| 2019年天皇杯決勝 (in Japanese) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The match took place atJapan National Stadium | |||||||
| Event | 2019 Emperor's Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 1 January 2020 | ||||||
| Venue | Japan National Stadium,Tokyo | ||||||
| Referee | Ryuji Sato | ||||||
| Attendance | 57,597 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 10 °C (50 °F) | ||||||
←2018 2020 → | |||||||
The2019 Emperor's Cup Final was anassociation football match betweenVissel Kobe andKashima Antlers on 1 January 2020 atJapan National Stadium inTokyo. It was the inaugural sporting event in the stadium, newly opened for the2020 Olympic Games.[1] It was the 99th edition Emperor's Cup, organised by theJapan Football Association (JFA). Vissel Kobe were playing in their first ever Emperor's Cup final. Kashima Antlers were playing their first Emperor's Cup final since they lifted the trophy in2016, when they won 2–1 againstKawasaki Frontale after extra time.[2]
Ryuji Sato was thereferee for the match, which was played in front of 57,597 spectators. Vissel Kobe dominated the first-half of play and broke the deadlock after 18 minutes following an own-goal byTomoya Inukai, then doubled their lead 20 minutes later after the ball ricocheted off strikerNoriaki Fujimoto into the net. The match ended 2–0 to Vissel Kobe, who won their first ever trophy in their first final appearance in the competition.[3]
As winners, Vissel Kobe automatically qualified for the group stage of the2020 AFC Champions League.
| Team | League | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
| Vissel Kobe | J1 League | 0 |
| Kashima Antlers | J1 League | 7 (1993,1997,2000,2002,2007,2010,2016) |
The tournament consisted of 88 teams in a knockout format. The first round contained 48 teams made up of 47prefectural cup winners and one amateur team (winners of the 67th All Japan University Soccer Championship,Hosei University). The second round then introduced the 18J1 League clubs and the 22J2 League clubs. At this round, both of the finalists entered the tournament.[4]
| Vissel Kobe | Round | Kashima Antlers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | 2019 Emperor's Cup | Opponent | Result |
| Bye | First round | Bye | ||
| Giravanz Kitakyushu(J3) | 4–0 | Second round | Hokuriku University | 3–1 |
| Omiya Ardija(J2) | 4–0 | Third round | Tochigi SC(J2) | 4–0 |
| Kawasaki Frontale(J1) | 3–2 | Fourth round | Yokohama F. Marinos(J1) | 4–1 |
| Oita Trinita(J1) | 1–0 | Quarterfinals | Honda FC(JFL) | 1–0 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse(J1) | 3–1 | Semifinals | V-Varen Nagasaki(J2) | 3–2 |
The final was hosted in the newly rebuiltJapan National Stadium – the first time the final had been hosted in the national stadium since2013. The game served as the inaugural sporting event at the venue.
Vissel Kobe had never reached further than the semi-final stage of any knockout tournament in their history. Kashima Antlers had previously won the competition 5 times, the most recent coming in2016. In their meetings in the2019 J1 League, Kashima Antlers won their first meeting away at Vissel Kobe, with Vissel then later winning the reverse fixture.[5]Vissel Kobe had a more convincing run to the final, defeating threeJ1 League teams en route. Kashima Antlers only met one J1 team but on their way unconvincingly beatJFL teamHonda FC 1–0 in the quarter-finals.
Vissel Kobe started the game brightly withAndrés Iniesta central to their good play. One of their early chances came down the right, withKyogo Furuhashi breaking down the right-side and providing a pull-back cross forNoriaki Fujimoto who blazed his shot over the bar. Kobe kept the pressure on and following a surge into the box byGotoku Sakai,Lukas Podolski managed to retain possession and fire a tightly angled attempt at goalkeeperKwoun Sun-tae, who could only parry it into his teammateTomoya Inukai with the ball rebounding into the net.[6] Kashima were limited in their chances – coming closest with a volley from strikerSerginho after Kobe failed to clear following a free kick. Kobe continued their strong play and after Podolski had a goal disallowed for an offside in the build-up, it wasn't long before Kobe's second goal was scored. Former Antlers playerDaigo Nishi was offered too much space on the right-side and provided a cross which was bundled into the goal by Fujimoto, following a mistake from Kashima defender Inukai.
In response to the humbling first-half, Kashima managerOiwa made a half-time substitution, bringing attacking midfielderShoma Doi on in place ofRyohei Shirasaki. Kashima played more offensively and managed to create a number of half-chances, but a combination of poor finishing and strong defending fromReo Osaki kept Kashima out. Kashima then changed their formation to play three at the back and match Vissel Kobe's 3-4-3, which made the game a tighter contest and allowed them much more possession and wing-play. However Kashima struggled to break down Kobe and create any meaningful chances, with Kobe's pacey Furuhashi and Fujimoto threatening on the counter. Kobe had a chance to finish the game off late on, but strikerJunya Tanaka was only able to strike a weak shot from 6 yards out at goalkeeper Kwoun, after a fine break down the left by Podolski. As the game drew to a close, it was a chance for the fans of Vissel Kobe to say goodbye to legendary playerDavid Villa, who made a cameo appearance in added time – his last professional appearance before retirement.[7]
| Vissel Kobe | 2–0 | Kashima Antlers |
|---|---|---|
Inukai 18' (o.g.)Fujimoto 38' | Report |
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Assistant referees: | Match rules
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By winning the match, Vissel Kobe won the first trophy in their history, vindicating the large amount of investment put into the club by chairman Hiroshi Mikitoni.[8]Thorsten Fink, the winning manager, said "I'm really proud to have won my first title. There are many supporters who support me as well as the club, and I think it's very good for the city of Kobe". His opposite number,Go Oiwa said "It's a very disappointing result, but I've told the players that I am very grateful to them for having fought to the end". This was to be Oiwa's last match in charge of Kashima before stepping down as manager.
The monetary reward to Vissel Kobe for winning the trophy was 150,000,000円, with runners-up Kashima Antlers awarded 50,000,000円.[9]
Vissel Kobe also automatically qualified for the group stage of the2020 AFC Champions League following their victory.
