The fourth round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 100th Japan Football Championship took place on Sunday 13 December.

Pick-up Match

Fukui United 2-1 (1-0, 0-1, Ex: 0-0, 1-0) ReinMeer Aomori

At Techno-Port Fukui Stadium, Fukui United (Fukui) and ReinMeer Aomori (Aomori) clashed. While Aomori plays in the JFL, Fukui missed their opportunity to get promoted to the JFL this season. With both sides making their first ever fourth round appearance, the match started with an early action, as Fukui took the lead with an own goal in the third minute. Effected by the heavy rain, Aomori continued to make mistakes on the pitch, conceding critical errors in the 15th and 17th minute, but Fukui failed to capitalise on the chances.

Despite their early struggles, Aomori gradually gathered their composure as the weather got better. In the 22nd minute, HAMADA Sachio struck a header that captured the target, but saved by Fukui’s GK. KIKUOKA Takuro also came close in the 33rd minute, when he fired a shot from a direct FK, but his attempt missed wide of the goal. With momentum on their side, Aomori finally capitalised their opportunity, as SHINDO Seiji scored the equaliser in the early minutes of the second half.

Tied at 1-1, Fukui changed their formation from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2, shifting their approach to a more counterattack based strategy. Aomori also utilised their substitutes to add layers to their offence, but the match remained tied at the 90th minute mark, sending the match into overtime.

Both sides exchanged big chances in overtime. At the beginning of the first half, Aomori’s WADA Hibiki struck a powerful shot following a CK, but his effort was blocked by the Fukui GK and bounced off the crossbar. Fukui’s opportunity came at the start of the second half, when they forced a turnover inside the Aomori territory. The ball was delivered to ISHIZUKA Koshi, who made a quick move to strike a shot that captured the right corner of the goal. This goal turned out to be the winning goal, sending Fukui into the fifth round.

Coaches and Players' Comments

TERAMINE Akira, Coach (Fukui United)
We are in a situation where the entire football community is surrounded by uncertainty, so this is a rare timing where the difference of league category may not have much effect in the match results. Our players showcased a great job in defence while taking advantage of our height and speed in offence. We especially focused on our CKs, so we were able to execute our game plan well. Despite facing a strong opponent, our players were enthusiastic about entering overtime, as they mentioned that it gives them more time to improve themselves. We had a few players who will not be with the club next season, but we all stuck together as professionals for this match. We are glad that we are given more time to showcase our abilities at this national stage.

ISHIZUKA Koshi (Fukui United)
I am delighted that I was able to score a goal in this match. We entered this match with a strong emphasis on counterattacks, so we were able to execute our game plan. I am fortunate to be able to score in back to back matches. Our starting players did most of the work, and I just took the icing of this match. With the match entering overtime, the match really opened up, so I was anticipating for my opportunity to penetrate the gap between the opposing midfield and defence line. Our goal is to play against a J.League side, so we will continue to work hard and make a deep run at this tournament.

MOCHIZUKI Tatsuya, Coach (ReinMeer Aomori)
To be honest, this is a very unfortunate result. Despite giving up the opening goal, our players fought hard until the end. We gradually found ways to possess the ball, but we could have played with more aggression. Although we created some close opportunities after equalising the match, we didn’t have enough quality to win the match. There are different paths, but if each of our players can step up a few more levels, the overall performance of our team can change dramatically. Today’s match really outlined our weakness. We hope to feed off of this loss and improve ourselves ahead of our next match.

SHINDO Seiji (ReinMeer Aomori)
With this being a knockout tournament, we knew this was going to be tough match. The fact that we conceded the opening goal in the early minutes was really regretful. It was a match we could have won, but we clearly lacked quality at the final third. Despite of the ongoing pandemic, we were given the opportunity to play football. We hope to give back to all the people who have supported us and bring energy to the people of Aomori. Although we lost today, we still have next year, so we will continue to work hard as the representative of Aomori.

Fixtures and results 

【1st Round】Wed. 16 September
【2nd Round】Wed. 23, Wed. 30 September
【3rd Round】Wed. 28 October, Wed. 11 November
【4th Round】Sat. 12, Sun. 13 December
【Round of 16】Sun. 20 December
【Quarterfinals】Wed. 23 December
【Semi-final】Sun. 27 December
【Final】Fri. 1 January 2021

Tournament Information