The quarter-finals of the 96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship were held on Saturday 24 December across the host sites to decide which teams would reach the semi-finals.

Pick-up match 1

Yokohama F・Marinos　2-1（0-0, 2-1）Gamba Osaka

Yokohama F・Marinos, the champions of the 93rd Cup three years ago, played against Gamba Osaka, who aimed to win three consecutive championships for the first time in history, at Nissan Stadium. Yokohama FM went close to the goal from the beginning of the game – MAEDA Naoki dribbled up into the box to fire a shot and AMANO Jun stuck at the right corner of the goal from a free kick. However, both attempts were punched away by the goalkeeper. G Osaka, on the other hand, looked for goal-scoring opportunities by sending forward balls, but Yokohama FM controlled the match capitalising on TOGASHI Cayman’s speed in the first half.

SAITO Manabu of Yokohama FM, who kept possession well with his sharp performance from the first half, changed the game in the 63rd minute. After tackling the opponents’ defender and dribbling up, he was taken down in the box and earned a penalty kick. He struck a goal from the spot to score the opener.

G Osaka, who made some changes to the team from the beginning of the second half, started to attack more aggressively. In the 87th minute, KONNO Yasuyuki scored a goal from a corner kick, finally levelling the match. The game continued in dramatic fashion, and G Osaka struck close shots in the 89th minute and also during injury time. 

Yokohama FM, however, had some luck at the end. After 96 minutes, the team counter attacked and NAKAMURA Shunsuke, who came off the bench, initiated attack from the right flank. Amano reacted to the ball, which came to the right side just outside of the penalty area, and struck a stunning goal with his left foot. Yokohama FM had reached the semi-finals thanks to Amano’s deciding score.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Pick-up match 2

F.C. Tokyo　1-2（0-2, 1-0）Kawasaki Frontale

F.C. Tokyo met Kawasaki Frontale at Ajinomoto Stadium. Kawasaki F took the early initiative. After just 20 seconds, OKUBO Yoshito fired a shot, displaying the team’s aggressiveness in seeking goals. In the 20th minute, NAKAMURA Kengo in the right, who received the ball from Elsinho, sent it to TASAKA Yusuke. Okubo reacted to Tasaka’s cross to strike the opener for Kawasaki F and tipped the balance in their favour.

After building a lead, Kawasaki F continued their aggressive attacks taking the ball to the opposing half, while focusing their efforts on passing and finishing with a shot. After 28 minutes, NOBORIZATO Kyohei passed swiftly to Eduardo Neto, and the well-assisted ball found Elsinho who scored a goal with his well-aimed, left-footed shot, stretching their lead to two goals.

F.C. Tokyo, who were two goals behind, sent OGAWA Ryoya and HIRAYAMA Sota to the pitch in order to attack back, looking for goals from the sides. In the 68th minute, however, the team let Okubo get close to the goal, whose cannoned shot hit the goalpost. The team could not stop the opponents from intercepting and counter-attacking.

After one minute in injury time, Hirayama headed home from Ogawa’s free kick to finally score their first. However, they lost the home game. Kawasaki F got through to the semi-finals with a positive performance.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Coaches' and Players' Comments

HASEGAWA Kenta, Coach (Gamba Osaka)
We feel really devastated to finish the Emperor's Cup here, since the final will be held at Suita City Football Stadium. We struggled to display our playing style in the first half, and changed ENDO Yasuhito’s position to an anchor in the second half, to try to find our rhythm. Despite the goal-scoring opportunities we had, we didn’t have enough accuracy in front of the goal, which led to this result. Having said that, it’s my responsibility that we couldn’t manage risks well. The players defended properly, swiftly coming back to our area when we conceded a goal. So we’d like to offer our compliments on Amano’s shot. We must learn from our mistakes and change the frustration we feel into positive energy for this season.

AMANO Jun (Yokohama F・Marinos)
Since I felt that I properly put my weight on the left leg throughout the game, I was certain I could score if I took a shot. Although we couldn’t find the back of the net, we took the initiative in the game and we knew we would have another opportunity. I trapped the ball perfectly when I had the last chance to score. So all I had to do was slot the ball into the goal. I have scored during injury time in two consecutive matches. I believe that I gained this stamina by playing consecutive games. I can see my improvements. So, I’d like to bring this momentum to the semi-final.

KAZAMA Yahiro, Coach (Kawasaki Frontale)
We controlled the match apart from when we conceded a goal from a set piece. We expected a tough game, since it was our first official match after a while. However, I’d like to point out that the players performed superbly from the beginning of the game. Our issue was that we failed to score by counter-attacks when the opponents came close to our goal in the second half, which was a shame. The players displayed what we had been practicing throughout the game. I believe they have been performing well enough to become the champions. We’d like to grab the top spot.

OKUBO Yoshito (Kawasaki Frontale)
I entered the match carefully but managed to score a goal with my knee. I performed with full strength from the first half, thinking: ’I’ll just soldier on as long as I can’. Since we had a one-month break as a team before the game, the players in midfield contributed to attacks a lot, which allowed us to perform our attacking style with multiple players throughout the game. I enjoyed myself displaying various attacking patterns, including breaking through the defence by dribbling and one-two passes.

Semi-finals (12/29)

Fixtures and Results (Japanese version only)

96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship

2016-8-27(Sat.)〜2017-1-1(Sun.)

More Information
Ticket Information (Japanese version only)