Fight to earn 3 points!

　In Sec. 12 of the J1 League, we will face JEF United Chiba away. In the previous match against Omiya, we were equalized in stoppage time and only managed to earn one point. Although we were able to come from behind with goals from Ishikawa and Yusuke KONDO after going behind, and Lucas added another goal, we regret that we allowed the match to end in a draw due to a lack of finishing. However, it was clearly different from the six consecutive losses we had experienced. After the Omiya match, Coach Hara stated, "I want this one point to lead to the next," indicating that the way we play in this match is important for the long league season ahead. It will be interesting to see if we can maintain the regained 'momentum' as confidence or if we will revert to the difficult situation we faced during our losing streak.

　Chiba is currently in 11th place with 3 wins, 5 draws, and 3 losses, and as indicated by the numbers of 20 goals scored and 18 goals conceded, their style of play is characterized by taking risks and launching fast attacks with a strong offensive presence. In particular, midfielders Abe and Sato from the second line make long runs to break into the goal area. New foreign forward Haas may not be flashy, but he is skilled at utilizing the players around him and serves as the focal point of Chiba's current attack. In the last match, they had a scoreless draw against Urawa, marking their first zero goals conceded this season, including the Nabisco Cup, indicating improved stability in defense.

　Against Tokyo, with Miura and Kanazawa returning from injuries, the lineup remains the same as the previous match. On the left side, although in an unfamiliar position, Konno, who was active as a key player in the attack last match, is joined by Kaji on the right, who is still not fully recovered from his left ankle injury. In midfield, Asari plays as a single defensive midfielder, with the in-form Ishikawa and Toda on the left and right flanks, and up front, Yusuke KONDO aims for his second consecutive goal since September 2003. Lucas and Danilo, two players capable of making decisive contributions, are on the bench, and their introduction at crucial moments is highly anticipated.

　Chiba has been a rival with whom we have drawn for the past two seasons, and we have been unbeaten at Ichihara Seaside Stadium since April 2003 in league matches, making us very strong at home. However, the league will be suspended until July after this Sec. 12. We want to secure points and end this match on a positive note as we prepare for the Chiba match in the Nabisco Cup, which resumes next week. Under the chilly, cloudy sky, the match kicked off at 7:04 PM in Tokyo.

Fighting For The Points

F.C.TOKYO traveled to Ichihara to take on Jef United Chiba in the 12th game of the season. Although TOKYO had surrendered a 3-1 lead in the previous fixture to tie 3-3 against Ardija, the performance had certainly not been one of a team mired in a six-game losing streak. After that game, TOKYO manager Hara had commented, "We want to carry over this performance and the point we earned into the next match"; whether the team had regained their confidence or would slip back into losing ways was the key question going into the match.
Jef Utd. lay in 11th place in the league with a W3 D5 L3 record. In 11 games the side had scored 20 and conceded 18, a clear indication of the team's commitment to attacking in numbers. In particular, midfielders Abe and Sato covered enormous ground, regularly lending their weight to the attack. Recent import Haas was the attacking lynchpin, skilled at bringing other players into the game. In the previous game, Jef had battled the Reds to a scoreless draw, their first clean sheet of the campaign.
With Kanazawa and Miura still injured, TOKYO named the same starting lineup as in the previous game. Konno appeared again at left back, despite not being completely recovered from his ankle injury. Kaji started at right back and Asari filled in as sole defensive midfielder. The in-form Ishikawa began on the right wing, Toda on the left, and Yusuke Kondo, fresh from scoring his first league goal since September 2003, appeared as lone striker. Lucas and Danilo bided their time on the bench.
This fixture had ended in a draw in the two previous seasons and Jef had not lost at Ichihara Stadium since April 2003, an impressive record. Following the 12th round of matches, the J.League took a break until July. By coincidence, the two teams would meet again in the Nabisco Cup at Ajinomoto Stadium the following Saturday. TOKYO were keen to dispel the cloud hanging over the team and put in a good performance. Jef kicked off shortly after 7pm on an unseasonably chilly evening.

