribbling up from midfield and taking a shot. This was the first shot of the day, demonstrating no hesitation against a J1 team.

In Tokyo, after Amaral's hold-up play, TUTO and Kobayashi exchanged direct passes, and finally, Kobayashi Seigo broke free to receive the last pass sent by Fujiyama, who had advanced into the penalty area from the left side. However, the close-range shot fired from the left of the goalpost was blocked by Kofu GK Ito.

Tokyo controls the ball. Even when Kofu clears it, Kinama, Naito, and Fujiyama pick it up and continue the game in Kofu's territory. In the 11th minute, from a quick restart, Kobayashi took a clean shot from directly in front of the goal outside the penalty area. Amaral rushed in when the goalkeeper fumbled, but he was once again stopped by the goalkeeper who had recovered, missing a great opportunity.

On the other hand, Kofu also had a chance in the 12th minute when Fujita broke free from a long ball from the defender, faked out Komine, and took a powerful shot to open up the shooting lane. They are looking to capitalize on their few chances.

Tokyo continues to attack, but they start to feel stuck as they have the freedom to hold the ball. There is no space in front of the goal, and they cannot take a shot.

In the 18th minute, Masuda broke free behind the defense for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper from a free-kick ball, but there was a collision. In the 22nd minute, a cross from Naito on the right side to Amaral in the center was headed, but the header was contested by the defense and could not hit the target.

In front of Kofu, who stubbornly defends with four midfielders and three defenders, the frustrating time continues. In the 32nd minute, from a quick restart, the ball connected to Nakai, who advanced into the space on the right side and delivered a cross. In a scramble in front of the goal, Sandro picked up the loose ball and sent a final pass to Amaral, but the shot from the goal area missed the target. In the 38th minute, Amaral's header shot from a left corner kick was cleared with all his might by the opposing defender just before the goal. Connecting this ball, Kobayashi's header at the end also failed to hit the goal. Conversely, in stoppage time, Kofu's Fujita headed down a pass from near the halfway line, where midfielder Tsuchihashi was waiting free. Just when it seemed dangerous, Naito cut it off, and the first half ended with a score of 0-0.

Unable to convert the decisive chance, and Kofu capitalized on their one opportunity

Even in the second half, Kofu's tenacious defense remains unchanged. Tokyo earns consecutive free kicks in the 46th and 49th minutes, but TUTO's powerful kick narrowly misses the goal. Conversely, Kofu's aggressive pressing from the front disrupts the flow, making it difficult to connect as desired.

In the 54th minute, the ball was intercepted in midfield, and Kofu launched a quick counterattack, but just before the shot, Sandro's defense and goalkeeper Horiike made a brave save. Tokyo struggled to attack in front of the focused Kofu defense, leading to a monotonous offense. In the 12th minute, Masuda attempted to break through with a dribble in the center of the penalty area, but without support, the ball was instead taken by Kofu, leading to a counterattack. As time passed, the game became increasingly intense with frequent changes in offense and defense.

In the 63rd minute, Kobayashi was replaced by Kaburaki, and shortly after, Koike was brought in for the injured Kina in the 67th minute. In the 68th minute, a short pass from the right corner kick led to Amaral, who was free in front of the goal, taking a soft touch volley shot, but the ball went over the goal. In the 70th minute, Koike also took a long-range shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

Both teams gradually became less aggressive in their pressing, leading to more situations where opponents were left free. Then, in the 67th minute, Kofu's newly substituted midfielder Shinmei broke through in front of the goal and earned a corner kick. A kick from Ai was headed by Watanabe, and as the ball fell, Nakata quickly kicked it into the bottom left corner of the goal, scoring. Tokyo found themselves trailing in an instant.

Unable to break the goal...

In the 68th minute, forward Toda was brought in to replace the injured Sakae. They tried to increase the number of players in the front line to somehow score a goal, but in the 77th minute, TUTO's shot, which he took freely after evading the defender in front of the goal, missed the target. Tokyo, lacking space against a solid Kofu defense, attempted to break through the situation by making runs from the second line. In the 80th minute, Toda made a free run from near the halfway line, reacted to a ball from behind, and broke into the goal area, but Kofu's goalkeeper came out and caught it. In the 81st minute, TUTO evaded two defenders in the right penalty area and took a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

After that, Sandro and Naito were moved forward to counterattack, but they could not create effective chances through combination play. In the 85th minute, MF Ai received a second yellow card and was sent off, leaving Kofu with ten men, but the situation did not change. Conversely, Tokyo began to show signs of mistakes, possibly due to impatience, in front of Kofu's desperate defense. In stoppage time, a long throw from Fujiyama to Amaral's header also failed to find the goal. The weight of that one goal hung heavily until the final whistle.

"During this time, with players being released and retained, there is a situation where motivation cannot be focused, but overcoming that, even the members who were released showed professionalism until the very end" (Coach Tsukada). "That’s why I want to play as long as possible with this team" (Nakada), but they faced defeat in front of Kofu's fighting spirit. And Tokyo has now concluded everything for this season.

Director Tsukada's Comments

"In any case, we tried to go into halftime without conceding any goals. There were several close calls, but we were saved by the opponent's missed shots, and during that time, a rhythm in defense began to develop among the players."

I think that was the key to our victory. In the second half, while the opponent was trying to score, we aimed for a single chance. The substitutions also showed their effectiveness at crucial moments, and overall, it turned out as we intended: to defend and score one goal to break the deadlock.

Director Okuma's Comments

"In the match against the J2 team, if we were to lose, I think it would be in this pattern. If we were to concede a goal, it would likely be from a counterattack or a set piece. We missed so many clear chances, and there were many scenes where the two forwards couldn't utilize the limited space effectively, resulting in a disappointing outcome. Against a team that plays defensively, it was not just the surroundings, but especially the two forwards who became stuck, and I believe that inability to score led to the goals conceded during that time. I've been saying since spring that if we don't develop the ability to adapt to various teams as a team, such defeats are possible, so I felt strongly that we need to change our mindset and further enhance the individual abilities and depth of our players."