Match Report

Shonan Bellmare (J1)   2-3 (1-1, 1-2)   Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. (J1)

The third round of the 95th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship was held on Saturday 10 October. Shonan Bellmare (J1) played against Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. (J1) at Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka.

Although Shonan took the initiative at the beginning of the match, Matsumoto patiently tried out their defence. Matsumoto prevented potential passes, pushing the opponent towards the wings, and stole the ball to move forward with long-distance balls.

After five minutes, OBINA, who received a long-distance pass, got through to the right wing. Then MAEDA Naoki came from the right side of the penalty area and took a shot, only for it to go wide left. It was the third time that Matsumoto had got into the box.

Shonan, who were playing at home, struck the opener. In the 14th minute, FUJITA Yoshihito reacted to a long pass, and passed it to KIKUCHI Shunsuke in front of the penalty area via two more players, where Kikuchi directly struck a goal.

Just four minutes after that, however, Matsumoto levelled the game. After passing the ball around from a free kick in front of the opponent’s goal, Naoki MAEDA knocked the ball into the right-hand corner.

In the second half, Matsumoto’s straightforward attacks brought the team further goals. In the 52nd minute, Obina, who received a long pass from their area, used his left foot to take a shot after one bounce of the ball in front of the penalty area, turning the match around.

Then five minutes after that, Matsumoto counter-attacked Shonan, who stayed forward. IWANUMA Shunsuke dropped the ball from a simple forward pass, and ANDO Jun struck a goal to build a two-goal lead.

Shonan, on the other hand, substituted players to strengthen attack. After 76 minutes, SHIMAMURA Tsuyoshi, who just came off the bench, reacted to a right cross with a header, but Matsumoto’s goalkeeper MURAYAMA Tomohiko jumped sideways to punch the ball away.

Shonan substituted as many players as they could before 78 minutes. Then in the 83rd minute, TAKAYAMA Kaoru, who also came off the bench, made a superb shot in front of the goal and closed the gap to one goal. Although Shonan continued to put many players into attack, they could not find the back of the net. Matsumoto, who defended patiently throughout the four-minute injury time until the final whistle, won the game and got through to the round 16.

Match detail (Japanese version only)

Coach and Players' Comments

CHO Kwi Jae, Coach (Shonan Bellmare)
We tried different build-ups from the beginning of the game. We knew that the opponent’s strength was to attack with long-distance passes and we had to compete to get the loose ball. We finished our attack by taking shots right from the first half, and the players performed bravely. Although we conceded multiple goals, the players played flexibly with or without the ball.

YAMADA Naoki (Shonan Bellmare)
The team’s aim is to win the game in any manner – after 90 minutes, 120 minutes, or even on penalties. So I’m frustrated we couldn’t achieve that. Having said that, we could attack together, counter-attack and run back to defend altogether.

We moved as much as the opponent and we weren’t weaker near the ball. I also believe we displayed our strengths. However, we ended up conceding goals from long-distance passes. I’d like to improve ourselves enough to eliminate the opponent’s strengths and to show off our performance even more.

SORIMACHI Yasuharu, Coach (Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.)
I’m glad we could decide the game in 90 minutes. We struggled a little to pick up our pace in defence at the beginning. However, we levelled the game soon and performed solidly. I expected that we’d have some advantage in the midfield formation, building up for attacks and attack and defence on the wings. We did play well in front of our goal.

If we had avoided the loss at the end, I would have been happier now. I’d like to think this result is a step for the next J.League match. Although we “beat our old rival”, we are to meet “another old rival” in the next match. So I’d like to give my opinion after that game! We’d like to go as far as possible.

ANDO Jun (Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.)
I stayed ambitious for goals. As IWANUMA Shunsuke passed the ball perfectly, all I had to do was just take the shot. Although I was transferred to this team in the middle of this season, I heard about the game against Shonan. It would be very frustrating if we couldn't win against this opponent, after losing to them last month. So we played with a spirit to win the game.

I saw the supporter’s banner, which read “let’s bring a victory back to Matsumoto” prior to the game, and thought it was really encouraging, Despite being away game, many came to support us. I thought before the match if we won today’s game, they could go home to Matsumoto happily and have a great time together.

The 95th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship

Sat. 29 August 2015 - Fri. 1 January 2016

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