December 22, 2002
VerRRRy InteRRResting!
If events continue like this for two more weeks, the 2002 Emperor's Cup just might go down in history as the most remarkable ever. On Sunday afternoon, every match but one was competitive, and several of them threw up plots and subplots that will be the topic of extended discourse in the sports bars of the nation over the next few days. Although only one J2 club managed to survive the weekend, there were close calls aplenty, as three traditional powers in the J.League left it until extra time to dispatch with their J2 opponents!
2-0 
The subtitle to this match card read "J1 champions face off against J2 champions, as Bundesliga bigwigs watch from the stands". Jubilo Iwata escaped with a relatively convincing result, though they cerrtainly were not given a moment to relax by their fired-up opponents. Oita Trinita, who will be facing Jubilo and all of the other J1 teams next season, made it clear that they are not an opponent to be dismissed easily, as they took the initiative from the opening second of this match and did not truly relinquish it until the 75 minute when Ryoichi Maeda, who had just come on as a substitute for Naohiro Takahara, fired home to give Jubilo a two-goal margin.
Jubilo played a better match strategically, and kept their composure amid some furious pressure from Oita, but the 2002 J2 champions had numerous scoring opportunities over the first 20 minutes. Jubilo's first goal, on the other hand, was more of a fluke play. After winning a free kick on the right sideline, Norihiro Nishi lobbed a ball into the box and keeper Hayato Okanaka punched it high into the air, then advanced off his line to scoop up the rebound. But the tall Oita keeper inexplicably fumbled the ball over the back of one of his own defenders, and it dropped rigth at the feet of Masashi Nakayama for a Christmas present of a shot and goal.
Okanaka redeemed himself somewhat in the dying moments of the first half, with a nice double-save, parrying a point-blank shot by Toshiya Fujita and then knocking the follow-up shot by Nakayama around the post, in what was Jubilo's only other serious scoring chance of the half.
Oita came out in the second stanza with much the same philosophy, doing their energetic best to ram the ball through Jubilo's defence. But Jubilo played like a veteran prize-fighter, knowing that they merely had to keep the opponent at bay until they tired, and then the chance for knockout punch would present itself. Sure enough, in one of the first real goal chances of the second half, Maeda doubled Jubilo's advantage and the match was effectively over. To their credit, Oita continued to push forward optimistically, even two goals down. Though Jubilo established themselves as one of the leading contenders for the Cup, Oita's performance will serve notice that they are a team to watch in 2003.
1 - 2 
JEF United's ace striker Choi Yong-Soo struck twice in the space of five minutes, in a wild first half that also featured a goal by Vegalta's Nobuyuki Zaizen and close to a dozen near-misses. . . . only for the fire of competition to flicker out into a comparatively dull exchange of long-ball dashes in the second half. Choi, who finished second in the J.League scoring tables to Jubilo's Takahara this season, has recently inked a contract that will see him return to JEF next season. Although their were rumours that he might join compatriot Park Ji-Sung in Europe next year, it looks as if JEF United's tall Korean finisher will be back for another year at Ichihara Seaside, which gives JEF fans at least SOMETHING to be happy about.
1-0 (ET) 
Kashima Antlers had a reunion, of sorts, as former Antlers Hisashi Kurosaki and Kenji Iwase took the field to face their old teammates in the uniform of Omiya Ardija. Kurosaki, who was the Antlers' ace striker in the first few years of leage play, is nearing the twighlight of his career, but he still can be a bothersome force up front. Indeed, the rabid squirrels frustrated the Antlers all day long, though the most troublesome member of their team was not Kurosaki, but 19-year-old keeper Eiji Kawashima, who is quickly proving himself as Japan's best U-21 keeper.
Considering the match in retrospect, the Antlers were never really in trouble. They held the initiative from the opening tap until the final goal, and Omiya never even managed a tryly dangerous shot (keeper Hitoshi Sogahata finished the match with two saves, and both of those were easy balls fired from long distance). Yet while the competition was still in full fray, they certainly did not look comfortable for even a moment. Try as they might, they simply could not hreak down the Ardija defence, which constantly swarmed to the ball like a horde of starving squirrels at a chestnut roast. Even when they did get off good shots, Kawashima was brilliant in net, turning away one opportunity after another.
