Due to the need to accommodate the schedule of the World Cup final week, this year's Emperor's Cup of Japan has been started early and accelerated, and the final, which has always been held on New Year's Day, has been pushed forward to the coming Sunday! Sanfrecce Hiroshima of the JSL and Kofu Fukurin of the JB have made it to the finals for a do-or-die battle, so let's take a look back at their paths to the final and analyze the highlights of next Sunday's match.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima advances to the next level.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a veteran soccer club in the J-League, has been under the management of German manager Skippy this season, and their performance has been greatly improved. In addition to reaching the final of the Emperor Cup, Sanfrecce also reached the final of the League Cup, and has maintained its top position in the J-League this season, supervisor Skippy's first season has been a good one.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a Nippon Professional League (NPL) team, entered the fray in the second round of the knockout stage against Miyazaki Prefecture's representative, Honda Zokei, in the second round of the knockout stage. Although their opponents were not as strong, Sanfrecce didn't take them lightly. Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki and Makoto Manda were all in the lineup, and the team beat them 2-0 with goals from Sho Sasaki and Makoto Manda, two international players.
In the third round of the tournament, Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have to face FC Yokohama, the top team in the Japanese Second Division. Although FC Yokohama is one of the top teams in the J-League, their performance in the J-League last season was not good enough. As a result, Sanfrecce Hiroshima eliminated FC Yokohama 5-0 with the advantage of home field, which is a much more relaxing gesture than the elimination of Honda in the previous round.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have to visit Gunma Kusatsu Onsen in the second round of the competition. Although Gunma Kusatsu Onsen is a relegated team in the Japanese Second Division, they have the advantage of playing at home this time, which makes the match even with Sanfrecce. Although Sanfrecce had a full complement of players, they were only able to secure the win with a goal from veteran Shioya early in the second half to make it to the last eight.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have a tough match against Cerezo Osaka in the last 8 of the competition. Sakura Osaka's record this season is comparable to Sanfrecce's, and they have the advantage of home ground in the last eight, so it's no wonder Sanfrecce was underestimated before the match. Cerezo Osaka took the lead in the 40th minute of the match with a goal from Adante Gatte, and remained one goal ahead until the end of the match. Just when the fans thought Sanfrecce was going to go out, veteran Kashiwa Hiromu tied the game in the 86th minute, and then backup Takumu Kawamura scored the game-winner in stoppage time to give them a dramatic comeback win over Cerezo Osaka and a place in the quarterfinals.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will be facing their rivals in the semi-finals of the competition, Kyoto Budoki, and will also have to play on the road. Despite being the visitors, Sanfrecce didn't let up against a depleted Kyoto Budokoro team and took the lead with a first-half goal by Douglas Vella. The visitors continued to struggle for the rest of the match, and Ismaila equalized in the 79th minute to send the match into extra time. However, Sanfrecce Hiroshima's quality of play was always better, and it was reserve forward Binkalifa who scored the winning goal in the extra time to qualify for Sunday's final 2-1.
Kofu Fung Lam's road to promotion is full of surprises
Compared to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Kofu Fukubayashi, who have a mediocre record in the Japanese second division this season, are naturally not the most popular, but a look at their path to the finals will show that they deserve to be in the final.
Also joining the fray in the second round, Kofu Fuhrin faced a challenge from Okayama Prefecture's Pacific Rim University, but with a big gap in strength, Kofu Fuhrin easily beat their opponent 5-1.
In the third round, Kofu Fung Lam will have to challenge Gonzaga Sapporo in Hokkaido, which is not easy to play. Although Gonzaga Sapporo have had a poor season, they are still better than Kofu Fung Lam in terms of strength, and they took the lead in the first 11 minutes of the match due to a goal scored by Eisen Yamamoto. However, with the advantage of home ground, Kofu won the match with two goals from striker Kazushi Mihei in the first half to take a 2-1 lead at halftime. In the second half, Hokkaido's Gonzaga Sapporo pressed Kofu for an equalizer and scored a 12-yard goal in the 73rd minute, but Takuro Kaneko's shot was too much for the visitors.
an upset (esp. in sports)
Eliminate your opponent.
penetrate
semifinals
After that, Kofu Fung Lam will have to challenge Tosu Sandstone at home. Although Tosu Sandstone has a good record in the J-League, Kofu Fung Lam will not be underestimated after the miracle they performed in the previous round. Kofu continues to surprise with two goals in the first half from Brazilian striker Bono Pereira in the 33rd and 37th minutes, giving Kofu a 2-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Tosu Sands made it 1-2 with a goal by Miyashiro Daisho, but Matsumoto凪生 scored in the second half to make it 3-1, and as a result, Kofu Fung Lam eliminated their rivals from the Nippon Professional League to reach the quarterfinals once again.
