First battle under the new Kuramata system! We want to regain our momentum.

　In Sec. 18 of the J1 League, we will face JEF United Chiba away. After the match against Urawa in the previous round, the team changed from former coach Garo to new coach Kuramata on the 15th (Tuesday). With the new structure, we aim to make a comeback in the second half of the season. Coach Kuramata has set "quick transitions between offense and defense" as the theme, with the initial goals being "restructuring the defense" and "improving conditioning." In particular, there are concerns about the overall conditioning of the team, so this week we conducted focused training in a short amount of time.

　However, the actual time spent on player assessment and coordinated play was limited to three days from the 16th to the 18th, and it cannot be denied that adjustments did not go as planned. Regarding the members, Coach Kuramata stated, "This is the best lineup given the current condition. We selected 'players who can fight' to implement the soccer we aim for." To ensure defensive stability, we will adopt a 4-4-2 system with Fujiyama as the left side back, Lucas and Akamine as the two forwards, and Kawaguchi and Ishikawa on the sides. Asari and Kajiyama will form a double pivot in the formation.

　Chiba, currently in 7th place with 8 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, welcomed new head coach Amar OSIM after the break. However, the direction of their play, which emphasizes running well and attacking from both defense and midfield, has not changed. In fact, compared to the previous head coach Ivica OSIM, they have become more aggressive, practicing a style of play that takes risks to attack. In their last 5 matches, they have 3 wins and 2 losses. The 2 losses were at home, but both felt like defeats due to a lack of finishing despite creating many chances. Additionally, on the 16th (Wednesday), four players, Abe, Sato, Hanyu, and Maki, represented the Japan national team in the match against Yemen, raising concerns about their condition.

　The players all said, "In the 'first match' of the new soccer season, gaining points is more important than the content of the game," and Coach Kuramata continued, "We must absolutely avoid conceding goals from our own mistakes..." The aim is to focus on defense and, on top of that, to capitalize on opportunities and secure points. It is a hot and humid evening at Fukuda Denshi Arena. The match started at 7:04 PM with Chiba's kickoff.

Although we conceded two goals early on, we managed to close the gap to one point with Lucas's goal.

　Both teams continue to fiercely contest the ball with quick pressing from the front, but they easily allow Chiba to score two goals. In the 4th minute, they lose the ball in the opponent's half, leading to a sharp counterattack starting from MF Sakamoto. FW Haas passes to MF Sakamoto just before entering the area, but Fujiyama manages to hold him off, resulting in a left corner kick. However, in the 5th minute, from this corner kick, MF Abe scores with a header. In the 7th minute, a weak clearance in front of the Tokyo goal exposes a defensive gap, allowing Chiba's MF Sakamoto to score with a looping shot that goes into the top right corner of the goal.

　Despite an unexpected turn of events with two sudden goals conceded, Tokyo does not give up and launches a counterattack. In the 8th minute, from a left free kick, Kajiyama passes to Ishikawa, who cuts inside and takes a shot, but it is blocked by the opposing defender. In the 11th minute, Jean intercepts the ball, which is then brought in by Akamine to Kajiyama. He takes a long-range shot, but the opposing goalkeeper deflects it for a corner kick. In the 15th minute, Kawaguchi, receiving a switch of play, shoots from just outside the area. It narrowly misses the top right corner of the goal. After conceding the goals, they surpass the opponent's work rate and show a battle that is more than even.

　Then, in the 16th minute, Lucas received a throw-in on the left side, persisted, entered the left area, and his powerful shot found the bottom left corner to score a goal. In the 19th minute, from a counter-attack, the ball was passed from Kajiyama to Ishikawa to Lucas, who dribbled in and took a shot, but it went over the bar. After the 25th minute, Chiba began to fight back. They maintained possession of the ball and launched attacks from both sides, starting with forward Haas. However, the defense stood firm and did not allow any shots. Both teams played with great intensity, leading to a fast-paced game with quick changes between offense and defense, making it a breathless match.

　In the 29th minute, Ishikawa broke away on the right side from Dohi's throw-in. Although he didn't get a shot off, the momentum started to build. In the 35th minute, there were two right corner kicks. From Kajiyama's kick, Lucas tried to connect with a header but missed. In the 38th minute, Lucas passed to Tokunaga, who surged up the right side and delivered a negative last pass to the center. Ishikawa attempted a direct shot but just missed to the right. In the 44th minute, after Akamine hit the post, Ishikawa received a return pass from Akamine and took a shot, but it was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. Ultimately, they went into halftime trailing by one goal, but the performance gave hope for the second half.

Abe's goal secures victory in a chaotic match, Coach Kuramata's first win!

