Emperor's Cup 4th Round, Use Fresh Members and Advance to the Quarterfinals

　The 4th round of the Emperor's Cup will be played at Ajinomoto Stadium, with JEF United Chiba (J2) facing off. It will be a consecutive match alongside the league, but they aim to play with a winning atmosphere and achieve back-to-back victories to continue their success in the league. Manager Okuma stated, "In order to balance our goals in both the league and the Emperor's Cup, we will consider the consecutive matches and the condition of injured players, and select the best team for the current situation." As a result, they will approach the match with a different lineup.

　Chiba, who is currently in 4th place in J2, is facing them. Although they are in the midst of a promotion battle to J1, coach Okuma is increasing his vigilance, saying, "Chiba also wants to achieve results in the Emperor's Cup and carry them over to the league matches." Chiba also changes their lineup for the league matches, with tall Netto up front and Ota and Fukai on the wings as FW. The formation remains 4-3-3, with a quick press from the front and midfield to steal the ball, and MF Kurata and others aggressively launching attacks from the front.

　Tokyo, FW Maeda and MF Yong Duk SEO made their first start in an official match in Tokyo. Maeda and Shigematsu as the top two, Otake and Yong Duk SEO on the sides, Matsushita and Tanabe as the double pivot, and Hirade as the left fullback. Coach Okuma said, "We want to play a soccer that flies forward, but we must not forget the aggressiveness we have built up on both offense and defense." He emphasized starting with a strong defense and continuing with persistent defense without panicking, and not allowing easy access to the goal. In the attack, we hope to see the energetic play of our fresh players.

　Facing off against a J2 team and considering the difficulty of consecutive matches, it will be a true battle of strength as we aim for the quarterfinals. The match started at exactly 7pm at the cold and rainy Ajinomoto Stadium, with the temperature dropping throughout the night.

Although they managed to break through the press and continue their attack, the score remained tied at the end of the first half.

　Both teams fought for the ball at the start, with a fast-paced exchange of attacks and defenses. There were moments where Chiba launched an attack from the right side and took a shot from the middle after stealing the second ball from a cross, but MF Nakago's shot in the 4th minute went over the bar. In the 14th minute, Chiba's FW Ota used his speed to break through Tokyo's left side. He sent in a cross and FW Netto jumped in near the goal, but Tokunaga made sure to defend properly and prevent a major crisis.

　Tokyo started cautiously and there were times when they couldn't bring the ball to the front even if they took it, but gradually settled down. In the 21st minute, Tanabe made a move in the center and Ohata -> Maeda aimed for the goal from the front of the area, but it hit the defender and went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, Shigematsu threatened the Chiba goal from a through pass from Tanabe -> Ohata. In the 28th minute, Mokuhara sent a cross from Morishige's interception, and Morishige, who had moved up to the front of the goal, headed the ball but didn't have enough momentum.

　Maeda created opportunities on the front line, and the combination of Shigematsu, Otake, Tanabe, and others increased the chances of finishing. In the 36th minute, Shigematsu dribbled from Maeda's direct pass and earned a left corner kick, but Matsushita's kick was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 38th minute, Shigematsu aimed directly for a long distance free kick, but it went outside the frame. In the 42nd minute, Soyon Dokku pressed the Chiba DF who was trying to bring the ball up, and launched a counterattack, but the left cross did not reach Shigematsu or Maeda in the center. Both teams attacked using their strengths, but neither could create a decisive chance. The score remained tied as they headed into the second half.

Daichi scores 2 goals from a coordinated play! Chiba takes a big victory by pushing ahead!

　The second half demanded a more aggressive play, but in the 54th minute, Chiba DF cleared Kanda's long ball. Soyondok, who received it on the left side, boldly aimed for a shot. The ball hit the opposing DF and went towards the goal. Otake jumped in and scored with his right foot! Each player's bold attitude towards the goal paid off, and they took the lead!

