The round of 16 fixtures of the Emperor's Cup JFA 102nd Japan Football Championship took place on Wednesday 13 July.

At Kanseki Stadium Tochigi, Tochigi SC (J2) faced Kyoto Sanga FC (J1). Although Tochigi controlled the game in the early going, it was Kyoto who scored the opening goal. In the sixth minute, Kyoto took advantage of a mistake committed by the Tochigi defence, as TOYOKAWA Yuta responded to a loose ball inside the box and calmly slotted the ball into the far side to give the J1 side the lead.

Despite conceding the opener, Tochigi continued to press forward, as they created a close opportunity in the 24th minute, when MIYAZAKI Ko responded to an early cross delivered by FUKUMORI Kenta, but the striker couldn’t convert the one-on-one against the goalkeeper. The home side’s persistent efforts to keep their plays simple and attempts to create chances through counterattacks came to fruition in the 36th minute, when Miyazaki converted the cross of Fukumori with a towering header.

Both coaches made changes during halftime, but it was Tochigi who continued to control the game in the second half, creating number of chances to threaten the Kyoto goal. After both sides used up their substitutions, Kyoto shifted their formation in efforts to change the dynamics of the match, and the decisive moment arrived in the third minute of additional time. The play came following a Kyoto corner kick, when FUKUOKA Shimpei made a tenacious effort to collect the loose ball before delivering a cross into the mix, which was converted by ISMAILA, giving Kyoto the win in a dramatic fashion.

The final eight will be set when the winner of the postponed match between Tokyo Verdy (J2) and Jubilo Iwata (J1) is decided on Wednesday 20 July.

Coaches and Players' Comments

CHO Kwi-Jae, Coach (Kyoto Sanga FC)
Despite scoring the opener, we were overwhelmed by our opponent’s fighting spirit and conceded the equaliser, making it a very tough match. Considering how the players persevered to pull off this win, I think we have established a new way of winning matches. I have worked with Tochigi SC's coach TOKISAKI Yu at Shonan Bellmare, where we talked about player development every day. After facing his team, it was clear that he has built his team with great sincerity.

ISMAILA (Kyoto Sanga FC)
Coach Cho had given each of us plans during the meetings and specifically told me before entering the match, to get in the middle of the attacking third and score goals. I feel like I was able to do just that. I would like to score more goals, but if you don't score your first goal, there is no next time. So, I am very happy to score my first goal of the season.

TOKISAKI Yu, Coach (Tochigi SC)
I told the players that what they needed was results, not just a good showing or a competitive performance. This match reminded us once again, that the difference between a J1 team and a team that cannot accumulate points is the ability to score goals when the slightest opportunity presents itself. I myself was looking forward to this game and fought with the determination to take Tochigi SC to their first ever quarterfinals at the Emperor's Cup, but it felt like coach Cho taught me that we are not quite there yet. We will make the most of this experience and move onto our next match.

Isomura Ryota (Tochigi SC)
We conceded goals at the beginning and end of the match, which are when we need to be careful the most, and this match made us realise how immature we are. The fact that we couldn’t capitalise on our opportunities led the last goal we conceded. This year, we have had a lot of matches where we performed well but could not get the result, and I really feel that is something we need to overcome. We can't get to the top unless we become a team that can link performances to results. We will start working together again tomorrow to improve the team.

Emperor's Cup JFA 102nd Japan Football Championship

【1st Round】Sat. 21, Sun. 22 May [Backup date: Mon. 23 May]
【2nd Round】Wed. 1, Wed. 8 June
【3rd Round】Wed. 22 June [Backup date: Wed. 29 June]
【Round of 16】Wed. 13, Wed. 20 July]
【Quarterfinals】Wed. 7 September［Backup date: Wed. 28 September］
【Semi-Finals】Wed. 5 October
【Final】Sun. 16 October

Tournament Information