A crucial match where winning is more important than the content

　The 5th round of the Emperor's Cup will be held at Okayama Prefecture Momotaro Stadium, facing Shimizu S-Pulse. This will be the last tournament of the season, but the players are burning with the desire to "value each match, win as many games as possible, and stand on the national pitch on New Year's Day." Coach Kuramata also considers this Shimizu match as an important point for moving forward in the future, saying, "Winning is the most important thing, regardless of the content."

　Shimizu, on the other hand, has lost FW Marcinhos from the team. However, in the final league match without their ace, they achieved a resounding 3-0 victory over Hiroshima, and the team seems to be in good form as always. Although not particularly noticeable, in terms of defense, they have the second fewest total goals conceded in the league, second only to Urawa, and are unlikely to be easily broken down. In attack, starting from FW Cho Je Jin, the left and right MFs Fujimoto, Toru Takagiwa, and the central midfielder Emura make explosive runs, launching a strong offensive. It is also necessary to pay close attention to the high accuracy of MF Fujimoto's free kicks.

　Tokyo, Jean returned to Brazil due to injury. Hirayama is also absent today as he returns to Japan. Despite injuries to Baba's left knee and other team members, the team is determined to fight together, including starting players Mashima and Kurisawa. Coach Kuramata also said, "We have been able to demonstrate persistence in defense recently. Our coordination is going well, so even without Jean, we do not intend to change each person's role." Mashima added, "Of course, we will firmly suppress FW Cho, but we also want to be careful not to be caught off guard by players coming out from the surroundings and focus on coordination."

　In the attack, it is crucial to see if we can launch attacks using both sides of the field when the press from Shimizu's front line becomes less effective by initially competing behind the defensive line. Additionally, since we have lost both league matches against Shimizu this season without scoring a single point, they are an opponent we definitely want to seek revenge against. The match started with Shimizu's kickoff at 1:00 pm under a cloudy sky with light rain.

Take control of the first half and go into halftime with a 1-point lead

　From the start of the match, Tokyo patiently defended in their own half, while Shimizu passed the ball around their defensive line and effectively inserted a wedge into the forward line. Then, in the 5th minute, from Shimizu's wedge, right midfielder Fujimoto dribbled inside and passed to left midfielder Takagi Jun, who boldly attacked the penalty area and took a shot. The ball hit the far post and went into the goal. It was the first shot for both teams, but Tokyo conceded a goal. However, in the 8th minute, from a quick restart, Lucas -> Imamura -> Toda broke through the left side and earned a corner kick. Near the near post, Masushima perfectly headed in Kurisawa's kick, quickly equalizing the score.

Rhythm comes out in Tokyo. In the 12th minute, Shizuoka FW Yajima breaks through into the area and gets into a shooting position, but Mashima blocks it. Immediately, they launch a counterattack, Ishikawa -> Tokunaga overlaps. Toda adjusts perfectly to the right cross and takes a shot, but the opponent's GK blocks it. Lucas also reacts to the loose ball, but the GK stops it as well, missing a scoring opportunity. In the 16th minute, they connect passes with Ishikawa -> Tokunaga -> Kajiyama from a right corner kick, and in the end, Kajiyama cuts inside and takes a shot, but the GK catches it. In the 18th minute, Konno heads the right free kick from Kurizawa, but it goes straight to the GK.

　Shimizu slowly connects the ball and tries to attack, but Tokyo steals the ball with a sharp start and launches a counterattack. In the 28th minute, Shioda's kick is connected to the front line by Lucas with a header, and Toda, who broke through the left area, shoots, but it is saved by the goalkeeper and becomes a corner kick. In this right corner kick by Kurizawa, Mashima again connects, but unfortunately it goes to the right. In the 33rd minute, from a quick attack, Kurizawa on the left side connects to Lucas in the center, and then to Ishikawa on the left, shooting from just outside the area. However, it lacks power and goes straight to the goalkeeper.

