＜Match Review＞
The 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup, which is played in a tight schedule with league matches, saw JEF United Chiba, who belongs to J2 League, take on Fukuda Denshi Arena.
The starting members, except for center back Tetsuhei Oka, were all replaced from the Kashiwa Reysol match in the league. Go HATANO guarded the goal, Hotaka NAKAMURA played right back, Yuto NAGATOMO played left back, and Masato MORISHIGE played the other center back. In the midfield, Riki HARAKAWA and Keigo HIGASHI formed a double pivot, with Kuryu MATSUKI in the attacking midfield position. Up front, Ryotaro ARAKI led the line with Keita Endo on the right wing and SILVA on the left wing.
1st HALF - A back-and-forth battle of creating chances for both sides
It was a long 45 minutes in the first half, moving at Chiba's pace.
Tokyo showed a strong start, taking control of the ball, but gradually struggled against Chiba's pressing and gave up the lead. In the 10th minute of the first half, they suffered a counterattack from a pass mistake in the enemy's territory, causing a critical chance. When a cross was sent in from the right side and Dudu was about to score with a header on the far side, Hotaka NAKAMURA, who had desperately returned, threw his body to block it.
Tokyo finally approaches the goal in the 22nd minute of the first half. Pressing from the front line, Jaja player steals the ball and Matsuki player expands it to the right side. Endo player calmly traps the ball and swings his right foot, but it is also blocked by the defender.
The game continued with a back-and-forth battle. In the 39th minute of the first half, there was a miscommunication in their own half which led to a shot by Lins, but it was saved by Go HATANO. Then, in the 43rd minute of the first half, they created their biggest chance. Starting with a vertical pass from Harakawa, they broke through the left side and connected with Endo and Nagatomo, and finally Harakawa took a strong shot with his right foot in the box. The shot was on target, but it was also saved by the goalkeeper, and the score remained unchanged as the game reached halftime.
2ndHALF - Matsumaki's splendid goal leads to a tie and goes into extra time
Tokyo started the second half with a sharp start and pushed for a goal. In the 4th minute of the second half, they scored the first goal in a brilliant fashion.
Jean, who received a vertical pass from Okamoto, turned forward and made a through pass. Matsuki, who received the ball between defenders, made a brilliant turn using the sole of his foot and broke through, calmly slotting the ball into the goal.
With this one point, Tokyo has completely grasped the rhythm and continues to attack in order to score a second goal to decide the match. However, in the 14th minute of the second half, Endo was unable to shoot on target, and in the 26th minute, substitute player Leon NOZAWA broke through the right side and took a shot, but it flew straight to the goalkeeper and they were unable to score an additional point.
In the 28th minute of the second half, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA made a cross and Matsuki took a left-footed shot, but it went outside of the goal.
As a result, Chiba gradually regained their breath and created a scoring opportunity in the 29th minute of the second half. Hidaka player's shot, after receiving a feed from Takahashi player, hit the post and escaped danger, but in the 34th minute of the second half, Hayashi player scored with his right foot, bringing the score back to a tie.
Tokyo extended the time to push for a winning goal during the 5 minutes of additional time, but in the end, they were unable to score a second goal and the game went into extra time with a score of 1-1.
EXTRA TIME - Unable to hold on to the early goal...
Tokyo, aiming for a comeback, conceded a goal within the first minute of the match. They were pushed back on the right side and although Matsuki made a save on Sasaki's shot, the ball fell to Kureya who scored, leading to an overtime start.
The bench moves quickly. Teruhito NAKAGAWA and Shuhei TOKUMOTO are brought in to aim for an equalizer. However, they struggle to regain their rhythm as time passes. In the 15th minute of extra time, Harukawa takes a free kick from the right side, but the ball narrowly misses the top of the goal.
Tokyo, who must catch up at all costs in the remaining 15 minutes, will bring in Yasuki KIMOTO in the 6th minute of extra time and send tall player Oka to the front line for a power play.
