Kashiwa Reysol puts up a great effort in the Emperor’s Cup final. The biggest contributors are Kashiwa’s young top two, Hosoya and Yamada | Soccer Futsal Column | J SPORTS Column & News

At the 103rd Emperor’s Cup All-Japan Soccer Championship, Kawasaki Frontale defeated Kashiwa Reysol in a penalty shootout to win their second championship in three years.

The penalty shootout became a tangle, and in the end, Kawasaki’s goalkeeper Chung Sung-ryong, who became the 10th kicker, scored a wonderful kick, and immediately stopped Kashiwa’s goalkeeper Kenta Matsumoto’s kick in a dramatic fashion. He became a hero (Kashiwa’s Taiyo Koga was injured and was unable to kick, so it became a penalty shootout with 10 players each).

Emperor’s Cup Final Kawasaki Frontale vs Kashiwa Reysol

It can be said that Kashiwa, which was embroiled in a battle for survival until the very end and finished 17th in the J1 League, did a great job.

However, Ventforet Kofu, which ranked 18th in the J2 League, won last year, so Kashiwa’s advance to the finals is not unusual in cup competitions. However, Kashiwa overwhelmed Kawasaki in terms of match content. They pushed Kawasaki, which has won many titles over the past few years, to one step closer.

According to official records, Kashiwa had 19 shots while Kawasaki had just 7, less than half that. In particular, Kashiwa had an overwhelming number of shots in the first 45 minutes, 11 to 1.

Immediately after kickoff, Kashiwa used long balls to enter Kawasaki’s camp. In the 2nd minute, Masahiro Hosoya, one of the top two players, ran in on the ball that was put in vertically from the final line and grabbed the first chance (Hosoya’s cross was blocked and they earned a CK).

Furthermore, in the 7th minute, another forward, Kota Yamada, ran into a deep ball on the right side, threatening the Kawasaki goal (Kawasaki’s defender Kazuya Yamamura ran into the touch).

Kashiwa launched a fierce attack and won many CKs. In the 15th minute, Keiya Shiihashi successfully headed in a left CK taken by Matheus Savio, but the shot went slightly to the right.

Speaking of Kawasaki, “passing soccer” is synonymous with it.

They never rush to attack, instead passing the ball thoroughly to create space in the opponent’s half and attacking all at once. However, if they can’t find a way to attack, they immediately lower the ball and attack again, carefully repeating the process over and over again… That is Kawasaki’s soccer.