Trailed by two goals in the first half

　Before the match, Coach Hara instructed, "Press from a high position without fear and launch quick attacks." Both teams engaged in a fierce battle for midfield control, leading to a fast-paced game with quick transitions between offense and defense. In the 2nd minute, from a quick restart on the left side by Konno, Miyazawa picked up a loose ball from the opposing DF and took the first shot. In the 9th minute, Chiba's MF Hanyu cut in from the left side to take a shot, but Doih was able to save it. Immediately after, in a fast break, Tokyo's Toda broke through on the left side under pressure from the opposing DF and took a shot from a tight angle. The GK deflected it, but no one was able to follow up.

　After 10 minutes, both teams gradually began to settle down, but the shooting chances were on Tokyo's side. In the 14th minute, a cross was sent in from the right side by Kaji to Ishikawa, and Konno took a powerful shot at the loose ball, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 15th minute, a left corner kick was taken by Miyazawa, who sent in a line drive ball, and Kurizawa, after a one-touch, aimed and shot from outside the area, but it went over the crossbar. Just when everyone started to think, 'We can do this,' they allowed a goal from the opponent's one chance.

　In the 17th minute, MF Hanyu cut in from the left side and delivered a low cross. Despite the scramble, FW Haas scored, giving Tokyo the first goal. However, shortly after, Tokyo had a big chance. In the 21st minute, after a pass from Toda to Kurizawa on the left side, a cross was sent in to Yusuke KONDO, who was free on the right inside the area. He attempted a direct shot but missed to the right of the goal, failing to score. After that, they continued to attack from both sides, but they faced a period of being repelled by the opposing defense, which was solid in the center. In the midst of this, they conceded an unnecessary additional goal from a counterattack. In the 29th minute, a fast early cross came in from FW Haas on the left side, and it was pinpointed to FW Maki, who ran in.

　After allowing a 2-point lead, Tokyo found themselves in a difficult situation but began to fight back. In the 35th minute, Yusuke KONDO broke through on the left side and the loose ball was shot by Miyazawa, hitting the opposing defender and resulting in a right corner kick. From that corner kick, Jean attempted a header but it went wide to the left of the goal. They continued to create chances mainly through set plays from corner kicks and free kicks, but were unable to score, ending the first half still trailing by 2 points.

TOKYO Concede Early Goals

Manager Hara instructed his team to play without fear, press high up the field and attack at speed. The game began with both sides battling furiously for midfield supremacy, winning the ball and then losing it again. Miyazawa registered the first shot in the 2nd minute, latching onto a loose ball following a quick restart. In the 9th minute Jef midfielder Hanyu cut inside from the left and shot; Doi held his effort cleanly then fed Toda on the left. Toda raced for goal and managed to shoot from a tight angle despite severe pressure from a defender; Kushino parried his shot away but the onrushing TOKYO players were unable to connect with the loose ball.
The feverish pace slackened after the first ten minutes and it was TOKYO who created the more opportunities. In the 14th minute Kaji and Ishikawa combined down the right to set up Konno. Konno struck his shot well but Kushino produced a good save to prevent the opening goal. In the 15th minute Miyazawa rolled a corner to Kurisawa, lurking outside the area; Kurisawa took one touch but fired his shot over the bar. TOKYO were looking lively but then disaster struck.
Hanyu surged down the left in the 17th minute and delivered a low cross that caused havoc in the TOKYO defense. Haas stabbed the ball home to give his side the lead. Unfazed, TOKYO fashioned the best chance of the game in the 21st minute. Toda found Kurisawa on the left and the latter's cross reached Kondo, unmarked inside the penalty area on the right. Kondo struck first time but sent his shot wide of the right post. TOKYO continued to find space along the flanks but some solid defending saw the resulting crosses repeatedly repelled. Jef extended their lead from a rapid counterattack in the 29th minute; Haas raced down the left and curled in an early cross that Maki dispatched with aplomb.
TOKYO maintained the pressure and won a corner in the 35th minute after Kondo's tenacity set up Miyazawa. A deflection took his shot past the post and Jean made firm contact with the corner, only to direct his header wide. The visitors threatened from corners and set plays but failed to trouble the Jef goalkeeper and the first half ended 0-2.

