Match Review
In the busy schedule of league matches, the 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup was played at Fukuda Denshi Arena against JEF United Chiba, which belongs to the J2 League.
The starting members were all changed except for center-back Teppei OKA from the league match against Kashiwa Reysol. Go HATANO defended the goal, Hotaka NAKAMURA was the right side back, Yuto NAGATOMO was the left side back, and Masato MORISHIGE served as the other center back. In midfield, Riki HARAKAWA and Keigo HIGASHI formed a double pivot, with Kuryu MATSUKI positioned as the attacking midfielder. Up front, Ryotaro ARAKI was at the top, with Keita ENDO on the right wing and SILVA on the left wing.
1st HALF - A back-and-forth battle with both sides creating chances
The first 45 minutes were dominated by Chiba's pace.
At the start, Tokyo showed a willingness to hold the ball, but gradually struggled against the pressure from Chiba's front line and relinquished control. In the 10th minute of the first half, a pass mistake in the opponent's territory led to a counterattack, creating a critical danger. After a cross from the right side to Tanaka, Dudu nearly scored with a header at the far side, but Hotaka NAKAMURA, who had desperately returned, threw himself to block it.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Tokyo finally approaches the goal. Pressing from the front line, the ball stolen by Jaja is spread to the right side by Matsuki. Endo calmly traps the ball and strikes with his right foot, but it is also blocked by the defender.
After that, it was a back-and-forth development. In the 39th minute of the first half, a mispass in our own territory was exploited, leading to a shot by player Hayashi, but here, player Go HATANO made a great save. Then, in the 43rd minute of the first half, the biggest chance of the half was created. Starting with a vertical pass from player Harakawa, the left side was broken through, connecting with players Endo and Nagatomo, and finally, inside the area, player Harakawa struck with his right foot. The shot was on target, but it was also saved by the goalkeeper, and the score remained unchanged as the match went into halftime.
2nd HALF - Matsuki's brilliant goal gives the lead, but they are equalized and it goes to extra time
Tokyo made a sharp start after the second half began, pressing towards the goal. In the 4th minute of the second half, they scored the opening goal with a brilliant play.
Jaja received a vertical pass from Oka, turned to face forward, and made a through pass. Matsuki, who received the ball between the defenders, made a graceful turn using the sole of his foot and calmly slotted it into the goal.
With this one goal, Tokyo completely seized the rhythm and launched an offensive to secure the decisive second goal. However, in the 14th minute of the second half, Endo failed to get his shot on target, and in the 26th minute of the second half, substitute Leon NOZAWA broke through on the right side and managed to shoot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper, failing to secure an additional goal.
In the 28th minute of the second half, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA's cross was met by Matsuki with his left foot, but it went outside the goal.
As this happened, Chiba gradually began to come back to life, creating a scoring opportunity in the 29th minute of the second half. A shot taken by Hidaka after receiving a feed from Takahashi hit the post and narrowly escaped disaster, but in the 34th minute of the second half, Hayashi scored with a right-footed shot, bringing the score back to square one.
The 5 minutes of added time extended Tokyo's push for a winning goal, but in the end, they couldn't score a second goal and went into extra time with a score of 1-1.
EXTRA TIME—Unable to defend the early goal...
Tokyo aimed to take the lead, but within a minute of the start, they conceded a goal. Pressured on the right side, Matsuki's shot was initially saved by Go HATANO, but the rebound was kicked in by Katsuya, allowing the opponent to turn the game around as extra time began.
The bench quickly makes a move. Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Shuhei TOKUMOTO are brought in, aiming to equalize first and reset the game. However, time passes without regaining rhythm. In the 15th minute of the first half of extra time, Harakawa attempted a direct shot from a free kick earned on the right side, but the ball did not drop and went over the goal.
Tokyo must catch up at all costs in the remaining 15 minutes, and in the 6th minute of extra time, Yasuki KIMOTO is brought on, moving the tall player Oka to the front line to launch a power play.
