Emperor's Cup quarterfinals, a new start

　On Dec 25 (Sat), Avispa Fukuoka will face off against Kumagaya Athletic Stadium in the Emperor's Cup quarterfinals. This will be the final tournament of the season, and the team can be said to have already started a new beginning with the goal of winning the Emperor's Cup. They will continue to fight, taking one step at a time towards the final, which will also lead to the next season.

　Fukuoka, who finished the J2 League in 3rd place this season and secured promotion to J1, will be the opponent. The past matches in J1 go back until 2006, but today's match should be a "litmus test" for both teams as they consider the next season. Coach Okuma vows to fight without losing the aggressiveness in the mental aspect, saying, "Fukuoka is expected to come with a strong mentality to challenge. If we just stand and take it, we will be defeated."

　Furthermore, Fukuoka plays in a 4-4-2 formation, with FW Hisashi JOGO leading the front line and 190cm FW Yu OKUBO playing in a withdrawn position, using it as a starting point for their attacks. They also rely on the speed of left MF Peter UTAKA's dribbling and the forward runs of central midfielder Tomoaki OKUBO to create momentum on the counter. Even if they concede a goal, they want to remain calm and prioritize creating their own opportunities.

　Surviving the time zone of patience. If we can continue to threaten in the attacking third, we can find a chance to win. We aim to advance to the semifinals by calmly determining the crucial moments of the match and boldly attacking. In Tokyo, GK Shibata starts. Kajiyama and Nakamura, who have been adjusting with a separate menu in practice, have not suffered any major injuries and have been named in the starting lineup. Nakamura will play as a right fullback, and Tokunaga will play as a left fullback. Ishikawa, who has recovered from an injury, is also on the bench. Despite the clear weather, the match started at 15:04 with a cold and strong wind blowing in Tokyo's kickoff.

Despite dominating the ball, they conceded a goal from a counterattack...

　They dominated the ball from the start and went on the attack. In the 3rd minute, Otake and in the 5th minute, Ricardinho dribbled past the opponent's defender and took a shot. In the 8th minute, starting from Morishige to Kajiyama, Okubo and Hirayama connected, and Kajiyama broke free in front of the goal and took a shot. In the 9th minute, Hirayama also took a shot inside the box. It seemed like the opening goal was just a matter of time, but they couldn't convert these early chances, and in the 13th minute, they conceded a sharp counterattack from Fukuoka.

　Fukuoka DF Yamagata → MF Sueyoshi crosses from the right. Nakamura tries to clear it, but the ball spills to the far side, and Fukuoka FW Okubo shoots from an angleless position in the left area, resulting in a goal against us. We allowed them to take advantage of one chance and conceded the first goal... In the 17th minute, Nakamura was forced to be substituted due to injury, and Kim Young Gwon was brought on as the left full-back. Tokunaga was positioned on the right, and we calmly tried to connect passes and launch a counterattack with our own style of play.

　However, we carried the ball forward by incorporating side changes and direct passes, but our accuracy and power in front of the goal were not enough, and we ended the first half with a one-point lead.

Kei ISHIKAWA saves the team with a dramatic goal at the end of the game!! The match goes into overtime.

　In the 59th minute just after the start of the second half, Otake dribbled dynamically from the right side to the center. He was blocked by the Fukuoka DF, but he persistently picked up the loose ball and threatened the Fukuoka goal from Tokunaga's cross and Kajiyama's pass. Otake, who entered the area, couldn't finish it off, but in the end, Kajiyama followed up without giving up and went up to the end line, earning a right corner kick. Otake connected this with a short corner, and Tokunaga, who had moved inside, struck a powerful shot into the net, but it was ruled offside...

　In the 60th minute, Suzuki replaced Daikoku as the forward, and in the 73rd minute, Ishikawa, who had just recovered from an injury, was substituted for Yonemoto and placed on the right side. Otake launched a counterattack with a formation where he moved to the center. As a result, a fast-paced attack was initiated, and the game was mostly played in the Fukuoka's half. However, in the 74th minute, Ishikawa caught up with Kajiyama's pass on the right front line and passed it to Tokunaga, who had moved up the middle. Tokunaga entered the penalty area and connected with Suzuki in the center, but Hirayama couldn't turn around and couldn't bring it to a shot.

　In the 78th minute, Hirayama on the left side passed to Suzuki in the area, and Ricardinho took a shot. In the 84th minute, Ricardinho received a pass from Konno and sprinted through the center, evading the opponent's defender with great speed. He took a shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... Hirayama and Ricardinho were unable to capitalize on their chances. In the final stages, Konno moved up one row, and Kajiyama launched a fierce attack with the support of the defensive line. However, in the 86th minute, Ishikawa caught up with a loose ball that Konno contested on the right front line and sent a cross into the goal area, but it was cleared by the Fukuoka defender and they couldn't break the goal no matter what.

