Emperor's Cup held, Vegalta Sendai to compete in the 4th Round

　The 88th Emperor's Cup, which has already been held. From November 2nd, J1 teams have appeared and the 4th round has been played. On the 3rd, Tokyo will face Vegalta Sendai (J2). In the previous league match, they showed their full strength and won against the top-ranked Kashima. Coach Jofuku said, "We need to make that battle the average" and aims to connect the sense of accomplishment they gained to the Emperor's Cup and the following league matches.

　In terms of our goal, we want to show the difference in strength and win against Sendai. However, just like the previous day's Kashima vs. Kokushikan University match, which went into a penalty shootout, J1 teams also face difficulties in the first round of the tournament and in matches against lower category teams. Therefore, while seeking good performance, it is also a crucial match where we prioritize the result and want to secure a victory. Tokyo's starting lineup for this match will have the same attacking lineup as the Kashima match. In defense, Mone will be absent due to a shoulder injury, and Fujiyama will take on the center-back position.

　The opponent Sendai is currently in 3rd place in J2. They are continuing to fiercely compete for promotion to J1. Their basic formation is 4-4-2, with FW Nakajima and Nakahara in the front line, who have height and strength, and MF Sekiguchi on the side, who also has breakthrough ability and the ability to take shots. In this match, they changed the lineup and used Chiba, who is originally a defensive midfielder, as a center-back. In the midfield, there is a 3-man midfield of MF Nagai + MF Tomizawa + MF Miyazawa, with MF Sekiguchi as the attacking midfielder. They have approached the match with a formation of FW Nakahara and FW Nakajima as the two forwards.

　In response to this, Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU emphasized, "No matter how Sendai approaches the game, the battle is within ourselves." He said, "Even if there are mistakes, even if there are difficult times, the focus is on whether we can continue to do what we should do and pursue what we seek." They aim for victory with a strong determination. It was chilly and cloudy at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started exactly at 1:00 PM Tokyo time.

Take the lead with Hirayama's goal, but unable to grasp the rhythm...

　Showed an aggressive attitude from the start, 4 minutes, Cabore sprinted down the left side and entered the area to get into a shooting position, but was blocked and resulted in a corner kick. In the 11th minute, Sendai was pushed back and Cabore stole the ball from the defender, passing it to Hirayama on the left side. However, the shot he took while being free missed the target. On the other hand, Sendai also managed to steal the ball from a daring press and took it all the way to the finish. In the 16th minute, a through pass from the midfield found MF Sekiguchi who ran behind the Tokyo defense and took a decisive shot, but it slightly curved to the right and avoided a dangerous situation.

　Tokyo, who couldn't grasp the rhythm in front of Sendai's quick press, connected a direct pass from Nagatomo on the left side to Kajiyama in the center, and then to Hirayama. Kajiyama changed his body direction while flowing to the right and took a shot. The sharp shot hit the bar, but Hirayama pushed the ball that floated high with his chest and scored a goal. They took the lead from their determined attitude to aim for a goal each.

　Tokyo, who continued to attack, overlapped with Nagatomo in the 22nd minute and sent a minus last pass. Kabore's shot from the left side of the area rolled into the net, but Ishikawa in front of the goal was judged to be offside. Still maintaining a one-goal lead, they calmly carried the game, but the coordination was not quite there. There were also scenes where they were stolen in the middle of the attack and suffered a counterattack from Sendai.

　34 minutes, Sendai's left cross falls to the far side, and FW Nakajima shoots freely. It was a scene where it wouldn't be strange if it was scored, but it was saved by a mistake. In the 42nd minute, from Sendai FW Nakajima's post-play, MF Nagai shoots, but Shioda catches it in front. Although they didn't allow a goal, they couldn't ride the wave and ended the first half.

Shun HIRAYAMA gets the second goal in injury time! Despite the struggle, they advance to the 5th Round

　In the second half, Sendai launched a strong attack from the beginning. In the 47th minute, MF Sekiguchi sprinted up the right side and FW Nakahara scored a ding shot from a cross. In the 50th minute, an early cross was lifted from a quick pass, and MF Nagai jumped into it in front of the goal. In the 58th minute, Tokyo's Ishikawa swung his right foot with a volley from the loose ball after Nagatomo's left cross, but it went high. In the 62nd minute, Sendai's FW Nakahara broke through the defense and took a decisive shot, but Shioda came out and made a great save to protect the goal!