Lucas scored a goal to narrow the gap to one point, but it was already too late.

　At halftime, Coach Hara urged the players, saying, "We can't end like this," and sent them out for the second half. However, for the first five minutes, they couldn't create any real chances and were instead pushed back by Chiba. In particular, MF Abe took three shots, including a free kick, but Doih kept saving them, preventing any additional goals.

　To change the flow of the game, Lucas was brought in for Toda in the 51st minute, forming a two-top with Yusuke KONDO. In the 53rd minute, Kurisawa broke down the left side and crossed to Yusuke KONDO, and again in the 56th minute, Miyazawa took a left corner kick that was cleared once, but after involving Lucas, Miyazawa crossed again. Although they managed to break down the side, they could not get a shot off. In the 59th minute, after picking up a cleared ball from a left corner kick, Kaji passed to Kurisawa, who then passed to Konno, delivering a line drive cross, but Lucas could only touch it, and Yusuke KONDO's shot went off target. Immediately after that, Danilo was brought in for Miyazawa to add some accent to the attack in combination with Lucas in the center, but they struggled to create a rhythm.

　Still, in the 64th minute, Kurisawa forcefully broke through on the left side, received a return from Ishikawa and shot, but it resulted in a corner kick. From that left corner kick, Jean's header also went over the bar. In the 66th minute, from a counter, Kurisawa passed to Shimonia, then to Lucas, and finally Danilo brought it in but couldn't shoot. Chiba seized a chance from a counter and created a decisive moment, but Doi, Shimonia, and Jean somehow held on at the center line and prevented an additional goal.

　In the 70th minute, the third substitution card was used, bringing in Kobayashi for the visibly tired Yusuke KONDO, with Lucas and Ishikawa up front, and an ultra-offensive formation in midfield with Kobayashi, Danilo, and Kurizawa from the right. However, a cycle of mistakes continued, including coordination errors and passing mistakes, and even when the ball was sent to the front line, it was easily taken away. Finally, in the 89th minute, just as they were about to enter stoppage time, they managed to score. Danilo aggressively broke through from the left to the center, and Lucas, picking up the loose ball, took aim and shot, piercing the goal to narrow the gap to one point. Jean also moved up front, and Tokyo, attacking without regard for the situation, saw Ishikawa, who persisted on the right side during stoppage time, send a cross that Kurizawa, running into the center, headed towards the goal, but it went straight to the GK, resulting in a complete failure, losing 1-2.