　Entering the 3 minutes of stoppage time. It seemed like the game would end like this... but no one on the pitch was giving up. In the 90th minute +3, Tokunaga's right cross was initially blocked, but it was persistently connected and Kajiyama moved forward. In a battle with Konno, Ishikawa seized the loose ball from the Fukuoka DF and drove it into the left side of the net, GOAL!! Ishikawa saves the team with a valuable goal right before the end, equalizing the score! The match will now go into extra time.

Hirayama and Ishikawa add more points to pull away from Fukuoka and advance to the semifinal round!

　Tokyo, who grabbed the momentum and rhythm, succeeded in taking the lead by scoring a goal in the 94th minute of the first half of extra time. Otake skillfully aimed for a lob pass behind the opponent's defense from the midfield. Hayama, who broke free in response to this, scored a goal from the right area to the opposite side of the net. In the following 98th minute, Ishikawa received a through pass from Otake in the central area after a pass exchange between Ishikawa and Otake, and managed to score his second goal by evading the opponent's goalkeeper! They scored two goals in quick succession and extended their lead.

　However, Fukuoka did not give up and in the 116th minute of extra time, they scored a header from a corner kick by DF Tanba, narrowing the gap to one goal. However, they managed to hold off the subsequent counterattack with everyone's effort, and the time was up. There are still challenges in terms of accuracy in front of the goal and closing out the game, and it was a tough match. However, they persevered with their own style of soccer throughout the 120 minutes and secured victory, advancing to the semifinal round. They will face Kashima Antlers at Japan National Stadium on the 29th.

　【Player Comment】《Kei ISHIKAWA》"I didn't want it to end here. I joined the practice two days ago and still had some concerns about my leg. But if I am needed, I wanted to respond by producing results. I also feel refreshed from resting due to injury, and I think I was able to express that feeling in a positive way through my play, including taking responsibility."

　(I thought the goal in the second half stoppage time) would end with this play, so I had a strong desire not to miss the chance. I believed that the loose ball would come to me, and it actually did. I was able to hit a well-measured shot. (Regarding my goal in the first half of extra time) When I calmly trapped the ball, the opponent's goalkeeper came out, so I didn't forget to go towards the goal and made a run inside. I think I was able to adapt flexibly. As Tokyo, I have a strong desire to become stronger from here... and it's great that we were able to seize victory as a team. Personally, I will focus on improving my condition for the Kashima game."

　"I think not giving Fukuoka an additional goal led to our victory. We were one goal behind, but at halftime, we all discussed it together. Daiki Okubo also said, 'If we concede a second goal here, it will be really tough and the damage will be significant. So please be patient in the back. If we do that, the players up front will score.' I believed that what was expected of me was to adapt my playing style to the situation and communicate the team's direction to everyone. If our vectors don't align, the team will fall apart. For example, I kept repeating whether we should push up or drop back in each situation. It was good that everyone could fight with a common understanding."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "It was a game that condensed this season. After Ishikawa entered the game, both sides became a threat to the opponent and were able to pull them out and break through the middle. When the sides only had Ricardinho, the ball would circulate but it was difficult to pull out the opponent's defensive midfielder or stopper. Also, because the opponent scored first, there was a period where we couldn't break through. It is necessary to not only circulate the ball but also provide a threat with through passes in the attacking third, and not only surpass the opponent but also do decisive work and finish."

　In order to do that, I felt that individual efforts would directly contribute to the team's strength, but today, that was still lacking. There are many things that need to be done, but it was a game where I reaffirmed the need to create a team that the opponent dislikes while utilizing the players' individuality. In that sense, Ishikawa changed the flow, scored goals, and saved the team. There is also reflection on allowing one point, but I think that winning and scoring two or three points will give the team confidence. There are points to reflect on, but I want to take them positively. The schedule is tough, but first, I want to do my best in the next semifinal."

　[Summary of Fukuoka Shinoda's Press Conference] "First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who supported us for the past year. I am truly grateful to the supporters who came from far away and those who waited in Hakata. I feel sorry that we couldn't make the team win. FC Tokyo has very high individual abilities, and it was a battle to see how far we could go. The players ran well and fought until the end without giving up. I have nothing but words of gratitude for the players. There are also players leaving the team, and I approached today's game with the intention of playing as many games as possible with them, but we couldn't make them win, and I feel responsible for that. Looking back on the game, we were able to enter the game calmly from the beginning."

　However, gradually it became FC Tokyo's pace and gave dangerous scenes. As expected, there are still parts that are lacking in individual abilities and as a team. After taking the lead, FC Tokyo had more possession of the ball, but they defended patiently and were able to launch successful counterattacks from there. However, there are no words for not being able to score a second goal and being caught up in the last 30 seconds. However, losing the game may require us to reevaluate. We want to head into the next season with new goals."