Aim for victory by gathering the team's strength

　The 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup will be a consecutive match against ZAMFIR, starting from the Nabisco Cup Final, and moreover, it will be played just 2 days after the league match against Urawa. It will be necessary to switch our mindset back to the tournament format. However, Coach Jofuku said, "There are some players who we want to rest considering their injuries, but they are currently in a critical condition. All field players who are not injured will go on the expedition." This is a crucial match where we must gather the team's strength and do whatever it takes to win, aiming for the remaining two titles.

　Kusatsu, on the other hand, is currently in 10th place in the J2 League. In the league, they have 17 wins, 10 draws, and 21 losses, with forward Ken Tokura leading the goal-scoring rankings with 21 goals. They have skilled players such as forward Takada, midfielders Kumabayashi, Hiroyama, Kita, Matsushita, and others. "We have many players with experience in J1, and our attacking power is not inferior to J1. We have a solid weapon," analyzed coach Hiroshi Jofuku. The key will be how well we can suppress Kusatsu's attacking lineup with coordinated defense.

　Tokyo made significant changes to the starting lineup. Due to the absence of players selected for the Japan national team, Konno and Tokunaga, the defensive line sees Hiramatsu on the left and Sato in the center, while in midfield, Asari and Tanabe are chosen to replace Kajiyama and Suzuki. Up front, Hirayama and Kondo form a partnership as the two forwards. Scoring the first goal will be crucial in stopping the opponent's momentum. Tokyo aims to dominate the midfield against Kashima's compact and organized defense and break them down with an aggressive approach. The tournament format allows for the possibility of extra time, but Tokyo wants to start strong and match Kashima's energy, showcasing their own style.

　Asari said, "In the past, when we played against stronger teams, we felt like we could do it in the first 10 minutes and rode that momentum. So how we start the game is important. We must never lose in terms of our mindset, always take the initiative, and show the difference in quality. If we play defensively, it can quickly become dangerous. We know this painfully well from the Emperor's Cup in recent years." It was a battle with a fresh lineup, but they fought with the sole aim of victory, regardless of the circumstances! The match started with a kickoff from Kusatsu at 19:04 at Nagasaki Prefectural General Athletic Park Stadium, where a cold wind was blowing.

Hideki SAHARA scores the opening goal with his head! Leading and ending the first half

　Tokyo was dominated by Kashima from the start. In the early stages, Kashima FW Tokura attempted an overhead shot, but Shibata caught it. In the 12th minute, MF Kumabayashi aimed directly at the goal from a free kick outside the penalty area, but Shibata saved it and hit the crossbar. However, Tokyo remained calm and composed, responding calmly from a defensive position. They created a rhythm from their defense. In the 15th minute, Kondo broke through with a vertical pass and aimed for a shot, but it went over the frame, albeit from a slightly distant position from the opponent's goalkeeper.

　At 20 minutes, Kondo brought the loose ball into the area from Salt's long feed and took a shot. It was cut off by the opposing DF. At 24 minutes, Hirayama broke through the DF's defense and faced the GK one-on-one from the loose ball after the opponent's clearance, but couldn't get a shot off due to the desperate defense of the opposing DF. In the attack, despite connecting passes in the DF line against Kashima's organized defense, vertical passes from the midfield to the front line were not successful, resulting in more long balls naturally.

　As time passed, Tokyo-like side attacks began to emerge, but the momentum of Kusatsu did not wane. In the midst of that, in the 32nd minute, they obtained a right corner kick from Mokuhara's offensive push. Sato jumped in and struck a header to score a goal, taking advantage of the set piece opportunity and giving the team the lead with Sato's first goal of the season. After that, in the 34th minute, Kondo took a shot from Yamamoto's interception, and in the 40th minute, Hanyu unleashed a middle shot, but they couldn't score additional points and ended the first half leading by one point.

Nakamura and Hirayama's goals push ahead, securing victory despite the struggle

　In the second half, both teams tried to connect passes and attack, and in the early stages, the game was back and forth. In the 57th minute, Hirayama shook off the opponent's defender and broke through to the goal, passing to Kondo who was free. They created a big chance, but the shot went straight to the goalkeeper... Immediately after missing the chance to score another goal, Kumasato MF Kumabayashi sent a long ball from their own half to the front line. In response to this, Tokyo FW Tokura jumped out behind the Tokyo DF. Shioda also boldly moved forward, but the shot that was released with one touch rolled into the empty goal... They were caught up in a tie.

