Emperor's Cup first match (Round 16), let's play our own soccer!

Emperor's Cup Round 16 (4th Round) held. Mito Hollyhock will compete against Ajinomoto.
For Tokyo, this tournament will be their first match, but it will be held on Wednesday against a J2 team. They will face this match after a three-day break from the previous league match. However, Coach Massimo emphasizes the importance of focusing on this game. It is a different tournament and there may be difficulties in playing against a lower category team. Nevertheless, he vows to switch his focus to this tournament and approach it with full concentration and strive for victory.
 

Mito is currently in 19th place in J2. With 2 more games left in J2, they are 5 points behind 21st place. After a mid-season coaching change, current coach Nishigaya has taken over, but they have not been able to completely escape the relegation zone and are facing a tough battle. However, they have been in good form with no losses in their last 5 league games. In the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup, they showed their tenacity and determination by defeating Kashima in a penalty shootout. Their motivation for this game should be very high.

However, they also made some changes to the lineup and formation due to the consecutive matches parallel to the league. They appointed FW Yamamura (FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa ~ FC Tokyo U-18 ~ Meiji University) in the front line and formed a 2-top with MF Yuto Suzuki. MF Ishikawa was placed on the right wide position, and DF Tanaka on the left. In the midfield, MF Iwao, MF Funatani, and MF Shirai played in a 3-5-2 formation.

Tokyo is without Morishige, Maruyama, and Nathan BURNS due to national team activities. In consideration of the Mito match, Enomoto is the goalkeeper. Yoshimoto and Nara are the center-backs. Maeda is up front, with Higashi and Mita on the sides. Nakajima is in the attacking midfield position in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Tanabe, who has returned from Spain, also made his first appearance in the lineup. Captain is Tokunaga. Although there were some sunny intervals during the day, the match started at 19:00 in Tokyo under weather that felt like the arrival of winter.

Maeda scores first from Ota's cross, taking advantage of Tokyo's strength!

1 minute into the game, Maeda and Nakajima advance into the area from the kickoff. They were unable to finish, but Ota passes the ball and Takahashi heads it towards the center of the area. In the 3rd minute, Suzuki dribbles and takes a shot for Mito. In the 4th minute, Funatani aims for a middle shot. Both teams show an aggressive attitude and continue to attack each other, but Tokyo calmly avoids Mito's press and persistently wins second balls to continue their attack.

At the 9th minute, Ota, who went up the left side, crossed from the inside to the goal line, but Mita's header went wide. In the 14th minute, Maeda received the ball from Yonemoto in the midfield and Nakajima on the left side expanded further out. Ota attacked while sending a sharp cross into the area. Maeda, who jumped near the ball, headed it in for a GOAL!! With the speedy passing and Ota's crosses, which can be considered Tokyo's weapon, they took the lead starting from the side.

However, in the 18th minute, Mito quickly moved forward and MF Tanaka, who was free on the left side from the drop of FW Yamamura, advanced into the area. He brought it to a shot, but Tokunaga threw himself and escaped to a CK. In the 25th minute, Mito MF Funatani sent a long ball into the area, and MF Suzuki Yū ran into it, but Nara cleared it while returning. Yoshimoto also covered the second ball firmly. Tokyo does not allow the opponent to move freely in their own territory. In the 28th minute, they cut off Mito's cross, quickly moved forward, and Ota crossed. Nakajima filled the loose ball from Higashi, who competed near the near side, and shot from very close to the area, but it was blocked.

At the 30th minute, Mito launched a counterattack, with right midfielder Ishikawa delivering a cross with shooting potential. In the 35th minute, midfielder Funatani entered the area. The ball spilled to Mito midfielder Shirai from a cutback, and he took a shot from the middle. Mito had a period of ball possession, but Tokyo also adjusted their formation to 4-3-1-2 to respond. Mito had some attempts from mid-range, but they didn't create any clear-cut chances. Tokyo took the lead early on with their strength in side attacks and maintained a stable game, ending the first half with a one-goal lead.

Hashimoto's spectacular first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium! Kept a clean sheet and advanced to the quarterfinals.

