On Sunday 27 May, the first round of Emperor's Cup JFA 98th Japan Football Championship was held at various locations around the nation. J3 side Grulla Morioka (Iwate Prefecture) squared off against Ryutsu Keizai University (Seeded amateur team) at IWAGIN Stadium in Morioka City, Iwate.

The match saw an early goal as Ryutsu Keizai University earned a freekick deep in their opponent’s territory on the second minute. Kicker KOIKE Yuta delivered a cross towards the goal, allowing APPIAH TAWIAH Hisashi to connect with a towering header to score the opening goal. Coach NAKANO Yuji praised the scene, “we have been working on our headers in training sessions every day, and we got good results from it.”

Despite gaining the early lead, Ryutsu Keizai University struggled to create further opportunities, as they lacked quality in their final third. Grulla Morioka on the other hand sought for their opportunities from counter attacks.

The Morioka side remained calm despite conceding early in the match, as they kept their focus not to concede further goals while anticipating to attack the flanks. In the 45th minute, their persistence gets paid off as SHIRAISHI Tomoyuki and EGASHIRA Kazuki penetrated the right side before YOMESAKA Shota scored the equaliser, sending the match into halftime with the scores tied at 1-1.

After finishing the first half on a high note, Morioka came out attacking swiftly in the second half. Utilising the width of the pitch, in the 52nd minute, TAKAYANAGI Kohei attempted a shot off a cross delivered by Shiraishi.

However, it was Ryutsu Keizai University who scored the next goal, converting their few chances in the second half. In the 74th minute, the ball was passed from ARAGAKI Takayuki to ONODERA Yuki, then to TAKAZAWA Yuya. The loose ball found SHIBUYA Shunjiro who then struck a left footed shot that pierced the near side to give the Ryutsu Keizai the go-ahead goal.

After retaking the lead, Ryutsu Keizai University made good use of their high pressing and low pressing approaches, effectively utilising the contrast to control the match. Although their defender Appiah was forced to leave the match due to injury, players kept talking to each other to keep their defensive coordination intact. ONOHARA Kazuya who played as a defensive midfielder in this match dropped down to take control of the defensive line after the 80th minute.

Trailing by a goal, the home side’s SUZUKI Tatsuya delivered a volley shot following a loose ball generated from MIYAICHI Tsuyoshi’s long ball, but his attempt was off the target. Ryutsu Keizai University secured their spot into the next round with the one goal lead.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

KIKUCHI Toshimi, Coach (GRULLA MORIOKA)
It was a disappointing result. As a J3 club, we wanted to display our superiority against the high-level opponents, but that didn’t materialise. We are in a four-game losing streak in our league, and we wanted to stop that bad rhythm by winning this match. However, we conceded early off an inconsiderate play. The team did show potential after giving up the lead, though. We have given up multiple goals in the past matches where we conceded early, so the fact we managed to level the match in the first half is something we can take back as a positive.

MF ＃26 YAMADA Riku (GRULLA MORIOKA)
We have been giving up goals from set plays in our recent matches, and we told each other not to make the same mistakes, but we gave up a goal in the first play. We managed to equalise during the first half but gave up the lead later on. I am not sure why we have been slumping and it is very frustrating. We are facing the difficulties of football, both in offence and defence. However, I believe that if we can overcome this rough stint, we will gain a new perspective. As an individual, I will continue to strive to earn a spot in the starting lineup and improve myself. We will switch our mindset and move forward.

NAKANO Yuji, Coach (Ryutsu Keizai University)
Although we won the match, we couldn’t display our style of football, where we apply high pressure in defence to force turnovers and create counter attacks. In offence, we have been working on how to effectively switch sides, but we couldn’t showcase that neither. The only positive out of this match is the fact we won the match. Our performance was poor, but we managed to win against a J3 team, and we are now seeking to beat a J2 team in the next round.

FW #7 SHIBUYA Shunjiro (Ryutsu Keizai University)
In the first half, we couldn’t showcase what we have been working on in a daily basis. During halftime, our coach told us that we can’t win if we don’t demonstrate what we have been working on, which made us reemphasis our daily routine. There was tough stint towards the end, but we managed to win the match. We are all amateurs but we dream of playing in the J.League. Today we faced a team from J3, which gives us an indicator on what it takes to become a pro. I am glad we went for the win and got the result we wanted.

【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