Focus on the upcoming match and aim for the quarterfinals!

　The Emperor's Cup 4th Round will be played against Mito Hollyhock. In the final league match against Sapporo, we suffered a disappointing defeat away from home, leaving a bitter taste. Now we are preparing for the last tournament of the season. Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA said, "It's not that we were careless in the Sapporo match, but we were caught off guard in terms of performance. It's important to switch our mindset and forget about winning the championship or returning to J1 in a positive way. It's really important how much we can focus on the Emperor's Cup tournament. Mito will also come to fight with determination, so it won't be easy."

　Mito, on the other hand, finished 17th in the league, but they have shown a remarkable performance in the Emperor's Cup, defeating G Osaka after Sapporo and achieving a "surprise victory". They are an opponent that the J2 champion team cannot afford to lose to, but since they know each other's tactics, it won't be easy to defeat them. Above all, in a tournament where anything can happen, what matters is not the difference in strength, but rather not giving the opponent any chances throughout the 90 minutes and not missing any opportunities to score.

　Tokyo, Kajiyama returns to the starting lineup after injury. Hanyu will play in the attacking midfield position with the previous formation. As Kajiyama said, "Mito has players with individual strengths," Mito's forward Suzuki, who has scoring ability, as well as side midfielders Koike and Shimada, who have both dribbling and crossing abilities, so we want to focus on defending to prevent the ball from reaching them. Furthermore, even if we lose the ball during the attack, pressing from a high position will prevent us from conceding a counterattack and instead create a great opportunity, so quick defensive transitions from the front line are also important.

　Regarding the Emperor's Cup, Coach Okuma said, "As a club, it is a fact that there are obstacles to overcome in order to defeat teams with tradition and to compete in Asia. However, we are determined to challenge with words and actions and strive for victory with our own strength. We will maintain our focus for the upcoming match and do our best to advance to the quarterfinals. The match started at 13:04 with a kickoff from Tokyo at the sunny K's denki Stadium Mito."

Although they took the lead with an own goal, they were unable to seize the momentum and the first half ended.

　The game started moving in the early stages. In the 8th minute, we persistently regained possession after the opponent's clearance from a left throw-in fell short, and connected the play. Hayu passed the ball to the left area, which Tanizawa skillfully dribbled into close range of the goal and sent a final pass in front. Kajiyama was closing in near the goal, but the opponent's defender tried to clear the ball that had gone through the center and it ended up in the net. With a typical Tokyo combination play, we induced an own goal and took the lead.

　This should have put us in a mentally advantageous position and allowed us to progress in the game, but Mito FW Suzuki used his ball control skills to draw a foul and create a chance for the opponent from a set piece. Nevertheless, we created scoring opportunities from set pieces. In the 19th minute, a free kick from the right side. Ishikawa sent it slightly downwards and Mokuhara took a direct shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 22nd minute, MoriShige jumped in with a header from a right corner kick, but it was cleared and resulted in a left corner kick again. Kajiyama changed the direction of the ball with a header from TaniZawa's kick, but it went wide of the goal.

　24 minutes, a slightly withdrawn YASUZAWA passes a wedge pass to the right-leaning LUCAS in the area. LUCAS skillfully receives it and exchanges short passes with HANYU towards the center. KAJIYAMA, who is free, runs in and takes a shot, but it is blocked by the opposing defender just before. Immediately after, TAKAHASHI steals the ball in the midfield and launches a counterattack on the left side. He evades the opposing defender and takes a shot, but it goes wide. There were also moments where Mito created scoring opportunities from the second line, but KANDA and others held firm, and both teams were unable to capitalize on their chances, ending the first half.

In the end, we defended against the opponent's attacks with our bodies and achieved victory without conceding any points!

