Finally, on April 29th (Fri, holiday), Tokyo will play its first J-League match at the new Japan National Stadium.
At the old National Stadium, we have played many official matches since the first year of J-League membership. There have been memorable super plays and impactful events. Since achieving the long-awaited title, Tokyo has won all titles at the National Stadium, symbolizing the deep connection between Tokyo and the National Stadium.
Our National Stadium.
Before taking a new step at the National Stadium, let's look back on the footprints and memories that have been left at the previous National Stadium, along with photos from that time.
2010 Overhead with Determination
[Match Information]
90th Emperor's Cup All Japan Soccer Championship Semifinal
FC Tokyo 1-2 Kashima Antlers
In the semifinals of the 1999 Nabisco Cup, the opponent was also Kashima Antlers, but when looking back at the club's history, there are just so many matches in the Emperor's Cup. That's because Kashima has a high probability of reaching a good position in cup competitions, and it seems that Tokyo happens to face them when they reach that stage.
In 1994, during the Tokyo Gas era, they won 2-0 against Kashima in the Emperor's Cup first round. In the semifinals of the 1997 Emperor's Cup, they faced Kashima, who had both Jorginho and Bismarck at the time, and suffered a 1-3 defeat. After 13 years, on December 29, 2010, Tokyo once again faced Kashima in the semifinals of the Emperor's Cup.
Tokyo, which had already been relegated to J2 League after losing to Kyoto Sanga F.C. on December 4th, had secured a spot in the quarterfinals before that. They defeated Avispa Fukuoka in the quarterfinals on December 25th, showing their determination to win the final title.
Without the presence of Ryuji Fujiyama and Satoru Asari, it was also like a touchstone to see how far the new generation of Tokyo could go at the end of an era. In this year, 4 matches were held at the National Stadium, including the Nabisco Cup, Suruga Bank Championship, and J1. As the chant goes, there was joy in winning the Suruga Bank Championship and becoming "the best in the world," but the semifinal match of the Emperor's Cup, which was fought for a spot in the final at the end of the year, was special. Two years ago, on the same day, they lost to Kashiwa Reysol at Ecopa Stadium and missed out on reaching the final, but this time, will they be able to become finalists? - - -
Koroki Shinzo, Osako Yuya, and Nozawa Takuya, among other prominent players, Kashima started the game with a strong shooting attack, causing Tokyo to struggle. However, in the 39th minute of the first half, Hirayama Sota scored a spectacular overhead goal from Ricardinho's cross from the left! This dramatic goal, the fourth of the tournament, gave Tokyo the lead.
However, in the 22nd minute of the second half, Tomohiko MIYAZAKI, who graduated from FC Tokyo U-18, crossed from the left and Yuya OSAKO scored with a header to equalize. In the 4th minute of the first half of extra time, Takuji YONEMOTO, who received his second yellow card of the day, was sent off. And in the 16th minute of the second half of extra time, a shot with his right foot by Koji OKUJOU sealed the victory, and Tokyo finally ran out of steam.
To clear the frustration of the league match, we were one step short in the Emperor's Cup.
Text by Katsu GOTO (Freelance Writer)
