Day 9 of the expedition.
Tokyo, who achieved first place in the group stage with three consecutive victories until yesterday, will be seeded in the first round of the knockout tournament and will enter from the quarterfinals.
The match against Sweden's BK Hacken, which was held in the morning and won in the 1st Round.
Today's match is a battle at AFK Arena, the main venue of the tournament.
The match against the local Swedish team was surrounded by many spectators and started with a very good sense of tension.
Tokyo, which has been on the defensive since the beginning due to the physical and technical superiority of the opponent.
Still, GK Nozawa patiently responded and managed to end the first half with a 0-0 score.
As the second game of the day begins, fatigue starts to show on the opponent, and Tokyo gradually starts to create chances.
45 minutes, Numata meets Sato's cross from the right side but is blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper.
In the 51st minute, Sato, who ran up the right side from an effective side change, showed a sharp cut-in and took a shot with great determination, but it was caught by the goalkeeper.
The game ended with a scoreless 0-0 draw, despite a back-and-forth battle.
To a penalty shootout for the decision.
Both second players failed, and at the point when Tokyo's fourth player, Furuya, scored, it was 3-2. After that, the opponent's fourth player failed, and Tokyo's fifth player, Ueda, calmly scored under pressure, leading to a victory of 4-2!
The ticket to the Semifinal Round that we all grasped while suffering.
Tomorrow's opponent is IFK Goteborg, a team from Gothenburg, which has a venue.
Entering the 10th day of the expedition, it will be a physically challenging battle, but we want to win the final round by uniting as a team.
Kickoff is tomorrow at 16:20 (Japan time, 20th at 23:20).
The venue is AFK Arena, just like today.