Aiming for the semifinal round, fight tenaciously!

After about a month since the final round of the league, we will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the Emperor's Cup quarterfinals.
Aiming for the title, we will break through the walls step by step by concentrating on each game and aiming only to win the upcoming battles. However, Coach Massimo and the players honestly admit that there were difficulties during the interval of more than a month. In addition, Coach Massimo will retire after this season. Ota has agreed to transfer to the Netherlands next season. During the training in the break period, Maeda had separate menu time, but he worked on adjusting his condition to be in perfect shape for the game. Also, in the practice match against Urawa last week, Kajiyama made a comeback to actual competition for the first time since summer.
 

Hiroshima, who faced the J.League Championship as the top team with the most points in the year, won the title of Japan's best. They also finished third in the Club World Cup. With the dynamic performance of young players such as FW Asano and MF Chajima, Hiroshima has maintained a consistent style that doesn't change regardless of who is on the field, and has further matured. This season, their record against Hiroshima, including the Levain Cup, is 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss. "We have always had closely contested matches, good games, and tactically high-level matches," and they also feel the sense of accomplishment, but they have also experienced firsthand that it is not an easy game.
 

The members are Enomoto as GK, Tokunaga on the right for the DF line, Morishige and Maruyama as CB, and Ota on the left. Takahashi at the bottom of the midfield, Hashimoto, Yonemoto as inside halves, and Kono at the top. Maeda and Higashi are in the front. And Kajiyama returns to the bench after a long time.

On the other hand, Hiroshima is using Minagawa in the front line. In the shadow, MF Douglas and Chajima, with MF Morisakiwa and Aoyama serving as double volantes in a 3-4-2-1 formation. On the bench, there are skilled players such as Sato, Asano, and Mikic.

It is a tough match aiming for victory against Hiroshima, who won the league and finished 3rd in the championship. The match started at 3pm with Hiroshima's kickoff at Nagasaki Prefectural Athletic Park Stadium, where the chill of the evening can be felt.

Seizing a few opportunities, we head into halftime with a 1-0 lead!

In the opening 40 seconds of the match, Tokyo connected passes precisely and moved towards the opponent's goal. In the end, Kono took a shot but it was blocked by Hiroshima's DF. Tokyo continued to attack with great momentum and numbers, but were continuously repelled by the opponent's solid defense.

At 9 minutes, Hiroshima MF Shimizu crosses from the right side of their own field to the center. Kashiwa MF jumps in from the opposite side, but nothing comes of it.
The subsequent development was a back-and-forth battle, but in the 37th minute, Yonemoto in the midfield passed a long ball to Tokunaga on the right side from the opponent's left side. Tokunaga trapped the ball perfectly and crossed it towards the center with a ground pass. Hashimoto touched it in the center, and finally Higashi jumped in and scored! They took the lead.

Tokyo managed to seize the few opportunities and turned the first half around with a goal in the east, while both teams endured a period of patience.

Caught up in the final stages of the game, and after extra time...defeated

In the second half, early on, the opponent's MF DOUGLAS broke through from the left side and passed to the central FW Minagawa. It didn't connect, but the situation turned into being pushed back. In the 56th minute, the opponent quickly connected the ball and MF Kashiwa, who broke through on the right side, looked inside well and crossed to the open space. At the perfect timing, MF Aoyama took a shot, but Enomoto made a solid catch by diving sideways. He made a super save and didn't allow a goal.
 

At 60 minutes, Tokyo gained momentum and Kono fiercely chased on the front line. Then, they pressed together in the midfield, but Hiroshima also showed their skill. They kept avoiding the press and approached the goal with MF Douglas as their starting point. However, Tokyo also solidified the center and defended persistently. After that, the opponent substituted FW Minagawa for FW Asano. Immediately after, in the 62nd minute, Maeda made a one-touch shot from Ota's left cross, but it went over the bar and did not result in a goal. In the 65th minute, the opponent's DF Shioya went up the right side and FW Asano turned around and took a shot. This shot went over Enomoto's outstretched hand, but hit the bottom left post.

66 minutes, Tokyo, who was trying to stop Hiroshima's counterattack, received their second warning and was sent off... 70 minutes have passed, Tokyo had been defending well against Hiroshima's attacks, but with Tokyo's player sent off, they are now down to 10 players. The formation has Maeda as the forward, Kono and Hashimoto on both sides, and Takahashi and Yonemoto as the double pivot. However, there were increasing moments where they were being pushed back by Hiroshima's momentum.
 

