It was Vegalta Sendai’s defence that shined against Jubilo Iwata in the quarterfinal match of the Emperor's Cup JFA 98th Japan Football Championship. Their persistent efforts led to the equaliser scored in the closing minutes of the match and Sendai prevailed at the end after penalty shootouts. With the win, Sendai will now make their first semi-final appearance at the Emperor’s Cup since the 89th tournament held in 2009.

Jubilo Iwata scored the opening goal in the ninth minute, when OGAWA Daiki intercepted the ball in the right side before dribbling into the penalty area. He then delivered the ball towards the goal where OGAWA Koki converted to put his side up by a goal.

After seeing how his side perform in the first half, Sendai’s Coach WATANABE Susumu gave a pep-talk to pump-up his players. The players responded to his words in the second half, but it took until the 86th minute for them to find the back of the net. The equaliser came from the second half substitute, GERMAIN Ryo’s shot after it was deflected off the opposing defender. Iwata rallied back in the closing minutes to retake the lead, but Japan National Team goalkeeper SCHMIDT Daniel showcased a superb performance to keep the score intact. Both sides remained focused through the 30 minutes of extra time as the match entered penalty shootouts.

Schmidt really made his presence felt at the penalty kicks, as the 197cm goalkeeper denied Iwata’s third spot taker, OI Kentaro’s shot with his right leg, as he later reflected, “I tried to stay still as much as possible.” After each side saw a player miss an attempt apiece, Sendai prevailed at the end to take down the match.

With the team fighting to avoid relegation in their league, the team elected to rotate their entire starting line-up from their recent J1 match against Nagasaki. After the team started mostly their young players, the team failed to make their first semi-final appearance since the 84th tournament.

Ahead of their semi-final match against Yamagata, Schmidt shared his aspiration, “It will be an exciting Michinoku Derby that will attract many people. We will strive to make it to the final and win the title.”

Players' Comments

GK #1 SCHMIDT Daniel (Vegalta Sendai)
I was able to make some decent saves today and I am glad we were able to get one step closer to our goals of making it to the final and to win the title. The results could have gone either way depending on my performance, but all the shots were within my reach and I was able to respond well against the mid-range shot taken in the first half of extra time, so I am satisfied with my overall performance. As a goalkeeper, I have never won in penalty shootouts, so I just went in with the intention to give my very best. I also focused on staying still until the opponents kicked the ball. Knowing that the spot takers are all exhausted, I thought I can apply extra pressure by staying calm and showcasing a dominating presence.

FW #18 OGAWA Koki (Jubilo Iwata)
I am glad I was able to score a goal, but I can’t be very happy with this result. In the scene where I scored the goal, it was not coincidence, but rather just as we planned, as I was anticipating for the ball. There were many shots that were struck very well, but we couldn’t find ways to beat Schmidt, so we still need to improve ourselves.

【1st Round】Sat. 26, Sun. 27 May
【2nd Round】Wed. 6 June
【3rd Round】Wed. 11 July
【Round of 16】Wed. 22 August (Reserve date Wed. 26 September)
【Quarterfinals】Wed. 24 October, Wed. 21 November
【Semi-final】Sun. 16 December
【Final】Mon. 24 December

Tournament Information