Challenging Kashima, aiming for the first appearance in the Emperor's Cup final

　On Dec 29 (Wed), the Emperor's Cup Semifinal Round will be held. Kashima Antlers will compete at Japan National Stadium. In the quarterfinal match against Fukuoka, they struggled but managed to get an equalizer goal by Ishikawa in the second half injury time, saving the team. They pushed Fukuoka aside in the extra time and achieved their first semifinal appearance since 2008. By maintaining balance and persistently turning the game around, they are gaining momentum.

　Approaching the semifinal round with that momentum. Coach Okuma said, "Even if Kashima loses foreign players, they have a deep squad and a solid foundation of tradition. While respecting them, we want to overcome that barrier and stick to our own style of soccer, aiming for the first Emperor's Cup final."

　Kashima, on the other hand, finished the league in 4th place and couldn't achieve their 4th consecutive victory. Therefore, they should have a strong determination to win the title of this tournament and secure a spot in the ACL. FW Marcinho and DF Juton have already left the team, and DF Iwamasa will also be absent due to injury, but everyone recognizes the high ability of each player.

　Especially, "Kashima's pressing from midfield to the front line stands out even in the J-League. If you can't cope with it, you'll be done for. I want to start from a solid defense, not being passive, and connect it to the attack," said Coach Kiyoshi OKUMA. If Kashima takes the lead, they have both the strength and confidence to tighten their defense, so ideally they would like to score the first goal.

　Coach Okuma is preparing players such as Ishikawa and Otake, who can change the flow of the game, and seeking opportunities to win through a united effort. Tokyo's lineup consists of goalkeeper Kantoda, Mokuhara at right back, Young Gwon at left back. Tokunaga and Yonehara form the central midfield, Kajiyama on the right wing, Ricardinho on the left wing, and Suzuki and Hirayama as the two forwards. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 15:03 on a sunny winter day at the home ground, National Stadium.

Take the lead with Hirayama's splendid goal! Seize the momentum with our own style of soccer

　Kashima had a chance in the opening. In the 2nd minute, Kashima's left side allowed FW Koroki to enter the area. MF Nozawa, who ran freely following a negative pass, took a shot but it went over the bar and avoided danger. In the 12th minute, FW Koroki broke through on the left side, but the shot was saved by Gonda, and they managed to avoid danger. After that, they picked up the second ball well, circulated the ball, and threatened the Kashima goal.

　22 minutes, Tenacity in the midfield, Tokunaga steals the ball and feeds it to the right front line. Suzuki skillfully keeps possession and attempts a daring shot after entering the right area. In the 24th minute, Ricardinho shows tenacity and passes to Yonemoto in the center. Yonemoto takes a ground shot. Both shots miss the target, and there are also moments when we face sharp counterattacks from Kashima. However, we continue to connect strong defense with quick transitions to attacks. In the 30th minute, Kim Young Gwon joins the attack, and Kajiyama and Suzuki's skillful movements in the front line create scoring opportunities.

　33 minutes, Young Gwon KIM sends a through pass into the area, Kajiyama, who has moved up from right to left, skillfully connects with a short minus pass. Ricardinho, who has escaped between the left area and the opponent's defender, shoots decisively but misses the target... In the 38th minute, Young Gwon KIM wins the battle with the opponent on the front line and advances to the left area. He sends a decisive last pass to the center, but the ball slips between Hirayama and Kajiyama...

　But in the 39th minute, Hirayama passed to Suzuki on the front line, and Ricardinho crossed from the left. Hirayama, with his back to the goal, spectacularly scored with a left-footed overhead kick! The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back inside, and Mokuhara also followed up, but it went in before that! Hirayama scored a goal that woke everyone up and took the lead, leading to an ideal situation as they entered the second half.

Unable to score additional points, Kashima, who read the flow, equalized...

　Kashima substituted MF Aoki for DF Oiwa in the second half, placing him in the defensive midfield. MF Nakata shifted to center back. However, in the early stages of the second half, Tokyo initiated attacks from the sides and gained momentum. In the 50th minute, the ball sent forward by Mori Shige was cleared by the Kashima defense. It reached Kim Young Gwon on the left side of the midfield, who took a shot. In the 59th minute, Suzuki launched a counterattack, passing to Hirayama in the forward line and expanding to the right. Muhara overlapped and delivered a sharp pinpoint cross, which Hirayama headed perfectly, but... the shot went straight to the goalkeeper's face.

　Unable to score additional points in the scoring opportunity. Kashima introduced MF Motoyama in the 61st minute. They approached the counterattack with a player substitution that anticipated the flow. Taking this opportunity, Kashima attacked with passing play and quick transitions. Then, in the 67th minute, they connected with Kashima again on the right side of Tokyo, and a cross was lifted by left-back Miyazaki, who overlapped. And then, a high-headed shot from FW Osako in the far post... resulted in an equalizing goal being conceded.