　In the 47th minute of the second half, Mito MF Shimada broke through the defense and created a decisive opportunity, but Gonda made a quick save. The loose ball was targeted by Mito MF Ozawa near the area, but it missed the target and avoided a crisis... After that, Mito continued to face difficulties due to their aggressive play, and for a long time, they were put under pressure. Therefore, in the 57th minute, Roberto CESAR was substituted for Hayu, aiming to score an additional goal using his speed.

　However, there are many offside situations and it is not possible to fully grasp the rhythm. In the 61st minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the right side and crossed. Lucas dropped it and Yazuwa took a powerful shot from the center, but it hit Lucas in the front line. In the 73rd minute, Tanabe was substituted for Ishikawa. Immediately after that, the opponent's right cross escaped to the opposite side and Mito MFMF Koike was free in the area. It was a decisive scene, but the shot was off target. Helped by the mistake.

　85 minutes, Morishige intercepts in his own territory and dribbles himself. He brings it to the front of the goal but cannot take a shot. From here, he connects and in the end, Tanabe only manages to get a corner kick. Towards the end of the game, from Tanabe's exquisite through pass, Cesar breaks through to the right area and takes a shot but it is blocked by the goalkeeper's save... Unable to score until the end, they only managed to get one goal from an own goal, but Mito's counterattack was kept at bay without conceding a goal, resulting in a victory. As a result, they advance to the quarterfinals and will face Urawa Reds on December 24th in Kumagai.

　【Player Comment】《Kajiyama》"Playing a game with opponents was a long time since I last did it, so at first I couldn't grasp the feeling and the connection with the ball was not good. However, I think I gradually got used to it and was able to play without any problems in the second half. I was also physically fine in the injured area. (About the goal scene?) It's something I always try to do, to get into that position, but I didn't do anything just by getting in. I didn't even touch the ball. But it became an own goal, so maybe it was good that I didn't touch it (laughs). The pitch condition was bouncy, but we stuck to our own style of soccer and focused on connecting passes. There were many mistakes, but I think it was good that we were able to keep the score at zero by being conscious of switching and covering. I think it was also good that I was able to put my body on the line throughout the 90 minutes."

　《Konno》"Mito's defense, rather than taking care of the back, they were pressing against the players, and as a result, we were unable to settle the ball and were pushed back. We couldn't create our own time, and although we didn't have many games this season where the opponent had the ball so much, I think we were able to fight without losing focus on the defensive side. Mito, when I was absent at Ajista, fought aggressively away and had a boldness. The impression is always being troubled. We were able to win today, but in a one-shot game, one mistake can be fatal. We want to use that as a lesson for the next time."

　[Summary of Coach Ookuma's Press Conference] "After scoring a goal, we lacked a bit of aggression both mentally and in terms of creating opportunities to steal the ball and initiate defense. As we were able to possess the ball to a certain extent, the opposing team tended to sit back, and we didn't have many players making runs behind their defense. In terms of threat, I felt that we were a bit lacking. However, I knew that Mito had a fixed lineup and had become very strong towards the end of the league season, so I knew today's match wouldn't be easy. Lastly, there was a scene where there was a sliding tackle, but I think Kanda, Takahashi, and others really put their bodies on the line."

　I think our perseverance in defense has paid off in the league matches, and it has led to victory. We need to improve our decision-making and accuracy when the game becomes prolonged, whether it's dribbling, passing, using teammates, or shooting. When we reach a higher level, we often end up in tough matches where we are tied or even reversed. We have homework to do for the next game. I want to solve it thoroughly and approach the next match."

　[Summary of Mito Chuzan Coach's Press Conference] I think the own goal at the beginning had a big impact, but I believe that throughout the 90 minutes, we were able to do everything we wanted to do and needed to do in the game. The players fought well until the end. If we had lost after this, it would have been inevitable and acceptable. I think the players really did their best and worked hard. (What were the points of growth throughout the three matches?) In all aspects, I think today's game was the best and evenly matched. We chased the ball without hesitation and were able to defend properly even when facing counterattacks. It was truly a game where I felt the players' growth."