Striving for victory and aiming for the semifinals!

The Emperor's Cup quarterfinals will be played against Shimizu S-Pulse. After suffering a comeback loss in the final league match against Chiba, we finished in 6th place and were unable to achieve our goal of securing a spot in the ACL. However, during the two-week interval, we have reset our mindset and each player has been training with high motivation. We will give our all in the final official tournament of the season, the Emperor's Cup, and aim for the top step by step with our own strength.

　Shimizu, on the other hand, advanced to the 5th round of the Emperor's Cup by defeating Chiba 3-2. They finished the final 7 matches of the league with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss, showing that they are in excellent form. Above all, in this season's matches, they have not won a single game against Tokyo, with 1 draw and 3 losses, revealing their poor compatibility. In previous matches, in order to deal with the sharp movements of Shimizu's FW Okazaki and DF Hara, the defensive line often dropped too deep and left space in the midfield. This time, it is important to be compact while paying attention to the defense. It is also important to avoid being pushed back and giving the opponent set plays from desperate fouls.

　Tokyo, with Kajiyama returning from a 2-game suspension, forms a lineup with Imano and the midfield. However, Ishikawa, although he has returned to practice, has been excluded from the squad considering his condition. Shigeta said, "Shimizu has strong players in the front line who kick long balls. In response, we want to jump and pick up the second ball, and connect it to the attack. No matter how the game unfolds, we want to keep going until the end and avoid conceding first. It is important to continue without letting our guard down for even a moment, as we can be caught off guard. We need to be tenacious and gritty to defeat this tough opponent. We want to enter the game with a heightened defensive awareness, without being passive."

　Kajiyama said, "I have no worries because I have been training, including practice matches, despite the gap between official matches. I want to play clearly against Shimizu's pressing from the front line and avoid losing the ball from mistakes. Considering it is a tournament, it is more important to have a game that can ultimately win rather than focusing on the performance." The match started with Shimizu's kickoff at 13:04 at Yurtec Stadium Sendai.

Trailing by one point into the second half

　In the early stages, both teams kicked back and forth, but Tokyo also picked up second balls and connected them to attacks. In the 5th minute, Akamine stole the opponent's ball in the midfield and took a long shot. This was Tokyo's first shot of the game. In the 6th minute, Akamine -> Cabore moved up the left front line and entered the area to cross. It was initially cut off, but the ball came loose and the cross was made again. However, no one was able to connect. In the 9th minute, Shimizu also had a counterattack, and FW Hara volleyed a cross from left SB Kodama, but missed the target by a wide margin.

　After that, the offensive and defensive battle continued to go back and forth, but in the 24th minute, Shizuoka MF Hyodo's right corner kick was crossed by FW Hara, and DF Aoyama headed the ball, causing Tokyo DF to commit a handball foul and give away a penalty kick. In the 25th minute, DF Takagiwa converted this penalty kick, conceding the opening goal. Although they conceded a goal in an unlucky manner, they did not panic and patiently awaited a chance to counterattack from their resilient defense. In the 27th minute, after a left corner kick was cleared, a right corner kick followed. Sato connected with Hayashi's kick, but it fell to Akamine in front of the goal, who was unable to take a shot. They were unable to break through the opponent's solid defense.

　In the 32nd minute, Suzuki, who broke through the left side, evaded the opponent and made an excellent last pass in front of the goal. Kabore, who made a run, tried to finish it, but the shot missed to the left... Unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity. In the 37th minute, Kajiyama on the right side made a superb through pass into the penalty area. Hayashi, who made a run to overtake, took a shot with speed, but couldn't find the target. Shimizu also created chances one after another from corner kicks, but the defense, centered around Shioda, held firm and didn't allow an additional goal. They went into the second half trailing by one point.

A comeback victory with two goals from Akamine, showing his strength in decisive moments!

　Tokyo starts attacking from the beginning of the second half. In the 49th minute, Cabore on the left side changes the side. A vertical pass is passed to Suzuki, who entered the right area after Tokunaga, and he aggressively attempts to dribble through, but is fouled by the opponent's defender and earns a penalty kick. Akamine confidently converts this penalty kick, equalizing the score early on. With this goal, the momentum quickly shifts to Tokyo's side, and in the immediate 50th minute, Nagatomo overlaps with the ball dropped by Cabore and crosses it to Suzuki on the far side. Redmine receives the cross and spectacularly kicks it directly to take the lead.

　Unfortunately, Kabore was injured in this play and was replaced by Kondo, but Tokyo's momentum continues. In the 54th minute, Kajiyama launched a counterattack from here after clearing Shimizu's corner kick, and Suzuki on the right side took a shot but was blocked by the defender. In the 57th minute, Kajiyama made a through pass behind the opponent's defender from the counterattack. Nagatomo, who had come up with great momentum, entered the penalty area and took a shot. It was a good save by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. In the 63rd minute, Kondo brought the ball into the middle from a left throw-in and took a shot. They maintain their proactive attitude.　

