Whatever the form, a result is expected in this match

After a two-week interval following the end of the league, the Emperor's Cup resumes with a quarter-final match against Vegalta Sendai. It will be a rematch of the final league match, but during this time, Lucas suffered a broken bone and Hiramatsu was injured. The team was shocked by this unfortunate accident, and there was a temporary atmosphere of sadness. However, Coach Popovic said, "It's very unfortunate that the two of them can't be on the pitch, but they are members of the FC Tokyo family. They are always with us. Of course, the other players also carry their feelings and have a strong desire to fight and win for them."

Sendai, on the other hand, has advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Blaublitz Akita (representative of Akita Prefecture), Mito, and Shimizu in the Emperor's Cup. In the final match of the league, FW Yanagisawa was injured and forced to withdraw, but MF Kakuta and DF Suga, on the other hand, returned. They will face the match with a different lineup from the previous match. Tokunaga said, "It is important to pick up the second ball and win the ball. Since we know each other's tactics, concentration will also determine the outcome. We want to pay attention to the details throughout the match and win." They want to maintain a compact formation and grasp the rhythm from the beginning.

Tokyo changed their lineup from the final match. They brought in Chang Hyun Soo as a center back. In addition, they replaced Lucas with Higashi. Takahashi said, "For Sendai, this is a home game. Also, it's been decided that coach Teguramori will step down, so their determination to 'do it' may be strong. However, we have an absolute 'reason' not to lose." Ishikawa also said, "We want to show more than we have relied on Lucas so far," expressing their respective thoughts on the pitch and aiming to seize victory as a united team. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 13:04 at Yurtec Stadium Sendai.

A series of mistakes lead to conceding the first goal. The first half ends with the opponent's rhythm.

From the start of the first half, Sendai's strength in the ball contest prevented us from picking up second balls. Then, in the 3rd minute, Shioda cleared the ball but it fell short, allowing Sendai to pick it up and launch a counterattack quickly on the right side. Ota, who had moved up to a high position, crossed the ball. It went beyond the center and reached MF Yanagida in the left area. From here, a shot was taken, but Shioda made a save. However, the rebound was not cleared properly by Yonehara, and it was connected, ultimately resulting in a volley goal by center forward Wilson. We conceded a goal early on.

After that, Sendai continued to trouble Tokyo with long balls, and Tokyo couldn't regain a good attacking rhythm. A bad flow of conceding short counters from their own mistakes. Despite Ota sending a cross into the box from a set piece, they couldn't create a decisive opportunity due to mistimed plays. In the 23rd minute, Ota dribbled up to a high position in the front line and sent a negative cross into the box. Watanabe in the center of the area let it go through, and Yonemoto at the back timed his shot perfectly, but it went over the bar.

In the 29th minute, Hasegawa was fouled and FK from the left area just before the hand. Ota sent it to the front of the goal, and Changhyun touched the loose ball, but Watanabe reacted and missed the frame. The pass started to circulate little by little, but they were struggling against Sendai's high defensive line, and there was no breakthrough from the second row, so there was no effective vertical pass. In the 39th minute, Ota directly aimed for the FK from about 30m in the center, but it just went over the frame. In the first half stoppage time, Vucicevic crossed from Hasegawa's development. Yonemoto jumped into the right area, but couldn't take a shot. In the end, they finished one point behind.

Kiyoshi OTA scored a direct free kick in injury time of the second half, and the match went into extra time.

The flow remains the same in the second half. Tokyo's goal kicks and balls to the front line are all bounced back by Sendai. Tokyo, who wants to change the flow, substitutes Ishikawa for Vucicevic in the 52nd minute. As Sendai's stamina gradually decreases, Tokyo dominates the ball. Sendai defends and looks for counterattacks. In the 57th minute, Ota dribbles through the left area and sends a close-range final pass to Watanabe waiting in the center, but it doesn't connect. Takahashi tries a shot from the loose ball, but it is blocked.

In the 63rd minute, Hasegawa brought the ball to the right sideline and sent a negative last pass to the center of the area, but he couldn't connect with Watanabe near the goal and Ishikawa far away. In the 66th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Watanabe. In the 73rd minute, while passing the ball in the opponent's half, Ishikawa made a run behind the defense and received a well-timed pass from Ota in the left area, then made a last pass to the center. Hasegawa in front of the goal let it go through. Hirayama was behind him, but he couldn't make the connection. Despite creating several chances from the sides, they couldn't clear the ball and score.

In the 82nd minute, FW Akamine of Sendai received the ball from a left throw-in and bypassed Tokyo DF on the left front line, delivering a floating last pass to the center. MF Yanagida jumped in with a header at the perfect timing, but it slightly curved to the left and avoided danger. In the 85th minute, Tokyo made their final substitution, replacing Higashi with Hayashi. In the 87th minute, Honda's right cross was received by Hayashi in the left area, but Yamada in the center was unable to take a shot. Ishikawa attempted a volley on the rebound, but his powerful shot was blocked.

Even in the 4 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo launches a fierce attack. Then, in the midst of a melee just outside the penalty area, Hayashi is fouled and earns a free kick. In a tense atmosphere, Ota kicks the ball and it is sucked into the upper right side net, equalizing at the last minute. The second half ends and goes into extra time.