But as the second half wore on and Kashima brought on fresh reserves, you could see Ardija beginning to wither. For all their hard work over the course of the match, they couldnt get the one lucky counterattack that would make all that effort worth while. And from the opening tap of overtime, it was pretty clear that it was simply a matter of time. Between the second and third minutes of extra time, Kashima got off no less than five shots on goal, including two that required fine saves from Kawashima. In the fourth minute, Ardija's luck finally ran out, as reserve wing back Tatsuya Ishikawa outdistanced the exhausted defence on an overlat down the left wing, and crossed in to Euller. The ball was slightly behind the speedy Brazilian, but he managed to pull the ball around with a back-heel and direct it towards goal. Kawashima had already reacted to the cross, and the ball rolled casually into the back of the net for the winning goal.
1 - 0 
In the biggest upset of the day, Kawasaki Frontale, a mediocre, mid-table J2 club, knocked off Gamba Osaka on a lone goal from Yasutaka Kobayashi in the 83 minute. This match was similar in many ways to the Ardija-Antlers match, in that Kawasaki Frontale kept a more talented team at bay with energetig, swarming defence and a refusal to give up on any ball, no matter how hopeless it might seem. Thus, although Gamba had the better of play for most of the match, they were unable to produce more than a handful of truly dangerous chances.
Unlike Ardija, though, Kawasaki have experience at the top-level, and have historically been a difficult opponent in cup matches. In 2000, they went as far as the final of the Nabisco Cup before falling to the Antlers, and several of the players from that team still form the core of the Frontale of today. Also unlike Ardija, Kawasaki got the one lucky break that is needed when a weaker team looks to counterattack against a better opponent. In the dying moments of the match, as Gamba pressed too far forward on offence, Kawasaki got a counter which sent Kobayashi into the clear for the winning goal, sending Frontale to the quarterfinal round.
5 - 2 
In the one runaway match of the afternoon, a depleted Cerezo Osaka playing without the injured Yoshito Okubo and the recently-released Yoon Jung-Hwan were spanked soundly by Nagoya Grampus. Nagoya took a two-goal lead in the first half, on goals by Ueslei and Tetsuya Okayama. In the second half, rookie Ryuta Hara had a chance to shine, scoring twice, sandwiching another goal from Ueslei, to give Nagoya a cofmortable win.
0-1 (ET) 
Kyoto Purple Sanga needed extra time to dispatch with J2 club Avispa Fukuoka. The winning goal came from an unlikely source -- Yutaka Tahara, a reserve striker who was signed on loan from Yokohama Flugels this season but has made virtually no contribution in the regular season. Just as discussions have begun about extending his rental, Tahara came through with the key goal four minutes into golden goal extra time. Perhaps he wants to stay in Kyoto for another season?
3 - 2 (ET)
As they had done the previous week against FC Tokyo, Shonan Bellmare team came out with a great deal of energy and kept their opponent on the defensive for much of the first half. Twice Bellmare took the lead and twice Shimizu was forced to play catchup. But in the latter stages of the match, Korean hero Ahn Jung-Hwan emerged as the go-to player, getting the 78-minute tally which sent the match into overtime, as well as the golden goal 14 minutes into extra time, to carry S-Pulse into the quarterfinals.
2 - 1
Although they are still officially a J1 club, Sanfrecce are another unfancied team that sprang an upset on a favoured club this weekend, as they overcake Yokohama Marinos with two first-half goals. Sanfrecce, who were demoted to J2 at the end of the 2002 season, are currently looking to unload star players Tatsuhiko Kubo and Chikara Fujimoto. The Marinos are one of the teams bidding for Kubo, and they certainly got a chance to see him in action this week. However it was not Kubo, but youngster Koji Morisaki who was the man of the match, getting a goal in the 28 minute and adding an assist just before half time when he set up striker Susumu Oki
Below is a summary of the tournament table, and the results of matches played thus far.
Rumours and Rumblings
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