Wednesday 25 October saw four matches in the quarterfinals of the 97th Emperor's Cup All Japan Football Championship.

Pick-up Match

Yokohama F・Marinos (J1)  1-0  (0-0, 1-0)  Jubilo Iwata (J1)

Yokohama F・Marinos (J1) met Jubilo Iwata (J1) at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium. Despite the cold rain, the game kicked off with nearly 10,000 fans in the stands.

Iwata attacked first at the beginning of the game. The players played closely and passed the ball around, going close to Yokohama FM’s goal. NAKAMURA Shunsuke, who used to play for Yokohama FM until last season, struck at the goal from a corner kick in the 11th minute, followed by the left-footed UEDA Kota’s free kick, which directly fired at the goal two minutes later. NAKAMURA Shunsuke also took a shot from a free kick, which was 40 metres out from the goal, just before the first half ended. The shot was unfortunately punched away by the goalkeeper.

Yokohama FM, on the other hand, first focused on stabilising their defence, waiting for an opportunity for a quick counter-attack. The solo forward TOGASHI Cayman moved between right and left for space, while MAEDA Naoki was running from near up front in order to move the ball forward. ENDO Keita showed off his plays on the right. When he led the ball near the line to receive, he bravely initiated an attack on his own. He also performed aggressively in the centre, reacting to a loose ball and earning a free kick.

Although the game went into the second half scoreless, Iwata took eight shots. The team continued to stay ambitious for goals from the beginning of the second half with aggressive long-distance shots and a shot from UEDA, who reacted to a loose ball. After 60 minutes, NAKAMURA Shunsuke aimed at the goal with a chip-kick from a forward path in front of the goal. However, the ball went ever so slightly above the goal.

Yokohama FM started to attack quickly, alongside individual skills, such as David Babunski’s dribbling. In the 52nd minute, the team were involved in a scramble in front of Iwata’s goal from a cross, followed by KURIHARA Yuzo’s shot, reacting freely to a corner kick in the 54th minute. Both teams went closer to the goals as time went on.

Iwata sent OTA Yoshiaki to the field in the 76th minute, and Yokohama FM replaced two players in the 80th minute. The game changed just one minute after that. Babunski, who received the ball on the left, moved to the centre, sending the ball to the opposite side. ENDO received the ball on the right side of the goal and passed it to ITO Sho, who had come off the bench. Although ITO could not make it to the centre in time, the ball hit Iwata’s defender and went into the goal. ENDO later commented: ‘I expected something might happen if I send a quick cross, as the pitch was wet.’

Iwata replaced players for the last time to attack back, while Yokohama FM played carefully, waiting for another opportunity. Although both teams created goal-scoring opportunities, hitting crossbars, neither could find the back of the net until the final whistle. Yokohama FM won the match 1-0, and advanced to the semi-finals for the second year in a row.

Match Report (Japanese version only)

As a result of the four games in the quarterfinals, Vissel Kobe (J1) will meet Cerezo Osaka (J1), while Yokohama FM will play against Kashiwa Reysol (J1) on Saturday 23 December.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

Erick Mombaerts, Coach (Yokohama F・Marinos)
The game moved slowly in the first half, as both teams defended well. We could have played with more speed in the build up. Although we did create several goal-scoring opportunities with set pieces, we could not score. During halftime, I asked the players to play more strongly and aggressively near the ball. I’d like to point out that the players did so. They also excellently displayed speed, strength in one-on-ones, and intensity in switching. As a result, we pushed away Iwata’s blocks to score with our opportunity. It was a great win.

DF #4 KURIHARA Yuzo (Yokohama F・Marinos)
Our team usually focus on defence first. If there were different players from usual, it was difficult to adjust the distance between players. Since we started the game with the usual players, it was easy to defend. I believe that our focused defence until the final whistle brought us this result. I did enjoy playing against NAKAMURA Shunsuke. I’m not a person, who speaks to myself, but I had to say without thinking: ‘that was a nice play’, as he was excellent as usual. I started a game for the first time for a while. So I enjoyed myself. We all know it’s just a start and it’ll be tougher. I’d like to play as hard as possible, so that we can reach the final.

NANAMI Hiroshi, Coach (Jubilo Iwata)
We were absolutely maintaining the initiative until we conceded a goal. The defending combination on both sides, dynamic attacks after changing sides, getting through, and running towards space in front of the goal or in the attacking third – they were all excellent. I told that to the players. Most of our shots went wide, which, I believe, is something we need to work on. Since Marinos tend to use all their physical strength towards the end of the game, it’s difficult to steal a goal from them unless we play carefully and get through them. I told the players: ‘we will have a chance to avenge this defeat on Sunday when we meet them again in the league, as we lost to them consecutively.’

MF #10 NAKAMURA Shunsuke (Jubilo Iwata)
We started the game very well. We could have improved the quality of shots, and scored with our opportunities. Despite the defeat, we gained some really good experience as Jubilo – players, who are usually not on the pitch, performed very well, which showed that the young players have developed excellently. It is a tricky time for us, but I believe we displayed what we could do for Jubilo as individuals. A match like this, I think, improves Jubilo.

Other Results

Vissel Kobe (J1)  1-1 (0-0, 1-1, ext.0-0, 0-0, PSO:5-4)   Kashima Antlers (J1)
Match Report (Japanese version only)

Cerezo Osaka (J1)  2-0 (1-0, 1-0)   Omiya Ardija (J1)
Match Report (Japanese version only)

Kawasaki Frontale (J1)  0-1 (0-0, 0-1)   Kashiwa Reysol (J1)
Match Report (Japanese version only)

【First Round】Saturday 22, Sunday 23 April
【Second Round】Wednesday 21 June
【Third Round】Wednesday 12 July
【Round of16(Fourth Round)】Wednesday 20 September
【Quarter-finals】Wednesday 25 October
【Semi-finals】Saturday 23 December (National Holiday)　
【Final】Monday 1 January 2018 (New Year's Day)

Tournament Information