East Asia Japan

Sanfrecce to Face Underdogs Ventforet in Emperor’s Cup Final

The 2022 Emperor’s Cup semifinals were played out on Wednesday night, with J.League 1 outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima set to face Ventforet Kofu of the J.League 2 on October 16th’s final. Sanfrecce earned their ticket for the showpiece thanks to a 2-1 win away at J1 strugglers Kyoto Sanga, while Ventforet shockingly knocked out J1 giants Kashima Antlers to qualify for their first ever Emperor’s Cup final.

Michael Skibbe’s Sanfrecce, sitting nicely in 3rd place on the J1 standings, travelled to the Sanga Stadium by Kyocera to take on hosts Kyoto. Sanfrecce were looking to qualify to their first Emperor’s Cup final since 2013, while Kyoto are seeking for their first final since 2011.

A 40th minute penalty from Douglas Vieira seemingly set favorites Sanfrecce for the final, however Kyoto had other things in mind as the hosts equalized in the 79th minute through young Nigerian striker Origbaajo Ismaila. With the scores tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, extra time was played and it was during this additional half-an-hour of football that Sanfrecce managed to find their winner.

Just five minutes after the start of extra time, Swiss international and Skibbe’s trusted man Nassim Ben Khalifa managed to latch onto an Ezequiel pass before firing home from a tight angle past Kyoto’s New Zealand goalie Michael Would to seal the win and with it, Sanfrecce’s ticket to the final.

Meanwhile, at the Kashima Soccer Stadium, tenants Kashima, currently 5th in J1, welcome J2 strugglers Ventforet who are acting as the hosts for their semifinal clash. Coached by former Singapore head coach Tatsuma Yoshida, Ventforet are currently staving off the threats of relegation in their league, sitting 18th in the J2 table having lost all five of their most recent five league games.

Despite their awful form in the J2, Ventforet had racked up an impressive body count in this year’s Emperor’s Cup. The men from Yamanashi Prefecture have eliminated J1 sides Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Sagan Tosu, and Avispa Fukuoka on their way to the semifinals, and they’re eyeing a bigger scalp in the form of 5-time Emperor’s Cup winners Kashima.

Despite dominating proceedings, Kashima found themselves fortunate to not go a goal down in the 21st minute after former Oita Trinita striker Kazushi Mitsuhira had his strike being ruled out for offside, however the Antlers’ luck ran out in the 37th minute after Junma Miyazaki helped Ventforet to a shock lead.

Niki Urakami managed to launch a long ball deep into the Kashima defense, which was well-received by Miyazaki after he had snuck behind the opposition’s backline. Controlling the ball superbly, Miyazaki managed to beat an onrushing Kwon Sun-tae before rolling the ball into the net and leaving the Kashima Soccer Stadium utterly stunned.

Ventforet goalkeeper Kohei Kawata then pulled out a clutch performance in the second half, denying attempts from Everaldo and Kim Min-tae to preserve his side’s lead all the way into full-time.

The shock win meant that Ventforet will become the first side outside the J1 to contest the Emperor’s Cup final since Montedio Yamagata back in 2014, with the men from Yamanashi Prefecture already embarking on their best-ever cup run in the club’s history.

With the Emperor’s Cup title and a ticket to the AFC Champions League group stages for the 2023/24 season being put on the line, both Sanfrecce and Ventforet will battle it out at the Nissan Stadium in October 16th’s final.