　【Player Comments】<Kurisawa> "Even though we had chances, we couldn't score. The bad momentum returned again. We couldn't finish in the first half, conceded a goal, and inevitably the atmosphere became like 'here we go again...'. We shouldn't let that happen, but in the end, everything was half-hearted. For the final header shot, I tried to strike it with full force, but the contact was weak. Including myself, we need to improve our finishing and play accuracy to win. We have no choice but to get results and build confidence." <Lucas> "It's disappointing that we couldn't play a good match. We had chances but couldn't score, and from that flow, we conceded a goal. (My substitution) was intended to increase the number of players up front. Even after I came on, we were creating chances... The goal came from a good ball by Danilo. But since it didn't lead to a win, I'm not happy about it. The team is currently in the toughest situation, but we want to work harder and get into better condition." <Kaji> "I entered the match thinking about not losing in running to the opponent and not letting them work... But we couldn't score when the momentum was good, conceded from a momentary mistake, and things got chaotic. In attack, crosses were cleared and ended too easily. My positioning to connect to the second and third attacks was poor. It's necessary to be in a position to apply pressure. It would be good if we could play a bit more calmly overall. I think the losing streak is also a reason, but if we can endure the tough moments properly, I don't think the content is necessarily bad."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We knew from the start that Jeff would come at us with momentum. To counter that, I instructed the players not to keep the ball only at their feet but to also play into space. In fact, we had several chances, such as when Toda advanced and took a shot. However, while dealing with their left side, we allowed them inside, conceded a loose ball goal, and became a bit unstable after that. Especially when Jeff's two forwards, Haas and Maki, received the ball between the lines, our marking was lax. When they held the ball, players from the second line would make runs. We were slow to respond there. For the second goal, even though Jean followed Haas when he dropped back, we failed to close him down and he was able to deliver a cross. Maki's header was excellent, but after conceding two goals, we became hesitant. At halftime, I told the team that we absolutely had to recover the two-goal deficit and to play without fear. Also, when attacking, Kaji was always open, so we tried to use that space and move the ball faster. We substituted Toda for Lucas to utilize his ball retention and formed a two-forward system with Yusuke KONDO to create a focal point in the middle. I think that allowed us to take control of the game. I expected to concede some counters from Jeff, so we brought in Kurisawa on the left and tried to push forward from the back as well. If we had scored during that period... Yusuke KONDO missed a chance from Konno's cross even though the goalkeeper came out. If we had scored early in the second half, things might have been different. While we failed to score, we rushed forward instead of keeping possession, which led to counterattacks. We brought in Danilo to play near Lucas to add an accent and try to open a breakthrough. However, we rarely got good shooting opportunities. Lucas scored close to stoppage time, so if we had scored earlier, we might have had a chance to equalize. Perhaps because we've been conceding a lot lately, the center-back pairing of Jean and Moniwa has been a bit unstable. But if they face Maki and Haas without fear like in the second half, they are by no means players who will easily be beaten. Regardless of being away, many supporters came to cheer us on. To respond to their support, we wanted to score earlier or at least equalize in the end. Right now, our balance is a bit off. Sometimes we kick the ball to gain momentum, but when we need to keep possession, we must do so. We have been kicking too much. We need to correct that. However, signs of improvement are gradually appearing, as seen in the Omiya match and today's second half. I want Konno to play in his natural position, and since Lucas is not in condition to play 90 minutes, we want to quickly heal injured players and make adjustments during this break."

　【Summary of the press conference by Chiba's coach Ivica OSIM】 "After such a match, I think it went well. What I mean is that FC Tokyo is a very good team and I believe they are dangerous. They are currently in this position, but it wouldn't be surprising if they were higher up. The result was realistic against such a team. They will likely rise up in the future, but I think it is tough for them right now. In that sense, we held up physically well. Regarding the match against FC Tokyo, I thought that was very important. I believe we were able to control the opponent throughout the match, but we conceded a goal at the end, which means we still have issues. If the match had continued for another 2 or 3 minutes, we might have conceded another goal. Our opinions may differ from those of the supporters, but that is the reality."

Lucas Pulls One Back But...

