After 120 minutes of intense action, the match remained tied at 1-1 and entered in a penalty shoot-out. Kofu's fifth kicker was 42-year-old veteran YAMAMOTO Hideomi. The number four, who has been with the club for two decades and has become a symbol of the club, kicked the ball into the top left corner of the goal. Yamamoto expressed his joy with his arms outstretched in front of the cheering crowd at the stadium. This was the moment when a J2 club won five consecutive matches against J1 sides to become national champions.

The whole match was like fairy tale. Kofu, the clear underdogs of the match, took the lead in the 26th minute through a well-executed corner kick. However, Sanfrecce Hiroshima scored the equaliser in the 84th minute to send the match into extra time. Yamamoto was introduced to the pitch in the 112th minute. Soon afterwards, the veteran defender who has been a part of the club’s history, including Kofu’s promotion to the J1 and relegation to the J2, committed a hand ball inside the box to give Hiroshima a penalty kick, as he later reflected, “It felt like the end of the world.”

With Hiroshima’s MITSUTA Makoto stepping up to the spot, KAWATA Kohei came to the rescue, making a spectacular save to deny the spot kick, as the Kofu goalkeeper later commented, “He has always supported Kofu, so I wanted him to win the title.”

Kawata made another save after the match entered a penalty shootout, setting up the stage for Yamamoto, who calmly converted the spot kick as Kofu’s fifth and final spot taker, as he commented, “I am grateful to all my teammates for taking me to this stage. I almost ruined everything, but I am glad Kawata was there to bail me out.”

In their sixth appearance in the Emperor's Cup final, Hiroshima once again failed to claim the title. Team captain SASAKI Sho, who used to play for Kofu, shared his disappointment after the match, “We came here to win, so it's just really frustrating. I can't find any words to describe it.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

YOSHIDA Tatsuma, Coach (Ventforet Kofu)
First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone involved with Ventforet Kofu, those who have overcame so many crises and hardships with the club. We made it this far because of you all. Hiroshima were a massive and formidable opponent that we had no idea whether or not we could beat, but the players did exactly what we had worked all year to earn this victory.

GK #1 KAWATA Kohei (Ventforet Kofu)
When facing the penalty kick in extra time, I waited to the last second and made my decision according to the kicker’s play style. When Yamamoto committed the hand ball, I thought he had really cost us the title, but there's no doubt he's a player who has supported this club for a long time, and he's 42 years old now, so I really wanted to let him win the title.

Michael SKIBBE, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
First of all, I would like to congratulate Kofu for their victory. I have the impression that Kofu were able to execute the football they wanted. We were able to find our rhythm to create chances in the second half, and I feel like we had control over the match in extra time as well. However, as far as how the shootout went, I think all the luck rolled in Kofu's favour when it came down to win or lose.

MF #7 NOTSUDA Gakuto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
I still can't believe it. We came to this match fully expecting to win the title, so I am still trying to understand what just happened. When Kofu took the initiative of the match in the first half, our defence line dropped a bit, and we ended up conceding from a set piece, which made the match very difficult for us. From then on, Kofu laid a block in the centre, so it was very difficult to break them down, even though we had possession of the ball.

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