Finally, on Apr 29 (Fri, Holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the National Stadium before renovation, we have played many official matches since our first year in the J.League. There were memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving our long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back at the footprints and memories left at the previous National Stadium with photos from that time.
2010 Overhead with Determination
[Match Information]
90th Emperor's Cup Japan National Football Championship Semifinal Round
FC Tokyo 1-2 Kashima Antlers
In the 1999 Nabisco Cup semifinal, the opponent was Kashima Antlers, but looking back at the club's history, they have faced each other countless times in the Emperor's Cup. This shows that Kashima has a high chance of reaching a good position in cup competitions, and it just happened to be when Tokyo reached that level.
In 1994, during the Tokyo Gas era, they won 2-0 against Kashima in the 1st round of the Emperor's Cup. In the semifinal round of the 1997 Emperor's Cup, they faced Kashima, who had both JORGINHO and Bismarck at the time, and lost 1-3. After 13 years, on December 29, 2010, Tokyo once again faced Kashima in the semifinal round of the Emperor's Cup.
Tokyo, which had already been relegated to J2 League after losing to Kyoto Sanga F.C. on December 4th, had secured a spot in the quarterfinals before that. They defeated Avispa Fukuoka in the quarterfinals on December 25th, showing their determination to win the final title.
Already without the figures of Ryuji FUJIYAMA and Satoru ASARI, it was also like a touchstone for how far the new generation of Tokyo can go at the end of an era. In this year, 4 matches were held at the National Stadium, including the Nabisco Cup, Suruga Bank Championship, and J1. As the chant goes, there was also joy in "winning Suruga and becoming the world's best", but the semifinal round of the Emperor's Cup, where they fight for a spot in the final at the end of the year, is special. Two years ago on the same day, they lost to Kashiwa Reysol at Ecopa Stadium and missed out on reaching the final, but will they be able to become finalists this time?──
Koroki Shinzo, Osako Yuya, and Nozawa Takuya, among other prominent players, Kashima started the game with a strong shooting attack, causing Tokyo to struggle. However, in the 39th minute of the first half, Hirayama Sota scored a spectacular overhead goal from Ricardinho's cross from the left! This dramatic goal, the fourth of the tournament, gave Tokyo the lead.
However, in the 22nd minute of the second half, Tomohiko MIYAZAKI, who graduated from FC Tokyo U-18, crossed from the left and Yuya OSAKO scored with a header to equalize. In the 4th minute of the first half of extra time, Takuji YONEMOTO, who received his second yellow card of the day, was sent off. And in the 16th minute of the second half of extra time, a shot with his right foot by Koji OKUJOU sealed the victory, and Tokyo finally ran out of steam.
To clear the frustration of the league match, we were one step short in the Emperor's Cup.
Text by Wataru GOTO (Freelance Writer)
