Overcome the difficulties of the previous round and advance to the 4th Round!

　In the 83rd Emperor's Cup 3rd Round, which took place on December 14th, Tokyo had a tough match against their first opponent, JFL's Honda, and eventually won in a bitter experience through a penalty shootout, advancing to the 4th Round held on this day. The 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup is a difficult hurdle for Tokyo, and any way of winning is a victory, bringing joy to their first victory in the Emperor's Cup after promotion to J1. And in the 4th Round, the opponent is Kobe. This season, Tokyo has had 2 wins in 2 matches against Kobe in the league, completely dispelling their past difficulties. If Tokyo can play the soccer they have been playing so far, they should be able to win.

　However, complacency is not allowed. Kobe Univ has a strong momentum as they won a decisive victory against J2 Yamagata with a score of 3-0 in the 3rd Round. Kazu (=Miura Kazuyoshi), who scored in that 3rd Round, is also in excellent form and is strengthening the team's unity around Captain Kazu amidst the team's troubles. It is impossible to underestimate Kobe Univ, who are burning with revenge against Tokyo, whom they have lost to twice this season.

　Tokyo placed Abe on the right due to Ishikawa's injury and formed a 3-top formation. Jean, who has recovered from his injury, replaced Shigeno as the center-back and formed a partnership with Fujiyama. Amaral started on the bench, just like in the 3rd round. Suzuki, who returned from the World Youth, and young players like Kajiyama from the U-18 Japan national team also sat on the bench as substitutes and faced the match with the team.

Conceding the first goal while overwhelmingly attacking and taking advantage of a momentary gap

　Before the match, it was reported that the bus tour coming this way was significantly delayed due to the snow near Nagoya. In order to win for those who will come here no matter how late, Manager Hara gave a rallying cry, saying, "Let's play with all our hearts and win." Tokyo, who faced the match with increased unity, dominated the game with intense pressing from the start, just as those words suggested.

　Early in the game, Kelly attempted a header goal from a cross from Kanazawa on the left, but Toda aggressively closed in on the ball, just falling short and caught by the goalkeeper. Kondo Yu, who has started in the last three league matches, also showed his presence by unleashing a powerful shot from a sharp turn in front of the goal in the 15th minute. Abe, who moved to the right, actively threatened the opponent with sharp dribbles when in possession of the ball. In the 33rd minute, Abe received the ball on the right side and unleashed a powerful shot from near the right corner of the penalty area, narrowly grazing the goalkeeper's hand and hitting the crossbar. Tokyo showed brilliance in their side attacks, built up from Kelly's hold-up play and the wide movements of Miyazawa and Miura, and came close to scoring against the Kobe goal.

　On the other hand, Kobe's two top players, Miura Kazu and Kojima, made big movements to become the focal point on the left, right, and center, but struggled as the support from the midfield was slow. There were also instances where they missed chances due to Tokyo's strict checks and passing mistakes. The intense defense from the final line, Jean and Fujiyama, also prevented Kobe from creating any real chances.

　In the 37th minute, as Tokyo overwhelmingly attacked, the midfield was dribbled past and the ball was spread to the right to Bismarck. The ball easily crossed into the center, and Miura Kazu headed the ball near the goal. The ball flowed to the far side, where Park ran in from behind and kicked it powerfully into the net. While Tokyo was leading the game, they were caught off guard in the midfield for a moment and conceded the first goal.

Despite conceding a 2-point lead, Takumi ABE's powerful shot ignites a counterattack

　In the first half, Tokyo allowed a 0-1 lead despite dominating the game with 6 shots compared to Kobe's 3 shots. In the beginning of the second half, Tokyo made a substitution, replacing Kondo Yu with Amaral, in an attempt to turn the game around. With the enthusiastic support from the fans behind the goal, Tokyo Eleven also stepped up their game. Players like Kaji and Kanazawa increased their attacking efforts from the side, repeatedly threatening Kobe's goal, but their crosses and shots lacked accuracy and failed to produce a decisive goal. Kobe's defense line remained strong, effectively marking Amaral and attempting to score on the counterattack.

　In the 64th minute, Kobe's counterattack ignited again. Kobe, who got the ball on the left side, quickly fed it behind Tokyo's shallow defensive line. Tokyo's center-back, caught off guard, hurriedly cleared the ball, but it became a mistake and the ball ended up in front of Kobe FW Koijima, who had run into the center. Koijima, who was free, calmly kicked the ball into the goal as it dropped. They suffered a devastating second goal.

　Tokyo, who was two goals behind in a difficult period, did not panic. Coach Hara had already substituted Suzuki for Toda in the 61st minute, and in the 66th minute, he substituted Kajiyama, an 18-year-old prodigy, for Miura. This was the last substitution in the game, and they made a gamble. And, it was a brilliant success.

　With 20 minutes remaining until the end, in the 71st minute, a precise pass was sent to Kelly, who had moved forward into the space on the right side of the front line from Kajiyama. Kelly then broke through vertically and pretended to cross the ball, passing it backwards with his heel. Kaji, who had moved up on the right side, ran in and delivered a sharp and low cross. Abe, who was positioned in the center, shook the net with a powerful diving header and scored a goal! The score was narrowed to one point difference.

