August 30th saw the quarterfinals of the 2023 Emperor’s Cup being played out, with seven J.League 1 teams and one J.League 2 team battling it out for four spots in the semifinals. The shock of the round was undoubtedly J2 strugglers Roasso Kumamoto dumping out J1 title chasers Vissel Kobe on penalties at the Egao Kenko Stadium.
Roasso, who had been flirting with relegation through their 2023 campaign, managed to put up a valiant fight against a star-studded Vissel side that included the likes of Hotaru Yamaguchi, Yoshinori Muto, and Yuya Osako.
Despite fielding a strong lineup, Vissel found themselves on the backfoot throughout much of the game at a rainy Egao Kenko, with Roasso – spurred on by their supporters – managing to keep up with their more established opponents, belittling their status as J2 relegation fighters in the process.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 60th minute with Roasso taking a shock lead through Rei Hirakawa. Stunned by Hirakawa’s goal, Vissel rallied forward and eventually drew level in the 87th minute, after Jean Patric had taken advantage of a rare error from Roasso goalkeeper Ryuga Tashiro to knock the ball into the back of an empty goal.
Tashiro then proceeded to redeem himself in extra-time as Vissel proceeded to bombard his defense, pulling off a series of saves that kept Roasso in the game, before making an almighty stop right at the end of extra-time to force the match into penalties.
In the ensuing shootout, only Tatsuki Higashiyama failed his attempt from the spot for Roasso, while both Muto and Leo Osaki squandered their chances for Vissel, ensuring that it would be Roasso who will be advancing into the semifinal at their expense.
One could draw parallels between this Roasso side and last year’s defending champions, Ventforet Kofu. Both were J2 sides struggling in the league but overperforming in the cup, with their respective campaigns being their best cup runs in their history. Prior to the 2023 season, the furthest Roasso had been in the Emperor’s Cup was the fourth round, which they reached back in 2012.
Roasso are joined in the semifinals by fellow Kyushu side Avispa Fukuoka, who beat Shonan Bellmare 3-1 in their quarterfinal match. Perennial giants Kawasaki Frontale are also through to the final four, although they had to work hard for their semifinal ticket after Albirex Niigata had forced them into a penalty shootout in their quarterfinal tie. Last but not least, completing the quartet was Kashiwa Reysol, who put aside their league struggles to confidently beat Nagoya Grampus 2-0 for their semifinal ticket.
The possibility of a Kyushu Derby in the Emperor’s Cup final remain open as both Avispa and Roasso were drawn apart from each other for their semifinal matches. The Horsemen will face Kashiwa for a spot in the Emperor’s Cup final, while Avispa will face the unenviable task of taking out Kawasaki in their own semifinal match. The two ties will be played on October 8th.