After the break, welcoming the Emperor's Cup Quarterfinal Round at home

The Emperor's Cup resumes after an interval of about a month and a half from the Round of 16 (4th Round) on November 9.
Facing Kawasaki Frontale in the quarterfinals at Ajinomoto. In the final stages of the league, we were able to achieve consecutive victories with both performance and results, concluding successfully.

As we head into the last tournament of the season, Coach Shinoda stated, "I want to showcase everything we have worked on and built up this season, and make it our 'culmination' tournament." We will not stop our progress until the end of the season, aiming for victory while continuing to grow.

Unfortunately, during this break, Hashimoto and Kono underwent surgery and left the squad. On the other hand, Tokunaga returned and started as the left side back. Maeda, who also suffered a rib injury, quickly improved his condition and was included in the starting lineup, with Muroya on the right side back, Mizunuma on the right midfield, and Nakajima on the left. The formation will feature Takahashi and Tanabe as the double defensive midfielders.

Kawasaki faced Blaublitz Akita, the representative of Akita Prefecture, in the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup, and triumphed over Urawa in a fierce battle in the 3rd Round through a penalty shootout, advancing thus far. In the league, they have already lost in the first match of the championship, so their desire to compete for the title must be strong as well.

Kawasaki boasts high individual abilities led by MF Nakamura, and a strong scoring power centered around FW Yu OKUBO and Kobayashi. If they are slow to switch between offense and defense, it is expected that the game will unfold as they intend. We want to be more conscious than ever of switching and ball contests, demonstrating our organizational defensive strength to prevent conceding goals. Furthermore, Coach Shinoda stated, "If we can fight aggressively in both offense and defense, those who come to watch should find it interesting. We will give our all and aim to win," as they strive to surpass Kawasaki with a dynamic style and aim for the Semifinal Round.

The match started at 16:04 with Kawasaki's kickoff under clear skies during the day, but with a cold wind and harsh chilly weather.

Unable to regain the rhythm, conceding 2 goals in the first half...

From the very beginning, Tokyo was pushed back by Kawasaki's momentum. In response to the fluidity of the front line and the fast-paced passing, Tokyo's movements were sluggish, and chances were created from both flanks.

6 minutes: Kawasaki forward Yu OKUBO feints to time his move just outside the left area and crosses to the right area. Midfielder Elsinho, who had broken free behind the Tokyo defense, created a scoring opportunity, but the shot went over the bar.
11 minutes: Kawasaki's left MF Nobori was cut through on the side, allowing a breakthrough close to the goal, but Takahashi managed to slide and deflect it for a corner kick.

After avoiding the crisis of conceding a goal, they gradually regained their composure, stole the ball, and shifted to attack.
12 minutes: Mizunuma's right corner kick resulted in a loose ball, and Nakajima took his first shot of the day from just outside the right area. Immediately after, he aimed for a mid-range shot from the left side, but both were caught by the Kawasaki GK.
15 minutes: Nakajima on the left side passes to Maeda in the center and then charges into the area himself. Maeda skillfully controls the ball and turns, aiming for a through pass into the area, but it is cut off by the Kawasaki defender just before reaching Nakajima.
17 minutes: Tanabe intercepted a loose pass from the opponent. He exchanged passes with Nakajima, and Nakajima took a shot from mid-range, but it went over the goal. It seemed like they had regained their rhythm.

20 minutes: Kawasaki DF Eduardo plays a vertical pass from the back line. This is received by MF Elsinho, who passes to central MF Nakamura, who then spreads the ball to right back Tasaka, who has advanced on the right flank. From a high position, he is free to deliver a cross, and FW Yu OKUBO makes a run into the goal area. Although Muroya was contesting with FW Yu OKUBO, he shoots with a knee from a high jump... the ball goes into the net. The lack of tightness in the situation led to conceding the opening goal.

26 minutes: Still, without panicking, Tanabe carried the ball with a dribble and passed it to Mizunuma on the right. Muroya overlapped from the outside and sent in a cross. The ball, which passed in front of Maeda, was slightly behind Nakajima at the far post. Nakajima attempted an overhead kick with his back to the goal, but it went to the left.

28 minutes: Kawasaki regained the ball in their own half, and MF Eduardo advanced towards the goal after exchanging passes with left MF Nobori, connecting with slightly right MF Elsinho. In response, Tokyo was unable to apply pressure, and Elsinho scored a mid-range shot into the bottom left of the area... conceding the second goal.

After that, Kawasaki continued to hold the ball for a while. Tokyo's position to regain possession was low, and they could not advance the ball to the front line. Nakajima took five shots, but apart from that, they could not create any attacking shape, and ended the first half while allowing a two-goal lead.

Although Hirayama scored a goal, the counterattack did not bear fruit, and we ended in the top 8.

Ogawa was brought in as a left back from the second half. He showed an aggressive attitude and aimed to counterattack.
46 minutes: From the kickoff of the second half, a pass is sent to the front line, and Mizunuma earns a corner kick.
49 minutes: After a quick transition, Ogawa overlapped into the front line. He sent a ground cross into the area, but it just barely missed Higashi and Nakajima.