　In the 57th minute, speedy attack by Mokuhara, who passes to Otake in the right area and takes a precise shot. It slightly curves to the left, but in the following 59th minute, Chiba DF clears Gonda's kick. From the counterattack by Soyon Dok, Otake passes to the left area. Tanabe, who timed his run perfectly, skillfully dribbles past the opponent DF and makes a minus pass to the center. Otake receives it and takes a precise shot, scoring the second goal in a fantastic combination play!!

　Tokyo, who has completely grasped the rhythm, is on a roll. They launched a wave attack by connecting passes. In the 64th minute, Yong Duk SEO, who stole the opponent's DF pass, took a shot from the left area. In the 67th minute, Yong Duk SEO on the left, Matsushita in the center, and Tanabe quickly connected passes, but Tanabe's shot missed the goal. In the 71st minute, Ricardinho came in for Yong Duk SEO. Chiba changed their formation to a 4-4-2, with FW Netto being replaced by MF Murai on the left and Yonekura and Kanazawa playing as the two forwards.

　However, Tokyo did not lose their momentum and did not give Chiba a chance to counterattack. In the 73rd minute, Otake made a sharp dribble and took a decisive shot from the left area in front of Maeda, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... In the 80th minute, Ricardinho skillfully cut back the opponent's defender in the left area and aimed for the goal with a loop, but it hit the post and bounced back. In the 83rd minute, Otake hit a pinpoint cross from Mokuhara, but Otake's header missed the goal... and he did not get a hat-trick.

　Although we couldn't score a third goal, in the 79th minute, we substituted Inoue for Tokunaga, and in the 88th minute, we substituted Tanabe for Yuki, who made his first appearance in an official match. We shut out Chiba's counterattack. The fresh members showed their determination and grabbed a big victory. We will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be held on December 25th. We will face Avispa Fukuoka (J2).

　【Player Comments】《Otake》"I received a chance and had the determination to do my best. I definitely wanted to score a goal, so when I entered the goal area for the opening goal, the ball came to me in a good spot. For the second goal, I think the connection with my teammates, who I often play with in practice matches, was good. I was sure the pass would come, so I was able to calmly take the shot. I want to continue this momentum and contribute to the team's victory by scoring whenever I have the chance in the future."

　"Soyondoku" "I was nervous, but I tried to show what I have been preparing for. In the first half, I was too eager, but at halftime, the coach told me, 'You're being too passive. Receive the ball further up and dribble, show your strengths.' I think I was able to respond to that instruction in the second half. I have a strong desire to play, even beyond the players who usually play in games, but right now, I want to contribute to the team above all else. In order to contribute to the team, I want to continue to do what I need to do."

　[Coach Oikuma's Press Conference Summary] "Even players who haven't had a chance to play have been preparing well and training hard, and considering each player's physical condition and injuries, today's lineup is the best. There may be some issues with quality, but even with changes in the lineup, the team was able to play the same soccer. That was a great feeling, and in this tough official match, I was moved by each player's performance."

　Maeda, who hasn't been able to play for a long time, created time on the front line, and the hard work of Shigematsu, who was thought to have low stamina, paid off, and Matsushita's stamina in both offense and defense didn't drop for 90 minutes. We discovered new individuality in a tough game and gained confidence that we can do it. We will use that in the future and quickly switch to the league game. Although only 11 players can stand on the pitch, I want the players who didn't have a chance to play today to remember and engrave the effort of today's game in their hearts. And we want to fight together in the league and Emperor's Cup for the next 4 games."

　[Chiba Eshiri Coach's Press Conference Summary] "The content was a complete defeat. We wanted to simply push behind the opponent and do things that the opponent would dislike, but today we also challenged as a combination of players, and there were some parts that we wouldn't know until we tried it. Practice and the actual game are still different things, so I want to re-examine the combination and combination of players a little more. In terms of attack, I felt the potential to contribute to the power of the league promotion battle by improving the quality of Ota's breakthrough on the right side and the space on the side. We want to switch and head towards our ultimate goal, the J-League Kitakyushu match."