In the 9th minute of extra time, a header shot was taken in front of the goal from a counterattack, but Go HATANO made a fine save to somehow keep the goal intact. However, as the overall situation became stretched, time passed without being able to create the desired attacking shape, and the match ended without being able to catch up. Despite taking the lead, the team finished the battle in the Emperor's Cup by allowing a turnaround.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA/Masato MORISHIGE/Yuto NAGATOMO (6 minutes into extra time: Shuhei TOKUMOTO)/Teppei OKA
MF Kyuuma MATSUKI/Kegoro HIGASHI (23 minutes into the second half: Kei KOIZUMI)/Chikara HARAKAWA (6 minutes into extra time: Yasuki KIMOTO)
FW Keita ENDO (23 minutes into the second half: Leon NOZAWA)/Jaja Silva (23 minutes into the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA)/Ryotaro ARAKI (6 minutes into extra time: Teruhito NAKAGAWA)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
GOAL
4 minutes into the second half: Kuryu MATSUKI
<JEF United Chiba>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Ryota SUZUKI
DF Issei TAKAHASHI/Masuda Riku/Mendes/Hidaka Dai (37th minute: Shogo SASAKI)
MF Kobayashi Yusuke/Koya KAZAMA (18th minute: Takagi Toshiyuki)/Akiyuki YOKOYAMA (0th minute of extra time: Taishi TAGUCHI)
FW Hayashi Seido (37th minute: Hiroto GOYA)/Taichi SAKUMA (8th minute: Tanaka Kazuki)/Dudu (18th minute: Hiiro KOMORI)
SUBS
GK Toru TAKAGIWA
GOAL
34 minutes into the second half: Masamichi HAYASHI / 1 minute into extra time: Hiroto GOYA
[Peter CKLAMOVSKI Coach Interview]
Q: Please reflect on the match.
A, it is a disappointing result, and I am very saddened. We approached the match with a strong desire to win, but it is very regrettable that we could not achieve victory. I hope to bounce back from here. I would like to congratulate JEF United Chiba. It was truly a tough match. I feel it became a difficult battle.
Q: During the extra time, there were periods when it was difficult to control the ball or advance while recovering the ball. What do you think is the cause of this?
I believe that we ended up in that situation because the opposing team was effectively responding to the second balls. Despite that, the players fought with everything they had. I feel very frustrated, but we have time to see how we respond from here, and we want to unite as a team and prepare for the next match.
[Player Interview]
<Keigo HIGASHI>
Q, please review today's game.
I think we broke down the match ourselves. When we were leading 1-0, we needed to stay calm and not panic, and take advantage of the opponent pushing forward to score by launching counterattacks.
Q: It has been a while since your last appearance. What were you conscious of as you entered the match?
I thought my role was to control the game well. There were times when I was able to do it and times when I wasn't, but after scoring, I wish I could have managed the game more calmly. There were also other chances to score, so I wanted to make sure to take them.
Q: In the first half, the team was not able to gain momentum.
A, I think that since we weren't clear on how to defend, switching to a more man-to-man approach at the start of the second half worked well. There is also the thought that it would have been better to do this from the first half, but balance is important, and we have to think about the entire 90 minutes. We scored in a good way in the second half, so we need to improve our game management afterwards.
<Keita ENDO>
Q: It was your first start in a while. What were you focused on as you entered the match?
In three days, we have a match against Albirex Niigata, and I believe the result of this match will also affect the game against Niigata. Since it's a knockout tournament, we all talked about starting strong. Personally, I wasn't able to perform well in the crucial moments of the first half. If we can't finish those critical scenes, it will impact the team's results. We can't keep saying things like 'to get used to it' or 'trial run' forever, and I believe everyone, including myself, must take responsibility for the results.
Q: It felt like there was momentum in the second half.
A stopped applying pressure on the center-back and the pressure on the side-back. As a result, I think things started to flow well. If possible, it would have been better to make adjustments from the first half. Speaking personally, I regret that I should have taken the chances to finish when they came to me.
Q: Please tell us your enthusiasm for the next match.
A. I believe that everyone, including ourselves and the fans and supporters, is disappointed with today's results. However, the next match is coming, and for those who will support us there, we must play with the aim of victory. Of course, we don't feel good right now, but I want to direct our focus towards the next match.