　Then, in the 38th minute, Lucas was fouled near the right area and won a free kick. Kurizawa took a direct shot that hit the crossbar. However, Kajiyama picked up the rebound inside the left area, calmly trapped the ball, and then took a shot. It pierced the net and turned the game around. After that, the rain started pouring heavily, and the ball couldn't be connected as both teams slipped on the pitch. In the final stages, Shizuoka MF Fujimoto created a chance from a set piece in front of the goal, but with Shioda at the center, they defended with concentration and didn't allow any goals. They ended the first half with a one-point lead.

The battle that went into extra time ended in a defeat with a score of 2-3

　Shimizu aggressively attacks from the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, FW Cho breaks through the space on the right side, crosses the ball into the goal area, and MF Fujimoto picks up the loose ball and takes a shot, but it is blocked by Tokyo DF. In the 54th minute, Shimizu DF Yamanishi takes a long shot. The ball heading towards the goal is saved by Shioda and goes out for a corner kick. In the 58th minute, Shimizu is awarded a free kick in a perfect position just outside the right area. MF Fujimoto takes a precise and powerful kick towards the bottom right corner. Shioda saves it and MF Takagi and FW Okazaki try to follow up with a header, but the goalkeeper prevents the goal with a brave save.

　Shimizu's fierce attack was blocked and the momentum shifted to Tokyo. In the 61st minute, Toda broke through the space on the left after receiving a pass from Konno and passed it to Kurisawa who broke through the defense and moved forward. He took a shot from a difficult angle, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. In the 66th minute, Konno dribbled past the right side with Ishikawa. However, the cross was intercepted and turned into a corner kick. In the 69th minute, Toda caught up with Konno's long feed to the left front line and crossed the ball. Lucas jumped in and Ishikawa followed up on the loose ball, but the trap was too big and he couldn't take a shot. In the 73rd minute, Kurisawa passed to Kajiyama who went up the side, and the cross reached Lucas in the far post, but the shot didn't hit. They couldn't score the one more goal to decide the game.

　Substitute Kawaguchi for Ishikawa in the 76th minute. Tokyo's counterattacks continue to be effective. In the 78th minute, a loose ball from the opponent's defender reaches Kawaguchi on the right side, who dribbles into the goal area. The resulting cross goes to the far post, where Toda tries to finish but mistimes his shot, sending it wide to the right. In the 80th minute, Kawaguchi sprints into the right area after receiving a pass from Kurisawa. He takes a free shot but fails to hit the target. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Shimizu starts to pick up the loose balls from the forward Che and take control. Tokyo's energy level drops, and they are forced to defend as the defensive line drops back. In the 86th minute, a shot from Shimizu's forward Okazaki hits the crossbar, creating a close call.

　However, in the 89th minute, Shimizu's attack was well withstood and victory was within reach, but a free kick was given just outside the right area, in a deep position near the goal line. MF Heidou's kick was punched away by Shioda, but the loose ball was kicked directly into the goal by MF Fujimoto, equalizing the score. The intense attack from Shimizu, who had regained their breath, continued during the 4 minutes of stoppage time, but the match ended without any further goals. The game entered into a 15-minute extension in the first and second halves.

　Even in extra time, Shimizu continues to attack with the momentum of catching up with the tie. In the 95th minute of the first half of extra time, Shimizu's right cross is saved by Shioda. The loose ball is picked up by midfielder Heidou in the left area, but the shot lacks power and Shioda catches it. In the 96th minute, Abe is substituted for Toda, but the flow remains the same. In the 98th minute, midfielder Fujimoto allows a solo run in the center and a powerful shot, but it goes over the bar. In the 100th minute, Tokyo's Mashiima heads Kurihara's right corner kick, but it goes over the frame. In the end, there is only this one shot and the first half ends without any good opportunities.