Manager Hara sent his players out for the second half with orders not to let the game finish as it was; it was Jef who took the initiative however and pressured TOKYO from the restart. Midfielder Abe fired in three efforts that TOKYO keeper Doi somehow repelled. 
TOKYO sent on Lucas in place of Toda in the 51st minute to change the flow of the game. Lucas lined up alongside Kondo and TOKYO immediately looked dangerous. Kondo broke free down the left in the 53rd minute and crossed while, in the 56th minute, Miyazawa had two bites of the cherry from a corner but his crosses came to naught. In the 59th minute a rapid break from a Jef corner led to Konno firing a low cross into the heart of the penalty area; Lucas made a faint contact and the ball squirmed just beyond Kondo. TOKYO then sent on Danilo for Miyazawa but he was unable to create a rhythm in tandem with Lucas. 
In the 64th minute Kurisawa burst powerfully down the left, fed Ishikawa and received the ball back. Kushino tipped his well struck drive around the post for a corner. Jean again outjumped the home defence but headed over the bar. Jef were content to absorb the pressure and hit TOKYO on the break but Jean, Moniwa and Doi performed heroically in defence. 
TOKYO played their final card in the 70th minute, replacing the tiring Kondo with Kobayashi and switching to an ultra-offensive formation of Lucas and Ishikawa as forwards with Kobayashi, Danilo and Kurisawa behind them. Some poor passing and loose play reduced the efficacy of this system and it wasn't until the 89th minute that TOKYO finally had the ball in the net. Danilo burst aggressively through the middle until blocked off the ball and Lucas swept the loose ball past Kushino to reduce the arrears to a single goal. Jean moved forward as TOKYO threw everything at Jef. In injury time Kurisawa connected with Ishikawa's cross but could only direct his header at Kushino. That was the last action of the game as the whistle blew on a 2-1 defeat. 


Players' comments 
Kurisawa: 
"We had our chances but didn't take them. We were on top early but then conceded and we thought, 'Oh no, not again'. We did everything by half measures today. At the end I had a chance but my header was weak. Including myself, if we can't improve our finishing and general quality of play we aren't going to win. The only way to increase our confidence is to get a result". 

Lucas
"It's very disappointing that we didn't play a good game today. We had chances but failed to take them and our opponents scored. I came on to bolster the forward line and made some openings but...I have Danilo to thank for my goal but I can't really be happy with it as we didn't win the game. We have to fight harder to break out of this situation".

Kaji
"We felt we couldn't afford to lose on workrate or allow them to play. We were on top early but couldn't score, then a mistake led to them scoring and we lost it a little. Our attack was too simplistic and ended with crosses being cleared over and over again. We need to improve our positioning to regain possession in those situations. We need to be in the right place to pressure our opponents and need to be a little calmer when we have the ball. I don't think we played badly today but there's a reason we've been losing so many games recently. We have to be more resilient".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara 
"We knew Jef would come at us and instructed the players to try to use the space, rather than just playing the ball to feet. We had some good chances early on but didn't take them and then failed to deal with a cross and they scored in the goal mouth melee. We lost our composure a little after that, with our marking loose when the ball was played in to Haas and Maki's feet. When they could hold the ball up it allowed support from midfield to get forward. We were a little slow dealing with that. For the second goal even though Jean went with Haas he couldn't prevent him from getting the cross in. Maki's header was excellent but we lost our spirit there. In the second half we had two goals to pull back and I told the players not to be afraid. When we were on the attack Kaji was often free and we should have used him more to move the ball around. We sent Lucas on to make use of his ability to hold the ball up and to serve as a focus of the attack with Kondo. We had a purple patch then and if only we could have scored things might have been different. Kondo missed a great chance from Konno's cross. We were playing the ball forward too early instead of patiently waiting for an opening. We sent on Danilo to play closer to Lucas and provide another option in attack. We didn't shoot when we had the chance though. Lucas scored in the last minute and that didn't really leave us with very much time. We've conceded a few goals recently and I think that has made Jean and Moniwa a little insecure. They played well against Haas and Maki in the second half. Even though we were away a lot of fans came to support us today. We really wanted to respond with the equalising goal. Our balance wasn't good today. Sometimes we hit the long ball when we needed to retain possession longer and that's something we have to put right. However, considering the performance in the Ardija game and the second half today, we are slowly moving in the right direction. We hope to have all the injured players recovered during the break and make a new start in July".

Jef United Chiba manager Osim
"I'm glad the game's over; that was a tough match today. TOKYO are a dangerous team who should surely be higher up the league than they are at the moment. For a team in their position the result was the way things often go. I'm sure they'll move up the table but things are difficult for them at the moment. We knew we had to be physically strong today; you always have to be when you play F.C.TOKYO. Maybe the fans won't agree but if the game had gone on for a few more minutes they probably would have scored again".