　Tokyo substituted Ishikawa for Suzuki in the 72nd minute, with Hirayama leading the front line and Kajiyama moving to the center. Both teams launched speedy attacks from solid defenses, resulting in an intense match. In the 84th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and created a chance from a cross, but neither Ricardinho on the left nor Yonemoto, who had moved to the center, could finish it off.

　In the 89th minute, Okubo was substituted for Mukuhara. The formation changed to a two-top with Hirayama and Okubo, Kajiyama in the defensive midfield, and Tokunaga shifting to the right full-back position. In the 90th minute +3, a quick attack was launched, with Kim Young Gwon attempting to connect with Hirayama in front of the goal and then to Okubo in front, but it was defended by the Kashima DF, and the match ended in a draw at 90 minutes. Following the quarterfinals, the match will be extended to extra time.

Unable to overcome numerical disadvantage, conceded a goal in the last play... Finishing in the top 4

　In the 92nd minute of the first half of extra time, Morishige sent a long pass from his own half, Hirayama carried the ball, and Okubo on the right area crossed to Ishikawa on the outside. Hirayama attempted a header shot, but it went wide. They couldn't score no matter what, and in the 95th minute, Yonozawa of Kashima made a breakthrough and Yonemoto committed a foul, receiving a second warning and being sent off. They were forced to play with 10 men.

　In the 110th minute, Ricardinho was replaced by Otake in an attempt to take advantage of the opening and go for the lead, but we couldn't overcome the numerical disadvantage and were unable to launch an attack. Nevertheless, we persevered and concentrated, holding off Kashima's fierce attacks, and it seemed like we were heading into a penalty shootout...

　With just over ten seconds remaining in the additional minute, a pass is sent from Kashima MF Motoyama to FW Osako, who breaks through the back of Tokyo DF. The ball is passed to FW Okazaki in the midst of a scramble, and he drives a shot from the right area into the net... Immediately after, the final whistle blows. The team concedes a winning goal in the last play and suffers a defeat. They are unable to advance to the finals and end this tournament in the top four.

　　【Player Comment】《Shun HIRAYAMA》"The overhead kick was a reflexive movement. After that, we were caught up and had a player sent off, but I wish I could have returned to defense and taken the game to a penalty shootout... It's a really frustrating feeling to concede a goal in the last play. I want to refresh myself both mentally and physically for the next season and work hard for the team to win."

　"Ishikawa: "We created a rhythm and took the lead, and I was watching from the bench thinking that we could continue in that flow, but we couldn't score any additional points, and we were caught up in a tie like that, which I think symbolized this season's battle. Kashima had tenacity, and we should have felt the flow on the pitch, understanding why we were playing and what we were playing for... Kashima is said to be skilled in games, but maybe we don't have that, which is why we can't get results. The supporters were able to see our performance for a very short time throughout the year, and I am truly grateful for that, but we couldn't repay that favor even in the Emperor's Cup. Next year, I want to repay that favor while fighting together."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "The result was disappointing, but the players fought through a tough season and performed well in this challenging schedule. We had a player sent off, but we wanted to continue the match with 11 players until the end if possible. In the semifinal, we turned the game around with our own strength, but today it turned into the opposite. (Regarding Kajiyama's role) First, we wanted to utilize Suzuki's speed in running behind the defense and his movements that the opponent dislikes, and we also wanted to push Kashima's defensive line down, so we wanted to use Kajiyama in a high position. We changed to the center later because Tokyo's energy level dropped and Kashima's midfield dominance slightly increased, so we wanted to calm the team down. We also positioned Ishikawa on the right to make use of his breakthrough ability. Each player performed their roles very well, but in the future, as we consider competing in J2, we want to improve the quality of passes and the quality of the final play in the attacking third, and pose a threat to the opponents."

　(Where is the cause of relegation to J2 with this team and match content?) A team is a living thing. In the limited transfer period, the club team must humbly look at what needs to be introduced as a long-term preparation. For example, having an attacking power that becomes a threat to the opponent creates time and stabilizes the defense. Defense feeds the offense and increases its power. It is simple yet complex and versatile. It is not because of a lack of tenacity that there is a problem with defense, but even today, when we became 10 players, it can be considered that if there were players who could become more threatening... We must prepare to have the power of a team that surpasses the opponent, not just 11 players.

　As we each embark on our own paths for the upcoming season, let us not forget about this year and let it serve as our starting line. Although there are players who we can no longer fight alongside, I hope that we can prepare ourselves like we did for today's match and play good football that brings excitement. With these thoughts in our hearts, we will fight in the upcoming season."

　[Summary of KASHIMA OLIVEIRA's press conference] "The game was tough and challenging, but the players approached it with all their might and never gave up until the end. Despite having only three days of recovery, they fought until the end. MF Motoyama was able to change the flow of the game when he came on, and ultimately, the goal came from him. MF Motoyama has both good and bad aspects, but when he is used, he can make decisive plays that lead the team to victory and change the flow of the game. It is a problem that he cannot work consistently for a year, even though he has such talent and ability. If he can only be used a few times in a year, it is a great waste for the club. I think it is necessary for the club to utilize him a little more and let him be active."