Match at Away Fukuda.A, never forget the challenger spirit

The Emperor's Cup 3rd Round will be held. We will face JEF United Chiba at Fukuda Denshi Arena. In the previous league match against Kashima, we suffered a defeat, ending our winning streak. However, the players acknowledged the complete loss and stated, "Nothing is over. The important thing is how we can recover from here and not to lose consecutively," and vowed to move forward with each match.

In this 3rd Round of the Emperor's Cup, due to the activities of the Japan national team, Morishige and Gonda are absent. Therefore, GK Shiota, center backs Kaga and Maruyama will play. Yonemoto and Hayato HASEGAWA will serve as defensive midfielders, with Mita and Lucas on the wings, and Higashi in the attacking midfield position. The substitutes include fresh players like Hiroe, Kono, and Hayashi, and Hirama has also made the squad for the first time in about three and a half years since April 2010.

Chiba, on the other hand, achieved a great victory against Kamatamare Sanuki (JFL) in the 2nd Round of the Emperor's Cup and advanced to the 3rd Round. In the J2 League, they currently remain in 6th place, and today, FW Kempes, who has scored 18 goals in the J2 League, is suspended, which can be considered a significant disadvantage. However, FW Morimoto, who joined during the season, is gradually improving his condition, and the individual abilities and overall team strength require considerable caution.

Coach Ranko POPOVIC also stated, "We must not think that the opponent is from J2. It is important to approach the match with the same mindset as when facing J1. However, the motivation for them to play against a J1 team is likely to be very high. If we do not show a stronger determination than theirs, victory will not be easy."

This match is one that Tokyo approaches without forgetting the spirit of a challenger. Based on what has been built up so far, we want to pull away from Chiba with a patient and steady fight, without rushing. Under good weather that doesn't make us feel too cold even after the sun sets, the match started at 19:04 with Chiba's kickoff.

Lucas scores the opening goal with a penalty, taking the lead in an intense match.

From the start, both sides showed determination and fought with fierce spirit. They stole the ball from tough defense, leading to a back-and-forth battle. In the 7th minute, Kaga intercepted the ball in his own half and carried it forward, switching to the left. From there, Higashi brought it forward and made a ground pass to the center. Watanabe received it, skillfully evaded the opposing defender, slipped through, and took a shot from the area, but the ball hit the upper right corner of the goal. In the 9th minute, forward Morimoto made a run forward to meet Chiba's long ball. The shot he took to evade the goalkeeper was saved with all his might by Shiota at close range!

In the 13th minute, Lucas on the right side exchanged a one-two with Watanabe in the center, drawing in the opposing DF, and passed to Mita who was free on the left. He took a touch and fired a decisive shot from the left area, but it was narrowly blocked by Chiba's DF who covered the goal. Both teams applied pressure from the front line, leading to quick attacks, but as time passed, Tokyo gradually took control of the ball. Conversely, Chiba utilized FW Morimoto's movements to gather the ball and create chances. Both teams showcased their strengths, resulting in intense back-and-forth play and a heated match.

In the 40th minute, they applied pressure on the right side of their own half to win the ball, passing it from Yonemoto to the center to Hayato HASEGAWA. Hayato sent a direct floating ball to the front line, and Lucas broke into the area. Lucas was fouled while tangled with the Chiba defender behind him, earning a penalty kick. In the 41st minute, Lucas calmly converted this penalty kick to take the lead! They scored the opening goal just before the end of the first half, leading by one goal going into the second half.

A goal conceded just before the end of the second half... However, Shiota stopped the penalty kick, leading to a united victory.

In the second half, in the 50th minute, midfielder Masaru HASEGAWA sent a long cross to the left forward Lucas, who then passed to Hayato HASEGAWA, who made a run into the goal area and took a shot, but it just barely went wide. After that, they maintained their defensive balance, aggressively trying to win the ball centered around Yonemoto, aiming for an additional goal from a counterattack. However, as a result, Chiba had the ball for a longer period of time during their counterattack.

In the 61st minute, Takahashi was brought on as a defensive midfielder in place of Mita. Hasegawa moved to the attacking midfield position, and Higashi shifted to the right midfield, trying to attack while maintaining a strong defense. On the other hand, Chiba also made substitutions, utilizing quick passing and the mobility of their forwards to gain rhythm. However, they were unable to create any decisive chances, and afterward, shots from Higashi and Lucas went off target, prolonging the time without a second goal. In the 88th minute, Lucas on the left side passed to Ota, who was making an overlapping run. Hasegawa at the near post attempted a direct shot from Ota's low cross, but the goalkeeper made a save. Hasegawa shot again from the rebound, but it was blocked by the left post.