55 minutes: After regaining possession in their own half, Tanabe switches the attack and spreads the play to the right. Muroya, who made a timely run forward, sends in a cross. This is blocked, but Tanabe circles around to the right flank and delivers another cross. Mizunuma in the center attempts an overhead kick, but... the shot grazes the crossbar and bounces back.

57 minutes: The momentum increased on both offense and defense, with 5 Muroya making a vertical advance and earning a right corner kick. From Mizunuma's kick, Morishige headed the ball down. Just before being blocked by the Kawasaki defense, Azuma connected a short pass to Maeda, just in front of the left goal area, but... the shot could not be taken.

Kawasaki, maintaining a 2-point lead, formed a block to defend, leading to a back-and-forth exchange of counterattacks as time passed. In response to Kawasaki's push towards the finish, Tokyo attempted various challenges, such as crosses from the sides and through passes into the area, but continued to struggle to capitalize on their chances.

63 minutes: Hirayama replaces Maeda.
68 minutes: Mizunuma sent an early cross from the right side, and Hirayama headed the ball, but it was offside.
74 minutes: From Maruyama's interception, Higashi passes to Mizunuma, who sends it to Nakajima in the center, but the timing is just slightly off. Still, Nakajima wins the second ball and takes a shot from distance, but it goes wide.

75 minutes: Abe was brought in to replace Mizunuma. They aimed to increase speed and momentum towards the goal. However, Kawasaki also launched a precise counterattack.
82 minutes: The dribble shot by FW Yu OKUBO, who remained up front, hits the left post... They were also faced with a crisis.
90 minutes: Nevertheless, they pressed on without giving up, and Ogawa boldly initiated an attack, winning a free kick on the left side of the opponent's area. Ogawa took the free kick himself, and the ball bounced in front of the opposing GK, which Hirayama headed in for a GOAL!! Finally, they succeeded in scoring one point. Furthermore, encouraged by the momentum from the stands, they pushed forward in the 4 minutes of added time, launching a robust attack in front of the Kawasaki goal.

However, in the end, Tanabe's cross to Abe in the right area led to a scramble, but they couldn't push it in... They managed to score one goal with Hirayama, but that was the extent of their counterattack. They suffered defeat, impacted by the two goals conceded in the first half, and ended the season in the best 8 of the Emperor's Cup.

[Player Comments]

《Hirayama》
"Since I was in a situation where we were chasing two goals, I wanted to score one point as quickly as possible. I tried to initiate plays from both sides, while being conscious of connecting plays to the goal from the center. The goal came from exploiting a gap in the opponent's zone defense, and Ogawa sent a great kick. However, it would have been better if I could have scored earlier... It's very disappointing that we couldn't respond to the many fans and supporters who cheered for us with a victory."

《Morishige》
"There must have been a strong desire for the title, both individually among the players and as a team, as well as from our fans and supporters. I feel disappointed and sorry that we could not meet those expectations today. However, I felt that we were outperformed by Kawasaki in each position. Each of us thinks and feels, 'We could have done more, there were things we should have done'... and I want to connect those feelings to the next opportunity. If we do not make use of the experience of this defeat, we will not be able to win. This year has had various events, and it ended with unsatisfactory results, but I would like to sincerely thank everyone who cheered for us even during such times, and everyone who supported us throughout the year."

Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference

"It was a frustrating defeat. Including the players, staff, fans, and supporters, we envisioned winning here and moving forward, but unfortunately, the result was disappointing, and I feel responsible. From the start of the match, we were attacked by Kawasaki's quick ball movement. The spacing between the opponents and our teammates was off, and there were many moments when our press was broken. Gradually, we increased the time we held the ball at our own pace and tried to create chances, but the way we conceded goals was poor. Ending the first half 0-2 made things difficult. In the second half, we brought on Ogawa to allow the wide players to take higher positions and raised the attacking gear, but scoring one goal was far off, and we also invited danger. I feel there was a lack of team strength and a gap in what we had built up. Including myself, there are many things lacking, but I want to clearly define how we will build from here and connect it to next season. Some players will leave the team, and we still don't know what the lineup for next season will be, but we will firmly do what we can and make use of this defeat going forward."

[Summary of the press conference by Yahiro KAZAMA, coach of Kawasaki Frontale]

"We conceded one goal from a set piece, but other than that, we were able to control the game well. It was a difficult situation for the players as it was their first match in a while, but they started well and fought hard for the victory. It was a good match."
(In the second half, it became a situation where we were pushed back until about the 15-minute mark?)
Since the result over 90 minutes is what matters, we are not aiming for perfection up to that point. I knew that Tokyo would come out aggressively at the start of the second half. Conversely, it would have been even better if we could have capitalized on that. The players understood that such situations could arise. More than being pushed back, I was a bit disappointed that we couldn't score at that moment.