In the 9th minute of extra time, a header shot was taken from a counter attack in front of the goal, but Go HATANO made a fine save to protect the goal. However, the overall situation became sluggish and they were unable to create attacking opportunities, and time passed by quickly. In the end, they were unable to catch up and the Emperor's Cup battle ended with a reversal after taking the lead.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA/Masato MORISHIGE/Yuto NAGATOMO (6 minutes into extra time: Shuhei TOKUMOTO)/Tetsuhiro OKA
MF Kosei MATSUKI/Keigo HIGASHI (23 minutes into second half: Kei KOIZUMI)/Chikara HARAKAWA (6 minutes into extra time: Yasuki KIMOTO)
FW Keita ENDO (23 minutes into second half: Leon NOZAWA)/Jajá SILVA (23 minutes into 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 Ryuta SUZUKI
DF Issei TAKAHASHI/Riku MATSUDA/Mendes/Dai HIDAKA (37th minute of the second half: Shogo SASAKI)
MF Yusuke KOBAYASHI/Koya KAZAMA (18th minute of the second half: Toshiyuki TAKAGI)/Akiyuki YOKOYAMA (0th minute of extra time: Taishi TAGUCHI)
FW Seido HAYASHI (37th minute of the second half: Hiroto GOYA)/Taichi SAKUMA (8th minute of the first half: Kazuki TANAKA)/Dudu (18th minute of the second half: Hiiro KOMORI)
SUBS
GK Toru TAKAGIWA
GOAL
34' Second Half: Masamichi HAYASHI / 1' Extra Time First Half: Hiroto GOYA
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI]
Q, please review the game.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing result and I am very heartbroken. We went into the game with a strong desire to win, but we were unable to achieve victory and I am very disappointed. From here, we want to bounce back and keep going. Congratulations to JEF United Chiba. It was a really tough game. I feel like it was a tough battle.
Q, entering extra time, there were times when the ball couldn't be controlled or it was difficult to move forward while retrieving the ball. What do you think was the cause?
A, I think it was because the opposing team responded well to the second ball, that it became such a time. Even in that situation, the players gave their all and fought. It's a very frustrating feeling, but we have time to react and prepare for the next game, so I want us to come together as a team and prepare properly.
[Player Interview]
＜Keigo HIGASHI＞
Q, please review today's game.
A, I think we broke the game ourselves. When we were winning 1-0, we needed to stay calm and counterattack when the opponent was pushing forward to score.
Q, it was my first appearance in a while. What were you conscious of when you entered the game?
A, I thought it was my role to control the game well. There were times when I was able to do it and times when I couldn't, but after scoring, I wish I could have calmed down more and carried the game. There were also chances to score, so I wanted to take them firmly.
Q, in the first half, the team was unable to ride the momentum.
A, I think we were able to get into a good rhythm by playing more man-to-man defense from the start of the second half, as our defensive strategy was not clear in the first half. While we may have wanted to do this from the beginning, it is important to maintain balance and think about the entire 90 minutes. We were able to score in the second half, so we need to improve our overall game management going forward.
<Keita ENDO player>
Q, it was my first time starting in a while. What were you conscious of when you entered the game?
Three days from now, we have the Albirex Niigata match ahead of us, and I thought that the result of this match would also affect the Niigata match. We talked about starting strong because it's a one-shot tournament. Personally, I couldn't perform well in the important moments of the first half. If we can't score in those crucial moments, it will also affect the team's result. We can't keep saying "it's just to get used to it" or "it's just a test run". We all have to take responsibility for the result, including myself.
Q, I felt like there was momentum in the second half.
I stopped putting pressure on the center back and started putting pressure on the side back. As a result, I think we were able to turn things around. If possible, it would have been better to make adjustments earlier in the first half. Personally, I have to reflect on not being able to finish the chances I had to finish at my own position.
Q, please tell us your enthusiasm for the next game.
A, I think both ourselves and the fans and supporters are disappointed with today's result. However, the next game is coming up and for the sake of those who will support us there, we must aim for victory and play. Of course, we cannot feel good right now, but we want to move forward towards the next game with an arrow.