Kofu Fung Lam went on to challenge Fukuoka Hornets for a place in the last eight of the World Cup, and they had to visit Fukuoka Hornets, so it wasn't a good situation to be in, but Kofu Fung Lam showed no fear right from the start, and they opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a goal from Kazushi Mihei, but Fukuoka Hornets, who had the advantage of the home field, tied the game in the 27th minute with a goal by Koya Moriyama, and the two teams finished the first half with a score of 1-1. Despite the quick scoring in the first half, both teams played cautiously in the second half and did not have too many attacks, resulting in the game going into extra time. In the extra time, Kofu won the match, as Yoshiki Torikai broke through the offside trap and scored in the 97th minute, helping Kofu to make it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Kofu Fung Lam has a bigger challenge in the semi-finals, as they will be playing against Kashima Antlers, a traditional rival of the J-League, as well as being the visitors, so it's no wonder that they're not being looked upon favorably. Although Kashima Antlers is a strong team, but this season's results are disappointing, the Emperor Cup can be said to be their last chance to redeem themselves this season, so even against Kofu Fung Lam will not dare to take it easy, Kwon Chun-tae, Mikan Kendo, Anzai Yukihide, Toju Seijin, Suzuki Yuma and other main players were sent to the game. Kashima Antlers kept up the pressure in the early stages of the match, with shots from Yuma Suzuki and Arthur Kaki coming to nothing, and in the 37th minute, Kofu Fung Lam's Junjin Miyazaki took a long pass into the penalty area and scored past Kwon to make it a 0-1 game at half-time. In the second half, the game became a battle of defense and attack, with Kashima Antlers striving for an equalizer. Unfortunately, Yuma Suzuki and backup center forward Eduardo Santan were unable to get past Kofu Fung Lam goalkeeper Kawada Kohei, and Kofu Fung Lam became the giant killers once again, eliminating Kashima Antlers from the final of the Emperor's Cup.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Fenglin Kofu made it to the final of the Emperor's Cup, and it's not easy to see that they are both in the same league, so if the two teams weigh each other's strengths, which team will be higher?
Average quality of the three lines of the three arrows of Hiroshima
Sanfrecce Hiroshima is temporarily in the top three of the J-League this season, so their strength is certainly up and down, and they have quality players in the front, center and back line, which can be said to be the foundation of this season's success. The back line of Sho Sasaki, Hayato Araki, Keisuke Osako, and Shiotani have been working together for many years and are international players, so their performances are stable; the midfielders Taketo Nogata and Morishima Si are well established and courageous, supported by rising stars Tomoya Fujii and Takumo Kawamura, and veteran Kashiwa Hiromu plays the role of the god of the sea; and the front line of Duglas Vera and Binkalifa have proven to be good, together with the up-and-coming Mitsunaga Makoto, they have both strength and vitality. In terms of player quality, Hiroshima 3 are the best of the best. In terms of player quality, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is more than a step ahead of Kofu Fukubayashi, which is in the middle and lower reaches of the JB.
Kofu Fung Lam wins with efficiency
Kofu have not done well in the second division this season, but they have managed to reach this stage of the Emperor's Cup, so there is something to be said for their ability. Kofu have been giant-killers many times on their way to the Champions League, and a focused backline is one of the secrets to their success. The backline of Hitoshi Urakami, Masada Sekiguchi and goalkeeper Kohei Kawada has been indestructible in the Emperor's Cup, and they played a masterful game against Kashima Antlers last time out, so it will take a lot of effort to score against them.
In addition, the efficiency of the offense is also one of Kofu Fung Lam's key points. The Kofu team is facing a lot of strong players on the way to advancement, Kofu will inevitably rely on the steady assault tactics, Kofu team a pair of backbone and midfielders such as Araki Sho, Hasegawa Motoki, etc., as soon as they intercepted the wave, they will instantly start a long counterattack, the front line of the Mihei Kazuuji and Miyazaki Junkin will rely on their own speed to break through the offside trap for a goal scoring opportunity, which is a routine that has already succeeded many times on the way to advancement for them, the three arrows of Hiroshima can't be guarded against.
In terms of cards, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is more than a step ahead of Kofu Fung Lam, but the morale of Kofu Fung Lam is definitely not to be underestimated. Midfielder Genki Hasegawa said that Sanfrecce has a lot of international players in its squad, and he himself would like to challenge the opponents; supervise Tatsuya Yoshida's once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reach the final of the Emperor's Cup, and he believes that the whole team will make good use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two teams have never won the Emperor Cup, and this matchup will definitely be a thigh-slapper, so if you want to know who the winner will be, you should pay attention to the relevant live broadcasts and reports!
This week's Mikado Cup live streaming schedule:
October 16, 1:00 PM Kofu Kazehashi vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima NOW 711
This week's Sunday B live streaming schedule:
October 15, 1:00 p.m. Tokyo Green vs. Niigata Swan Cable TV 601/661
October 16, 5:00 PM FC Yokohama vs. Kanazawa Savigan Cable 601/661
