The first round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 98th Japan Football Championship took place nationwide on Saturday 26 May.

Two teams from the Tohoku region squared off in Fukushima, where IWAKI FC (Fukushima) and SONY SENDAI FC (Miyagi) showcased an epic battle at Iwaki Green Field.

With their starting line-up averaging an age of 21.8, and with the supporting crowd on their back, it was Iwaki FC who took the initiative. In the ninth minute, ONOSE Keisuke reacted to the ball delivered by IGARASHI Riku before striking a shot with his right foot to give the home side an early lead.

The Fukushima side kept on attacking but Sony Sendai displayed a discipline defence while anticipating to strike back. Their opportunity came on the 20th minute, when OGIHARA Kenta delivered a shot from a direct freekick, but his effort was denied by the opposing goalkeeper SAKATA Daiki, but Sendai would gradually increase its ball possession in the attacking third.

The match was leveled on the 28th minute, when Sendai’s TANDAI Souya chased down KOIZUMI Keiji’s pass before delivering a cross towards the centre. FUJIWARA Motoki connected with this cross with a header to notch in the equaliser. With the goal, Sendai gained momentum and threatened the Iwaki goal, as Fujiwara and Tandai both attempted a shot in the 32nd and 35th minute respectively but came short from taking the lead. The match entered halftime with a score of 1-1.

The score line remained the same until the 60th minute, when Sendai’s TANAKA Ryushiro intercepted the ball before sending a pass to Fujiwara who snuck the ball through the goalkeeper to give his side the go-ahead goal.

Despite taking an early lead, the home side, Iwaki FC found themselves trailing by a goal. With the home crowd cheering even lauder, the Fukushima side applied full pressure to level the match. Sendai also sought for opportunities by forcing turnovers from their attacking third. With the clock winding down, players clashed throughout the pitch, showcasing their strong will to win the match.

Iwaki started to utilise long balls after the 70th minute mark to pry open the opposing defence, but Sendai kept playing physical defence, giving no free shots for the home side. As Sendai’s defender Tanaka later reflected “we were committed to cover our teammates while challenging for the ball,” they kept their concentration high until the very last minute. The match ended with a final score of 2-1, as Sony Sendai FC advanced to the second round with win over Iwaki FC.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

TAMURA Yuzo, Coach (IWAKI FC)
With this match being held at our home town Iwaki, we are very thankful for everybody who came out to support us. It is regretful that we forced too many long balls in the last 10 to 15 minutes of the match. Our club has been running for three years now. It is on us to make something out of this loss in the future. We will feed off of this match and work hard in our daily trainings. I told my players that the small details can accumulate and create a major gap. We must close down that gap in order for us to play in a top flight competition.

HONDA Shinji, Coach (SONY SENDAI FC)
It is a big accomplishment for us to get the result we wanted in a match where we really sought for a victory. Based on our scouting, I told my players to focus on the first 20 to 30 minutes of the match. We intended to play physical against our opponents’ approach. The fact we conceded early was something we weren’t expecting. However, we knew our opponents will lose their momentum and we will gain more possession later on. The way we capitalised on our opportunity today will give us great confidence to our players.

DF #20 TANAKA Ryushiro (SONY SENDAI FC)
I was there to cover the opponent when we conceded the goal and looking back I should have been able to stop him from taking a shot. We continued to play well despite giving up the lead, and we managed to score the equaliser in a timely fashion in the first half, which led to our go-ahead goal in the second half. The equaliser really gave us hope and reminded us that we must be more cautious not to give up the opening goal early in the match. We will learn off this match and improve ourselves ahead of the match against Kawasaki Frontale. I want to be a defender who can leave a strong impression.

FW #17 FUJIWARA Motoki (SONY SENDAI FC)
We conceded early and got into a bad rhythm, but we managed to score back early and rebuild the match. Tandai delivered a great pass and all I have to do was to get a touch on the ball. We regained our composure after scoring that goal and our defence did well not to concede another goal. In the second half, our offensive end kept pressing hard to keep the pressure onto the opposing defenders. We won the match as a team by outrunning our opponents. We will do our best against Kawasaki Frontale and try to force an upset.

【1st Round】Sat. 26, Sun. 27 May
【2nd Round】Wed. 6 June
【3rd Round】Wed. 11 July
【Round of 16】Wed. 22 August
【Quarterfinal】Wed. 24 October
【Semi-final】Sun. 16 December
【Final】Mon. 24 December

Tournament Info