Vegalta Sendai — Tochigi City: 1:2, Emperor’s Cup

Tochigi City secured a 2-1 victory over Vegalta Sendai in the second round of the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday. The away side overturned a deficit to take all three points at the home ground. K. Miyazaki and T. Oshima had put the hosts ahead before K. Yamashita's penalty settled the contest.

K. Miyazaki opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute. His strike sent Vegalta Sendai into an early lead against the visitors. The goal came from sustained pressure as the home side looked to impose themselves from the start.

T. Oshima doubled the advantage just before half-time. He found the net in the forty-fifth minute plus two to extend the lead. Vegalta Sendai were two goals clear and appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable progression.

K. Yamashita converted a penalty in the seventieth minute to bring Tochigi City back into the match. The spot-kick gave the visitors hope and shifted the momentum. Vegalta Sendai had to dig deep to protect their two-goal cushion.

Tochigi City dominated possession with sixty percent of the ball. They registered nine shots on target compared to the hosts' three. The visitors also recorded more attacks with seventy-six against sixty-seven.

The result sees Tochigi City advance to the next round of the cup. Vegalta Sendai's cup dream ended after a convincing away performance. The hosts will need to regroup quickly with league fixtures ahead.