In the 74th minute, Tokyo substituted Hanyu for Kawano. Hiroshima also brought in FW Mikicchi on the right wide, replacing MF Shimizu. This moved MF Kashiwa to the left. In the 78th minute, Hiroshima substituted FW Sato for MF Chajima, making their final attacking move. After 80 minutes, Tokyo was dominated by the opponent and was on the defensive. However, they remained calm and persistent in front of the goal, not allowing any goals.

However, in the 85th minute, the opponent sent a high heading from the left side into the area with a cross. FW Asano scored a goal with this cross... Finally, we conceded a goal and the game was tied. Tokyo, who had to play with 10 players, was forced to defend against Hiroshima's continuous attacks. Until then, we had defended well, but finally in the 85th minute, Hiroshima's FW Asano scored a goal with a header and the game was tied. We became completely defensive, but still didn't allow any additional goals, and the game went into extra time with a score of 1-1.

Entering into extra time, in the 103rd minute of the first half, Hiroshima crossed from the right and scored a soft header by FW Asano into the bottom right corner... allowing them to take the lead. In the 114th minute of the second half of extra time, Mori Shige received a second warning and was sent off for a foul against Hiroshima FW Asano... Tokyo was forced to play with 9 players. Just before the end of the first half of extra time, they allowed a second goal by Hiroshima FW Asano. Without giving up, they tried to counterattack and pushed forward, but Mori Shige was also sent off after receiving a counterattack from Hiroshima. Nevertheless, they showed determination and fought with passion, chasing after a goal until the final whistle... but it was not successful. In the last match of the 2015 season, Tokyo was eliminated from the Emperor's Cup in the quarterfinals.

【Player Comments】

"Ota" "Regarding today's match, we let Hiroshima show their strengths... They were able to create many 1v1 situations on the sides. We were unable to maintain control until the end against an opponent with a unique style of play. However, we were able to take advantage of our few chances and score first. I want to take the positive aspect of being able to hold on until the last 5 minutes. We must use this feeling of regret that we felt in the league match and apply it in the future. I am truly sorry to the fans and supporters, but we must use this regret as motivation to become stronger, both individually and as a team. I am disappointed that I was unable to contribute anything to the team until the very end and could not achieve results. I have nothing but words of gratitude for everyone. I spent a truly fulfilling 4 years in Tokyo, which was the most intense period in my career. Without the support of Tokyo's fans and supporters, I would not be where I am today. I truly believe they are the best supporters in the world. (During the post-match, the fans continued to call out to you. What are your thoughts?) This is the first time I have experienced being called out like this even after the match. I am filled with gratitude, but at the same time, there are so many emotions that cannot be expressed just by going to greet them. I will be leaving the team next season and moving to a faraway place in the Netherlands, but I believe that it is my way of repaying them by delivering good news from there. I am proud to have been able to play in Tokyo and I will fight with that pride. I would be happy if you could support me even just a little. As a fan of Tokyo, I truly believe that my teammates will do their best. I sincerely support them in winning the title next season. Thank you very much."

"East" "I think we played a good game in the first half. The opponent came here in a tough schedule, and we have been preparing for today. We were able to take the lead in a good shape, but the flow changed when I was sent off. It was a regrettable red card, and I am truly sorry. Still, my teammates and colleagues worked hard until the end. I want to thank them, but I also wanted to win with coach Massimo and player Ota. It's very disappointing and it's my fault that we couldn't do it. I was not good today, but I want to become stronger and win. I want to become even stronger and aim higher as an individual and as a team. I have reaffirmed that feeling. To all the fans and supporters who came all the way from Tokyo to Nagasaki, I am truly sorry, but I want to show you even more growth next season while thanking you for your support this season."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference] "I think the first half was very balanced and we were able to create space and play more easily by scoring first. Hiroshima is a very strong team and has achieved the best results this season, but today we were able to compete with them at the same level. Even after being reduced to 9 players towards the end of the game, the players fought until the very end. I am truly grateful to them. Today was our last game, but I believe the players have gained the awareness that they can compete evenly against any opponent. We will be leaving behind some of the best players. At this point, the result is not important, so there is no need to talk about it anymore. I would like to praise Hiroshima's performance this season. And finally, to all Tokyo fans and supporters, and everyone I have worked with, thank you very much."

[Hiroshima - Manager Hajime Moriyasu's Press Conference Summary] "It's a tournament where if you lose, it's over, so it's good that we were able to advance to the semifinals in any way. We were scored on first and it became a chasing game, but the players fought without breaking down mentally. We could have been stopped if we attacked from the center in a numerical advantage, but we scored both goals from outside and fought calmly and toughly. It's our 7th game since entering December, but the players are strong and we were able to grab a victory. We have 2 more games to play with this current team. We want to unite and end the season with a smile."