　Tokyo substitutes Kajiyama for Asari and launches a counterattack. Then, in the 63rd minute, Kondo is fouled and earns a free kick from just outside the left area. Nakamura, who came on as a substitute, swings his right foot and the ball drops straight into the top right corner without any spin. He beautifully scores another goal with a free kick to take the lead again. In the following 76th minute, Hayashi on the left side crosses the ball from Kajiyama's side change. Hirayama then stabs a header and gets the third goal. It seemed like they were going to leave Kusatsu behind...

　However, Kusatsu did not give up and kept the ball in the midfield, quickly attacking from wide positions. In the 81st minute, Tokyo's defense was caught off guard and Kusatsu equalized with a cross from the left side that was met by forward Takada in the center, narrowing the gap to one goal. The opponents continued to play long balls into the center and launched attacks, but Tokyo regained composure, kept possession of the ball, and used up the remaining time until the final whistle. Despite some remaining challenges, they secured a victory with a score of 3-2 and advanced to the 4th Round, which will be held in Marugame on the 15th.

　【Player Comment】《Nakamura》"It was my first appearance in a while, but I have a lot of regrets. Even looking back now, all I can see is regret. However, we were immediately caught up after scoring, and that helped boost our spirits and made it easier for our bodies to move with adrenaline. We should have worked harder on the defensive side and could have done more. That's something to reflect on. (What about the free kick?) Actually, in my mind, I was aiming for the left side of the opposite side... It was a mis-kick. But it flew to a place I couldn't predict, and the goalkeeper probably couldn't predict it either... (laughs)? However, I've been practicing free kicks a lot, so I think if I can use today's goal as a confidence boost and make it my weapon."

　There will be another 4th round soon, and considering the limited number of players, I think it's important for the players who participate in the game to perform well in order to achieve results. I want to do my best. (The local support was amazing, right?) My parents' house is very close to this stadium. So, I was happy to be able to show myself playing like this and I was also happy with the support. Since the Tokyo fans couldn't come, my juniors from Kokumi High School also cheered a lot. They are good juniors (laughs). If I assist and Aita scores a goal, it might have been the most exciting moment."

　"Hirayama" "Since it's a tournament, I felt strongly that I couldn't afford to lose. The goal came from a cross from Mr. Hanyu, who always sends crosses like that, so I was able to connect perfectly. (My junior from Kokumi High School came to support me) When I heard the song that has been sung since I was in high school, 'Ookina noppono...' I couldn't help but laugh a little... But the cheers were encouraging. I will do my best, and I hope Kokumi High School will also do their best in the championship. The 4th round is coming soon, so I want to prepare well and win with everyone's strength, and achieve good results."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "First and foremost, it was important for us to definitely move forward, so I think it was good that we were able to clear that minimum goal. We predicted that today's game would be very difficult, so we wanted to avoid using players who are injured as much as possible, give them a rest, and in various situations, there were players who entered the lineup after a long time and I thought they would play with the determination to move forward. There are parts that we need to reflect on in terms of quality, but we have no choice but to continue practicing in Kodaira and we have to connect the challenges that came up this time to the next. The most important thing is to move forward, and we have a strong desire to continue playing with this team for as long as possible, until January 1, 2010. I think it was great that we were able to achieve that. It was good to be able to celebrate together with the fans who came from far away."

　(What are the points that need improvement?) Even if the members change, there are many things to reflect on when considering how well we were able to possess the ball from the final line and carry it to the attacking third while creating our own time. I don't want to dismiss it by saying it's because of the current members or the technical skills of the players who are currently playing. I believe we could have done more with our current skills, and I don't want to give up on that. I want them to grow and I want to logically push them. I think we showed the determination not to lose with this team, but I don't want to say that everything is okay with just that."

　[Summary of Kashima Sano's press conference] "We only had two days off, but I think we were able to play the kind of soccer we aimed for against FC Tokyo. However, regarding the first half and the second goal from a set play, it's a point that hasn't improved throughout the J2 League, and it's very disappointing that we couldn't hold back at such crucial moments. I think we had plenty of chances to win, and we had a decent amount of ball possession time, which was what we aimed for, but I think the opponent was better at crucial moments. (What do you mean by "what we aimed for"?) The opponent has many players with superior individual abilities, so we wanted to press as a team while organizing ourselves and try to keep the ball possession time as long as possible. I think we were able to organize ourselves well, including the sliding parts, and we were able to control the lines."