　Tokyo tried to change the flow of the game by substituting Ishikawa with Emerson in the 61st minute and replacing the injured Cabore with Suzuki in the 69th minute. They launched attacks with speed from the sides and tried to find their rhythm. However, in the 72nd minute, Sendai passed the ball around in Tokyo's half and quickly sent a through pass to forward Nakajima in the left area. They couldn't stop it and it was dropped to forward Nakahara who ran towards the center and scored... They were caught up to a tie score.

　The offense and defense will intensify from now on. In the 73rd minute, Akamine was substituted for Hanyu and Redmine was brought in to aim for a lead, but Sendai also launched a quick attack and created a chance. Both teams attacked each other, and the game developed with advances and retreats. In the 76th minute, Sendai's midfielder Sato made a sharp right cross and Nakajima jumped in, creating another scoring opportunity, but Shioda made a save! In the 79th minute, Kajiyama -> Hirayama ran up to the right side space and entered the right area. The opponent's goalkeeper also came out and the goal was open, but the decisive shot was cleared by the Sendai defender who covered it. In the 82nd minute, Nagatomo's left throw-in -> Hirayama headed it away, and Suzuki near the goal turned around and took a shot that shook the net, but it was offside. In the 88th minute, Suzuki also took a decisive shot from the left area, but couldn't capitalize on the chance.

　It was just after the display of 5 minutes appeared, when it seemed that the game would go into extra time with a tie score. Tokunaga dribbled up and passed to Kajiyama in the center. Kajiyama sent a floating pass into the area. Akamine stretched his leg while competing with the opponent's defender and the ball spilled in front of the goal. Hirayama reacted to it and scored the second goal! Finally, they took the lead. However, Sendai did not give up and there were also scenes where they brought the ball to a shot in the remaining time, but they managed to withstand the counterattack and the time was up. Despite struggling against a strong Sendai, they advanced to the 5th round.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"Before the game, we talked about how it might be a difficult match, but if we can win in the end, it would be great. Sendai had a lot of energy, and if we had been passive, we would have lost. The first goal was a good shot by Kajiyama, so we were trying to follow up. Both goals were scored from loose balls, but there were also other chances. We want to score goals in different ways, such as from crosses, and we want to be able to use our teammates easily and be well-prepared to receive passes. Also, we want to work hard from practice to connect today's goals to the league matches. In the Emperor's Cup, we want to fight until the end aiming for the championship."《Suzuki》"We were immediately equalized after entering the game, so we fought with the consciousness of moving forward. In the scene of conceding a goal, there were times when I couldn't clear the ball even though I was there, so I had the determination to score a goal myself... But I ended up forcing the shot and it floated. I needed to be more composed. However, I think our attitude of moving forward shown by everyone led to the victory."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "In the Emperor's Cup, even J1 teams have difficult matches, so we also entered the game with a sense of alertness. However, it was not a situation where we could maintain our own pace in terms of mental aspects, as well as methods, individual form, and balance, rather than the mental aspect. We reflect on that. However, in the second half, with the change of players and the situation dragging on a bit, the number of attacks and speedy situations increased, and it was good that we were able to score in the very end and get a result. However, there were also scenes where we were likely to concede a goal, and we actually conceded a goal. (It seemed that the attacks were biased towards the left side?) There are various reasons, but first of all, Sendai clearly followed our midfielders, creating a numerical advantage by putting numbers there, and there were not many situations where we could calmly circulate the ball in the midfield. Therefore, we couldn't make stable side changes either. In addition to that, we need to reflect on both defense and offense and connect it to the upcoming league matches as soon as possible."

　[Summary of Sendai Teguramori's press conference] "I feel disappointed that we lost a close game. Tournaments are difficult games. Often, stronger teams give us a hard time, and mentally, we thought we would have the advantage. I think we were definitely superior in terms of content, but we lost to Tokyo in J1 due to the difference in finishing ability. (What specific points did you feel you could have done?) We were able to possess the ball well, move players, and play the soccer we have been playing until mid-season against J1. We had many attacking options and were able to break the opponent's unit several times. For us, the Emperor's Cup is already over, so we will focus on the league and connect today's challenges and achievements to our confidence, and channel the frustration of the loss into the league."