Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Iwaki FC
How the goals came
9' Shun Ayukawa opens the scoring for Sanfrecce Hiroshima (the winner) → 22' Akito Suzuki extends Sanfrecce Hiroshima's lead → 48' Akito Suzuki extends Sanfrecce Hiroshima's lead → 68' 小林 志紋 extends Sanfrecce Hiroshima's lead. Full time: 4-0, Sanfrecce Hiroshima win.
The match, goal by goal
2 of the 4 goals came after half-time.
9' Shun Ayukawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 1-0
The Emperor's Cup third-round tie kicked off at 18:30 on 7 October 2026, and the deadlock lasted only nine minutes. Shun Ayukawa struck to put Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 up against Iwaki FC. It was a lead Hiroshima would hold for the rest of the match.
22' Akito Suzuki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 2-0
Thirteen minutes after the opener, Hiroshima struck again. Akito Suzuki made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, doubling the advantage well before the interval. Iwaki FC would reach half-time still without a goal and two behind.
48' Akito Suzuki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 3-0
Three minutes into the second half, Akito Suzuki had his second of the night. Coming 26 minutes after his first, the 48th-minute goal moved the score to 3-0. The two-goal cushion taken into the break had become three almost as soon as play resumed.
68' 小林 志紋 (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) 4-0
The scoring was completed in the 68th minute, Sanfrecce Hiroshima making it 4-0 twenty minutes after their third. Three different players had shared the four goals. That was how the third-round tie finished.