Unable to capitalize on the chance, they were countered, and in the 90th minute, a long ball was sent from Chiba's left midfield to the right forward line. The ball was pinpointed to DF Yonekura, who advanced and took a shot, but Shiota saved it with one hand, and Maruyama managed to escape with a throw-in. However, from this throw-in, a direct pass was connected, and a vertical pass was sent to MF Machida, who advanced in front of the goal. It was dropped with a heel, and FW Fukai, who ran in from the left to the center, scored. They were equalized just before the end, leading to extra time.

In extra time, both teams attacked but lacked the finishing touch, resulting in a scoreless draw. The score remained 1-1, leading to a penalty shootout. Here, Shiota confidently said, 'I will stop it, so everyone can kick with confidence,' and he showed a great performance. Tokyo's Lucas, Ota, Hirayama, Masaru HASEGAWA, and Yonemoto calmly scored. Kono and Takahashi were unable to score, while on the other hand, Chiba's penalties were stopped by Shiota, including kicks from DF Takeuchi, MF Tanizawa, and MF Takahashi! In the end, Tokunaga struck a powerful penalty, allowing Tokyo to surpass Chiba 6-5. They united to achieve victory and advance to the 4th Round.

[Player Comments]
《Shioda》
"We conceded a goal, but even before the extra time and penalty shootout began, I was saying, 'In situations like this, it's important to have the right mindset. Let's fight with the determination that we will definitely win.' Regarding the penalty stop, I had data and understood the opponent's basic kicking style, but Coach Yamagishi told me to 'jump towards where you feel confident,' so I valued my own instincts. I could clearly hear the cheers from the opposite side, and everyone remained focused with strong determination until the end. After we made a stop, it’s easy to get rattled if the opponent scores, but everyone stayed concentrated. Since this is a tournament, winning in any form is the biggest takeaway. I want to carry this victory into the next league match and the Emperor's Cup as well."

《Lucas》
(Was it a goal right after the birth of your third child?) Unlike the previous two, I couldn't score a goal, so this goal will be a wonderful memory. Both Ishikawa and Trainer Kurihara recently had children, and we performed the cradle celebration to express the joy of the three of us. (Were you the first to go and comfort the player who missed the penalty?) The player who missed must be the saddest and most down. Still, I wanted to convey the feeling that it shouldn't affect everyone else, so I went to encourage him. More than anything, I am happy about the team's victory today. We can share the joy together. From here, I want to win all the remaining six league matches. I want to improve our ranking.
 

【Summary of Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference】
"Thank you for staying late. Everyone must have been unable to take their eyes off the game until the end. I'm glad we were able to deliver results in the end, but it's also because of matches like this that my hair is so thick... (laughs). Regarding the match, it was a very good game. We were able to do what we needed to do and show patience. I think we only allowed Chiba to create two decisive chances: one where they scored and another that we cleared just in time off the goal line. On the other hand, we had several chances to decide the match. We needed to convert those opportunities. After playing against Chiba today, I reaffirmed that they are indeed a team with J1 quality. I believe we both gave our all and produced a good match for Japanese football. The players fought really well."

【Chiba - Director Suzuki's Press Conference Summary】
I think we played a good game, but it's very disappointing that we couldn't win. From the start, we aimed to put pressure on the opponent, take the ball, and attack quickly, and I think we were able to do that to some extent. However, I felt that the J1 teams have a different level of precision in front of the goal, the distance they can cover with a single pass to get to the goal, and their speed. In the PK scene, we were taken to a decisive area with just one pass. In the second half, we controlled the ball to some extent and created chances, but we couldn't get close to the opponent's goal. The fact is that we had the ball but couldn't create decisive chances. It is commendable that we managed to score just before the end and took it to extra time. However, ultimately, we went to a penalty shootout, and I think in terms of the number of decisive chances, Tokyo had the upper hand. Even so, we couldn't achieve the result, but we fought well. We need to connect this game to the next one. That is the most important thing. I want to do my best to play a good game next time as well.