　"Tokyo, which raised the signal fire of counterattack with a powerful shot that woke up Abe's eyes from a beautiful development that could be called 'This is attacking soccer', further increased its momentum. In the following 75 minutes, a free kick kicked by Miyazawa from the left side caused a melee in front of the Kobe goal, and in the end, Abe pushed it in for an equalizer! However, it was judged offside. Furthermore, in the 81st minute, when a free kick hit the Kobe DF and the ball flowed to the left side, Kanazawa stuck to it and crossed it, and Jean, who was up, aimed for the goal with a high-headed shot, but it missed above the bar."

Despite showing determination to catch up in the last-minute, they were defeated in the penalty shootout.

　Tokyo, who overwhelmingly attacked but couldn't find the decisive blow, didn't have time to wait. As the time approached the end, the 90 minutes of game time ended and entered the 3 minutes of stoppage time. The drama happened there. The ball sent by Jean to the front line became a melee in the center of Kobe's penalty area, and the ball passed to Kelly. Kelly forcefully passed the ball forward without facing the goal, and as he kicked the ball with his heel, it became a through pass, and Abe, who broke free, slid and accurately slid the ball into the goal. Tokyo Eleven caught up with determination at the last minute. In contrast to the jubilant Tokyo Eleven, the Kobe Eleven dropped their shoulders in disappointment. The situation had changed completely in just a few seconds.

　The match immediately went into extra time after the second half ended with a whistle. It goes without saying that Tokyo, who had the momentum, was clearly dominant in the extra time. In the 93rd minute of the first half of extra time, Kajiyama's shot from the center rolled in front of Amaral, who was free, but his hurried shot deviated to the left of the goal. In the 98th minute, Kelly headed Miyazawa's free kick from the left, and the shot flew to the bottom right corner of the goal, but it was stopped by the goalkeeper's fine save. In the 104th minute, Kelly -> Kajiyama -> Amaral passed from the right, and Kanazawa, who ran in from the left, took a powerful shot, but it went over the goal. In the second half of extra time, in the 108th minute, Jean headed the ball back to the center from a free kick on the right, and Abe jumped in, but unfortunately it went to the right of the goal. After that, in the 111th minute, Suzuki forcefully broke through the left side and Abe crossed to the center, but it was cleared by the Kobe DF. We managed to hold off Kobe's counterattack with only one shot each from Okano and Hashido, but in the end, the match ended without a resolution and went into a penalty shootout for the second consecutive game.

　In the 3rd round, Tokyo was the second to attack, but this time they were the first. Just like in the 3rd round, it was Amaral who took the kick. Amaral calmly scored and took the lead. However, Kobe's first batter, Kojima, also scored perfectly. After that, Tokyo's second batter, Kelly, also scored, but Kobe's Shijikurei also scored and didn't give in. Tokyo's third batter, Abe, was stopped by the goalkeeper. On the other hand, Kobe's third batter, Tsuchiya, scored perfectly and allowed a one-point lead. From there, Tokyo scored consecutively with the fourth batter, Kanazawa, and the fifth batter, Jean, but Kobe's fourth batter, Kitamoto, scored, and finally the fifth batter, Sugawara, also scored perfectly. Tokyo showed determination to score two points in the remaining 20 minutes, but they lacked the power to score one more point, which was the reason for their defeat. FC Tokyo's 2003 season ends with this Emperor's Cup defeat. Thank you for your passionate and warm support throughout the year. We kindly ask for your continued support in the upcoming season.

【Player Comments】《Abe》"Scoring two goals in a long time starting and playing in a good tense atmosphere led to equalizing in the last minute with my own goal. I'm happy about that, but I'm more frustrated about missing the penalty kick. It's regrettable that Amaral's last tournament ended like this because I really wanted to win."《Miyazawa》"It was a tough situation being two goals behind, but we were able to catch up and play our usual soccer in the second half. It's disappointing that we couldn't finish the game in our favor even in the extra time. It's sad that I can't play soccer with Amaral until New Year's Day, but it couldn't be realized."《Amaral》"Today's loss is sad and I feel full of disappointment. This was my last game in Tokyo, and leaving the team feels like leaving a second family, so it's lonely. However, even if I'm not here, the fighting spirit of this team will remain. The current players and the players who will come in my place will surely take over. I believe that the team is steadily improving, so I truly want to thank all the fans who have supported us from the bottom of my heart."

[Summary of the press conference by former coach] "The result of the penalty shootout was inevitable. The players did a good job catching up and performing well. Our performance was better and we dominated the opponent with a wide range of plays on the field we have been using for a year. However, we lamented the lack of finishing ability to score one more goal. The challenge is not being able to score at crucial moments. However, as a team, we feel that we have improved, finishing fourth in the league this year. Young players like Yusuke Kondo, Suzuki, and Kajiyama who performed well today are also growing and gaining strength. We wanted to reach the final and win the Emperor's Cup for Amaral, but it is regrettable that we couldn't achieve that. Amaral will leave the team, but his spirit and soul will remain with us. The tradition of enduring difficult times for this team is thanks to Amaral. We must carry on his aspirations and become even stronger."

[Vissel Kobe Vice Manager Fukushima's Press Conference Summary] "We came together to seek revenge in today's game. Although we were caught up and even went to a penalty shootout despite having a 2-point lead, winning in the tournament is more important than anything else. There is value in moving on to the next stage."