In the second half, they fought without panic and connected chances from quick attacks. In the 50th minute, a cross from the right by Higashi, but Nakajima jumped and hit it with one foot... but it went wide to the right. In the 53rd minute, Tokyo substituted Mita for Hashimoto. Immediately after, Yonemoto sprinted to the left front line from a counter. Takahashi followed up on the loose ball from the cross and took a powerful middle shot, but it hit the opponent and resulted in a corner kick. At this point, Mito brought on FW Musashi SUZUKI. Immediately after, Maeda persistently headed down Tokyo's right corner kick and Yoshimoto volleyed in the midst of a scramble in front of the goal, but it went wide to the left.

57 minutes, Tokunaga from his own territory → Maeda receives a pass from Yonemoto in the center and expands to the right. Hashimoto on the right outside receives the ball that Higashi passed through the front line and takes a step up while holding it. The eye-opening shot draws an arc and is sucked into the upper left corner of the goal... Hashimoto successfully scores an additional point with a super middle shot!

Tokyo, which expanded its lead, showed a stable game play. In the 62nd minute, Kono replaced Nakajima. Mito also brought in FW Baba and in the 67th minute, MF Ikegaya. FW Takekazu Suzuki and MF Funatani formed a two-top in a 4-4-2 formation. Tokyo also switched to a 4-4-2 formation, and even when Mito had possession of the ball, they concentrated and held them back, and then launched quick counterattacks when they regained possession.

In the 90+1 minute, Hayashi replaced Maeda. Shortly after entering the field, Hayashi rushed into the left area freely during additional time. He cut back the opponent's defending player one after another and took a shot, but... it was saved by the goalkeeper. Immediately after that, East connected from the left front line, evaded a one-two pass, and circled around inside the area. Hasegawa, who received the ball, skillfully turned past the opponent and slipped through to the front for a decisive shot. However, this was also blocked by the goalkeeper... Time's up.

We were unable to score a third goal, but we shut out Mito's attacks without giving them any openings. We stayed united in both offense and defense, sticking to our own style, and secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

【Player Comments】

"Hashimoto" "I knew it would be difficult to play against a team from a different category. Mito is a team that has also beaten Kashima, so I was thinking that if I had the chance to play, I would use all my strength and go head-to-head. Since it was a bit of a tight time to play, I was thinking of playing aggressively and trying to shoot first. (In the shooting scene), I was just thinking of controlling and shooting without hesitation. I am happy to score my first goal at Ajinomoto Stadium, but I want to keep aiming for more middle shots in the future. I want to help the team by scoring and I want to score in the league next time."

"Nara" "I thought it was great to win no matter what kind of game, situation, or opponent it was. It was good that we were able to move on firmly. I think each player understood the importance of this game and that feeling led to the result. Personally, I made some mistakes and it's a challenge to stay focused for 90 minutes in a game. However, I am simply happy to continue playing until the end of December as a soccer player. I want to cherish each day and continue to strive for growth."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference] "Mito is a team that beat Kashima in the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup and has a lot of momentum. We thought it was important to enter the game with a lot of running and movement. We were able to have a good start to the game. We scored a goal and created a lot of chances. There was almost no risk in the first half. We also scored a solid second goal in the second half and controlled the game overall. We had a lot of space to play in, but we may have been able to control the game a little more. However, considering that our national team players were absent, the result is more important than the performance. We want to prepare well for the quarterfinals."

[Press Conference Summary by Mito-Nishigaya Takayuki Coach] "Both individually and as a team, Tokyo was one or two steps ahead. This kind of experience can only be felt in the Emperor's Cup. We want to use this experience in the remaining two league matches. We had a game plan for today, but when we conceded the first goal, we were somewhat at the mercy of the opponent. That's why I think that giving up the first goal was everything. We wanted to fight tenaciously against a stronger team, find the weak points of the opponent, and create chances to finish. In a difficult situation where we conceded the first goal, we had to push forward a little. However, the players challenged themselves to see what kind of play they could make against an opponent who was prepared. We won't be able to score unless we improve the quality even more. I think the players feel the same way, so we want to continue training."