　FC Tokyo did not give up and tried to change the flow of the game with player substitutions, launching aggressive attacks. There were moments where they struggled with the speedy movements of the Shimizu forward line, but Tokyo made adjustments by replacing Suzuki, who showed signs of fatigue, with Fujiyama, and replacing Hanyu with Hirayama. In the final stages, Shimizu brought in the tall forward Nagasawa and repeatedly sent long balls into the goal area, but each time the defense remained highly aware and focused, successfully holding on to the lead. In the end, FC Tokyo won 2-1, securing their first ever Emperor's Cup semifinal appearance (they reached the quarterfinals in 1997 as JFL Tokyo Gas).

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"(About the PK) When we were practicing PKs yesterday, I somehow felt like it was going to be me... There was an aura of 'Go!' when I made eye contact with Hayu-san and Konno-san today... However, regardless of whether it goes in or not, this was a chance, so I kicked it with all my might. For the second goal, I moved to a spot where I could react to Tatsuya-san's pass since it was flowing a bit behind. He delivered it perfectly. Other players were saying, 'Wasn't that a trap mistake from Tatsuya instead of a pass?' (laughs). (Not just the goal, but were you often a starting point in the flow of the game?) I think there were moments when I was able to connect with Cabore and the midfield players according to the situation. Above all, I'm glad we were able to achieve victory. I'm happy about the goal, but the most important thing is that the team won." 《Suzuki》"We conceded a goal from a PK first, but I think we were able to fight calmly. (What about the scene of the second goal?) Just as we practiced. Shimizu had trained with the assumption that the far side would be open. I could see Yuto looking this way, and I also noticed Shingo approaching. Of course, it was a pass. However, I was also thinking about getting a return from Shingo and shooting... (About the situation where you earned the PK) I've come to understand the referee's criteria for calling fouls, so I tried to be proactive and daring. As a result, I was able to earn the PK, which was part of my plan. I was substituted because I had bruises on both legs and my calf was cramping. In the league match against Chiba, my leg cramped, which ultimately disrupted the flow and caused trouble for the team, so I mentioned it today. I absolutely wanted to win. (If you end up facing Kashiwa in the Semifinal Round?) I might have complicated feelings, but I definitely don't want to lose!"

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We faced Shimizu, who is currently the most in-form and stable team in the J-League in the second half. Additionally, we have not won in the four matches we played this year, and since FC Tokyo's inception, we have never reached the top four, so I thought today's challenge was very significant and important. The players fought with a very strong mindset, and thanks to the support of many fans who created an atmosphere like our home stadium, I am very happy that we were able to win. In the first half, we weren't really troubled in terms of shape, but when the opponent's two forwards dropped back to receive the ball, we had some very panicked responses in one-on-one situations near the penalty area, which led to several dangerous moments, and we ended up conceding a goal. I don't recognize that we were broken down in terms of shape, but we were also creating chances, so I thought if we could settle the ball a bit more calmly, we could create even more opportunities. In the second half, we first confirmed that we wouldn't change our approach, how to respond defensively, and how to look for space, and we were able to start very well. After creating two or three chances at the beginning, we were able to score two goals, and after that, we continued to play fresh, going forward to win the ball without holding back. In the last 15 minutes or so, we were pushed back, but I think we showed a very strong mindset towards this match until the end. I want to celebrate this victory with our supporters. (What was the aim of bringing in Fujiyama?) We were in a situation where we were keeping Emerson on the bench while also monitoring Suzuki's condition. We had been practicing using Fujiyama in midfield defensively all week, and since it was that time, I prioritized defense in my decision. I believe he was of course mentally prepared, and he fulfilled his role well on the pitch."

　[Summary of Shimizu and Coach Hasegawa's Press Conference] "Today's loss is very disappointing. Our first goal was also a penalty, but I can't help but feel uncertain about the opponent's penalty for the first goal. However, the second goal we conceded was something we should not have allowed. I think we couldn't switch our mindset after conceding that first goal. It doesn't feel like we lost, it doesn't feel like it's over. I feel like we will have another match next week in the Emperor's Cup, but the fact is we lost. I want to switch gears and prepare for next year. I hope FC Tokyo will do their best on our behalf and go all the way. The supporters came all the way to Sendai to cheer for us, and I am grateful for that. Thank you very much for a whole year. (What was the intention behind the substitutions?) We brought in DF Takagi Jun and FW Yajima to be more aggressive and go for goals. In the end, we brought in Nagasawa for a power play. We created several chances from there, but we couldn't score until the end. (Summary of this season and aspirations for next year?) This year, we struggled in the middle, but I think the end of the season was very fruitful. We will make the necessary reinforcements before next season, and with young players and those returning from injuries, I want the whole team to raise their level and compete next season."