　However, as the second half of extra time began, Shimizu also started to tire and their pace slowed down, giving Tokyo the advantage. From the start, Baba was substituted for Kurisawa, and one minute later, Baba took a shot, signaling a counterattack. In the 107th minute, Kawaguchi passed to Tokunaga, who made a sharp cross, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender. In the 108th minute, Abe made a move from the left and won a corner kick. The attack started to gain momentum, but in the 111th minute, they conceded a goal. The loose ball from a set piece was crossed from the right by midfielder Hyodo. This clearance was powerfully converted into a goal by forward Che.

　Tokyo, which had no choice but to attack, had a header from Inamoto from Kawaguchi's right cross in the 116th minute. Lucas jumped into the center of the goal, but couldn't score. In the 117th minute, Baba put a free kick from outside the right area into the front of the goal, but it was escaped by a left corner kick. Kajiyama put in that corner kick, Inamoto picked up the clearance, and took a volley shot from the trap, but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal. From the 119th minute, Mashima also moved up to the front line and tried to score, but the game ended as it was. In the end, not being able to score an additional goal despite having many chances after taking the lead had a lasting impact, and they suffered a come-from-behind defeat, failing to advance to the quarterfinals of the Emperor's Cup.

　【Player Comments】《Masushima》"We were pressing from the front and were able to play with concentration. We conceded the first goal, but we didn't let the momentum slip away and I think the flow was good. I had the absolute intention to score from the corner kick. Kuri-san delivered a good ball to me, so I just had to finish it near the goal. Yosuke immediately scored an additional goal, and the game continued with a one-point difference, creating a sense of tension. I had confidence to defend without losing focus, just like in the league match against Omiya. But somewhere along the way, I may have become passive and only focused on defending. In the end, we were scored against from a free kick, so all the efforts of everyone up to that point became meaningless. It's very frustrating and disappointing. I wanted to win and play more games... This season had its ups and downs, but it was a season where I had the chance to play and gain experience. I definitely want to make use of this in the next season."《Kajiyama》"Shimizu's second goal was crucial. It was already in stoppage time in the second half, so we had to defend it. The opponent's shot was good... We had plenty of chances, but not being able to convert them led to this result. Improving the accuracy of passes and shots is a challenge that both the team and I have been facing. Personally, it is also clear that I need to eliminate fluctuations in my performance. I want to always deliver a good performance. Towards the end, the team's momentum also picked up, so I want to continue that into the next season and give my best."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "It's a very disappointing result. I'm truly sorry to end the season like this. We conceded a lot of goals this year, especially from set pieces, which was a challenge for us. I think reducing these goals will be a task for Tokyo in the coming year, so I hope the next manager will address this issue. As for the game itself, we conceded early on, but apart from that, we were able to turn the game around with our own style of play and ended the first half in a good position. We knew Shimizu would come at us more aggressively in the second half, and we told the players that if we could score another goal, we would be closer to victory. However, despite having chances, we couldn't score. In that situation, Shimizu scored and we couldn't recover, and we were pushed back by their momentum."

　[Summary of Shimizu Hasegawa's press conference] "It's good that we were able to win. In the first half, FC Tokyo completely controlled the pace. We couldn't confirm the set plays as usual and conceded a goal because of that. We couldn't really settle into the game. We took the lead with one goal and then maybe we became a bit defensive. FC Tokyo had a very strong start and we were overwhelmed mentally as well. I think it was good that we were able to equalize with two goals. If we had conceded a third goal, the game would have been over, but Nishibe made a big save for us. In the second half, players like Hyodo and Hiramatsu who came on as substitutes helped us create momentum and control the midfield, so we were able to regain our pace. The pitch was slippery and it was difficult to play our style of football that relies on using space, but they helped us create time for our full-backs to push forward, which led to longer periods of pressure on the opponent and eventually resulted in goals. In order to progress in the Emperor's Cup, we need to pick up games like this and also receive good stimulation from them to become stronger as a team. This year, we are determined to win the Emperor's Cup no matter what."