Thursday 29 December saw the semi-final of the 96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship between Yokohama F・Marinos (J1) and Kashima Antlers (J1) at Yanmar Stadium Nagai.

Yokohama FM created the first chance of the game. After breaking into the Kashima’s area from both sides, displaying the team’s strength, SAITO Manabu, who received the ball on the left flank, dribbled into the centre and fired a shot in the sixth minute, only for it to go wide. After 34 minutes, Saito again created another goal-scoring opportunity. He received a return-pass on the left side of the penalty area and sent the ball towards the goal, which went past the goalkeeper. Although MAEDA Naoki struck at the goal in the end, YAMAMOTO Shuto threw himself into the line of the shot and defended the goal.

Even though SHOJI Gen of Kashima later noted: ‘we struggled against the opponents’ attacks with multiple players finding space to break through on the pitch’, they capitalised on their scoring chance in the 41st minute. DOI Shoma reacted to a cross from SHIBASAKI Gaku and headed home, striking the opener.

Despite the fact that Yokohama FM were one goal behind, they took the initiative again at the beginning of the second half. After 46 minutes, Saito, who cut through the middle, delivered the ball to the right, finding MARTINUS, who send in a cross ball towards TOGASHI Cayman. He, then, attempted a header, but the shot went directly in front of the opposing goalkeeper.

Coach ISHII Masatada of Kashima encouraged the players during halftime: ‘we cannot get outplayed at the beginning of the second half. Then, we will maintain a high level of concentration and fight until the final whistle.’ Their defenders performed tenaciously, not allowing the opponents to score. In the 62nd minute, although Togashi of Yokohama FM came close to the goal, Shoji defended strongly to prevent him from taking a shot.

Yokohama FM, who were eager to score an equaliser, sent NAKAMURA Shunsuke to the pitch in the 63rd minute, gearing up their attack. Then, they created a scoring chance from a free kick in the 70th minute. NAKAZAWA Yuji reacted to a cross from Nakamura with a header, and NAKAMACHI Kosuke, who found the loose ball, slotted it into the goal. However, the shot was ruled offside.

Just after defending their goal, in the 73rd minute, Kashima successfully converted their scoring chance. After intercepting the ball up front, they got to the right side of the penalty area. SUZUKI Yuma, who came off the bench, reacted to Shibasaki’s ball in front of the goal and directly fired a shot, stretching their lead to two goals. Despite Yokohama FM’s fierce attacks in the last 10 minutes, Kashima defended resiliently to keep a clean sheet. Kashima won the game, becoming the finalists for the first time since the 90th Cup, when they won the championship.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Coaches' and Players' Comments

Erick MOMBAERTS, Coach (Yokohama F・Marinos)
I’d frankly like to praise Kashima, who performed superbly. Although we did create more goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, which shouldn’t have allowed Kashima to build a lead; the opponents managed to score through our mistake. We struggled to find our rhythm at the beginning of the second half. However, by substituting three players, we succeeded in accelerating our attack and created several goal-scoring opportunities towards the end of the match. It was a shame that we conceded another from a careless mistake. I’d like to point out that the players have been performing excellently throughout the year. I am also truly grateful to the supporters, who have been encouraging us this year.

ISHII Masatada, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
We were under pressure from the beginning of the match, but defended solidly, and managed to score a goal in the first half. We continued to perform the same in the second half. So I’d like to point out that the players performed very well. As we knew prior to the game that Yokohama FM’s players on the wings were excellent dribblers, I believed that how well we could defend against them was critical. Our defence, coordinating with the attack, started to function well towards the middle of the first half, which brought us this victory. We’ll play the final for the first time in a while. We’d like to earn the title to finish this season.

SAITO Manabu (Yokohama F・Marinos)
Although we performed well, going close to the goal, we couldn't find the back of the net from our goal-scoring opportunities in the first half. It could have been due to the pressure of the semi-final or the atmosphere of the stadium, along with many other reasons. Having said that, we just could not score. We must improve and capitalise on our scoring chances. As a team with many young players, we managed to display our own playing style, which was a positive takeaway. If we learn from Kashima’s strength, we’ll be one step closer to wining the championship.

ITO Yukitoshi (Kashima Antlers)
Winning is always expected at Kashima, and I’m simply pleased that we won 2-0. Having said that, there is still plenty of room to improve as a team and as individuals. So I’m not satisfied. Although I got beaten by SAITO Manabu several times in the first half, I gradually improved as the match went on. I learned a lot in this big game. A defeat in the final is simply not acceptable. We will go all out to win and finish the Cup with smiles on our faces.

Final (1 January 2017)

Fixtures and Results (Japanese version only)

96th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship

27 August 2016(Sat.) 〜 1 January 2017(Sun.)

More Information