　Even in the second half, both teams remain focused, resulting in an intense battle with their fighting spirit on full display. In the 46th minute, a pass is made to Chiba in front of the goal, resulting in a free kick awarded directly in front. Chiba's midfielder Abe aims directly at the goal, but misses the target. In the 53rd minute, a free kick is awarded from just outside the left side of the area. Kajiyama's kick is met by Akamine, but he is unable to shoot. From the rebound, a free kick is awarded from just outside the right side of the area. However, this too could not be converted into a shot. In the 55th minute, a corner kick from the left approaches the Chiba goal, but Ishikawa, receiving Kajiyama's last pass, is unable to take a shot. The goal remains unbroken.

　In the 57th minute, Chiba launched a sharp counterattack, with midfielder Hanyu breaking into the left side of the area and taking a shot. It narrowly went to the right but was a decisive moment. Then, in the 62nd minute, Kajiyama on the left side dragged the opposing defender while bringing the ball to the end line and made a final pass to Akamine, who was in close range. Akamine turned and shot while being pressured. The ball rolled into the net, equalizing the score. After that, the match became even more intense, with a rapid exchange of attacks and defenses.

　In the 69th minute, Fujiyama intercepted the ball, dribbled forward, and won a right corner kick. After three consecutive attempts, the ball finally rolled to Jean's feet, but he couldn't take a shot. In the 71st minute, substitute Chiba MF Mizuno took a shot from just outside the area, which went slightly to the right. In the 72nd minute, Abe was brought on to replace Kawaguchi, and the attack began to gain momentum. Then in the 75th minute, Kajiyama stole the opponent's ball and passed it to Ishikawa at just the right moment. He advanced into the right side of the area and took a shot! The ball pierced the net on the opposite side, finally giving us the lead.

　Immediately substituted Ozawa for Akamine. I wanted to solidify the defense in the front line and hold on to the lead, but in the 84th minute, after losing the ball in midfield, MF Rakuzan received it from the center and passed it to MF Hanyu on the right side, who skillfully struck it into the net on the opposite side. We were equalized again. However, just a minute later, Baba was brought in to replace the newly substituted Ozawa. We are going for the win. In the 89th minute, Baba connected with a heel pass, and Abe entered the penalty area. It seemed like he was fouled by the opposing defender, but there was no foul called. The match then entered stoppage time.

　From Baba's hold in the front line, Tokunaga sprinted up the right side and delivered a fast cross. In response, the two Chiba defenders were unable to clear it. Abe, who was behind them, pushed it in with his right foot, scoring a valuable go-ahead goal. Although they faced a counterattack from Chiba afterward, the referee's whistle blew, signaling the end. The fact that they fought without giving up until the end led to this remarkable comeback.

　【Player Comments】《Abe》"I am happy that the team was able to win in a good way. Since this was the first match under the new system, I thought it was very important. I am really glad we were able to achieve a good result. In the shooting situation, when Yuhei dribbled, I was sure the ball would come to me. It happened just like that, and I was able to calmly score with my right foot." 《Doi》"The new coach Kuramata told us, 'Don't be afraid, keep pushing forward.' Until the last match, I might have been discouraged if we had conceded two goals, but I was able to push forward with the mindset of 'we can recover.' It was significant that we were able to outrun Jeff. If the next match doesn't go well, it will lead to the thought of 'I knew it wouldn't work out.' To avoid that, we must fight hard in the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Honestly, I feel relieved. It has only been four days since I became the coach, but I am grateful to the players who have done their best so far. (What was the most emphasized approach to the players in these four days as a coach?) First, the team must unite as one. Even in practice matches, some players said selfish things, so I thought the team must come together, and I have been focusing on that. (What is the significance of winning an away game at JEF?) We planned that Chiba's stamina would drop in the second half and intended to make a decisive move from the middle of the second half. Since that actually happened, I think it went according to plan. (What instructions did you give the players after conceding two goals early on?) Conceding goals like accidents happens often, but I have kept telling them not to give up until the end. No player hung their head even after conceding from set pieces, so I view that positively. Regarding the two goals conceded, recently we have been slow to react to second balls, so I told them to respond firmly to second balls, but in that situation, they hesitated for a moment. That was something that should not have happened. However, I think the attitude of not giving up and continuing to try to score until the end has been changing for the better."

　[Summary of the press conference by Chiba's Amar Ivica OSIM] "I think today was a typical Japanese match. The many goals scored reflect that, as does the repeated pattern of one team taking the lead and then the other team taking it back. It also shows that both teams played aggressively. In the end, the match was decided by a goal in stoppage time, which I think is a classic example of a uniquely Japanese game in every aspect. In a match with a total of seven goals between both teams, focusing on tactics is misguided. I believe the fans enjoyed it, especially the Tokyo supporters. After scoring two goals, Tokyo had nothing to lose and applied high pressing, which succeeded. After it became 2-1, JEF needed to score another goal but failed to do so, and instead Tokyo equalized to 2-2 and gained momentum. Then JEF caught up again to 3-3 and took control of the flow, but they couldn't score another goal and in the end Tokyo scored the winning goal. Actually, JEF is a team that can calmly circulate the ball more, but it wasn't because Sato left the field due to injury; rather, Tokyo didn't allow it, and JEF themselves couldn't manage it."