Surpassing Chiba's momentum, aiming for 5 consecutive wins!

　In the 27th round of the league, we will face JEF United Chiba away. In the previous round against Shimizu, it was a tough game at the beginning, but we managed to overcome it and scored two goals to win. Although the performance was not good, we were able to pick up 3 points, which shows the current momentum of the team. In addition, Kono said, "We are communicating and correcting even the small points that we have been letting go of until now. That is also a factor in our victories during the game," and the four consecutive losses in August seem like a lie with our current impressive performance.

　Tokyo, on the other hand, is in 11th place with 34 points. In the last 4 matches, they have scored 12 goals and conceded 2 (Tokyo has scored 12 goals and conceded 1), showing a balanced attack and defense. However, if they can win the ball, their counterattacks from the midfield and defense are a threat. For Tokyo, it is important not only to clearly communicate and pass the ball, but also to press high and aggressively to win back possession. It is also crucial to avoid making mistakes with half-hearted plays (Manager Hara).

　And the key to this match will be the transition between offense and defense. If Ishikawa and Kurisawa can quickly exploit the spaces on the sides of Chiba's 3-back, they should be able to create plenty of chances. With Akamine leading the charge, Fukunishi and Konno will also look to link up and disrupt the opponent's defense, in order to launch a fast and powerful attack.

　Shioda calmly analyzes the battle so far, saying, "No one has been slacking off lately and the offense and defense are starting to work together without hesitation. But we can't just try to fight the same way. We want to aim higher and get results." He is also fully motivated. One step ahead of the opponent. Following the Shimizu match, we aim for victory with soccer that surpasses Chiba's momentum. The match started at 19:02 with Chiba's kickoff.

No way to stop Chiba's fierce attack. The first half ends with a 2-point deficit.

　Tokyo has been attacking since the start of the match. In the first minute, Ishikawa on the right side boldly cuts in and crosses. It didn't reach Lucas, but Imakawa, who followed up on the opponent's DF clearance, took a middle shot. He showed an aggressive attitude, but the shot didn't hit and went to the GK. In the second minute, they threatened Chiba's goal and won two right corner kicks. Imakawa dropped Ishikawa's kick and Akamine, who jumped in from the right, aimed for the goal, but was blocked by the opponent's DF. They continued their momentum and rhythmically attacked, pushing Chiba back.

　However, after that, the pace was in favor of Chiba. In the 4th minute, Chiba FW Niino broke through Tokyo's right side and sent a ground cross. Chiba right MF Mizuno ran freely into the area and took a powerful shot, but Shigetani blocked it with his body. However, in the 9th minute, Chiba took the lead on a counter attack. From MF Mizuno's feed to the front line, FW Maki competed for the ball and passed it to FW Niino, who then dribbled and shot from the left outside the area, scoring on the right side of the goal.

　Against expectations, Chiba kicked the ball to the front line, causing the DF line to drop back and allowing the ball to be picked up by the MF and DF. They lose in battles and are unable to take the ball at all. Even if they grab chances from FKs and CKs, they are countered and unable to create a rhythm in their attack. Then, in the 30th minute, the DFs are one step behind in countering Chiba. On the right side, MF Mizuno's pass shakes them up and connects to MF Sato in front of the goal. Although they cleared it once, MF Kudo quickly closed in and took a shot from just outside the box. It was scored in the left corner, giving up a second goal.

　After conceding a goal, Ishikawa went up the right side, cut inside and took a shot while carrying the opposing DF on his back, but it was saved by the GK. However, the flow of the game remained in favor of Chiba. A powerful shot from Chiba's MF Mizuno's free kick was saved by Shioda, and a shot from DF Nakajima from a close distance from a corner kick hit the post. It was a performance that could have easily resulted in 1 or 2 more goals against, but they managed to end the first half with only 2 goals conceded and looked forward to the second half.

Despite the determination to win, Chiba was pushed to the end but fell just short.

　At halftime, coach Hara told us, "We're losing to Chiba in both competition and physicality. We can't end like this for the fans who came to support us." So we went back to the pitch. And unlike the first half, we took control from the start. Akamine suddenly made a run towards the front line, and although he fell in a competition in the area, there was no foul. In the 46th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side and crossed. Kurizawa came in from the opposite side, but his trap was too high and the opponent's GK caught it. We persistently competed in 1-on-1 situations, won the ball, and launched 2-3 attacks.

　In the 51st minute, Rychely and Norio SUZUKI were substituted for Ishikawa and Kurisawa, further accelerating the momentum. In the 54th minute, Rychely dribbled past the opponent DF in the area and took a decisive shot, but it went over the top right corner. In the 55th minute, Fukunishi from the right area was in shooting position from the restart. However, it was blocked by the DF and resulted in a right corner kick. In the 56th minute, Rychely carried the ball up the right side and crossed it. The opponent DF cleared it and resulted in a right corner kick. The loose ball was kicked again to Noriyuki SUZUKI. From there, Lucas and Akamine jumped in with their bodies, but narrowly missed. In the 58th minute, Rychely cut inside from the right and took a powerful shot. However, it was met with a great save by the opponent GK.

　However, at the 60th minute, Chiba took advantage of a momentary gap and quickly passed the ball to the front line. Chiba's FW Arata Niino received the ball and dribbled towards the goal, but was brought down by Tokyo's Tatsuya Tokunaga in the penalty area, resulting in a third goal. It was a painful goal to concede, especially after a good attacking flow, but Tokyo did not have time to give up and continued to attack without losing their spirits. In the 65th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Kanazawa, forming a two-top with Akamine. Lucas moved to the left and Norio Suzuki took care of the side back, creating an ultra-attacking formation.

　Then in the 68th minute, Norio Suzuki's left FK was cleared in front of the goal, but Takanori Tokunaga picked up the loose ball on the opposite side and crossed it again. Shigeru Mochinaga returned the ball from the far side, and Koji Imano headed it in for a goal. They were able to get one point back. After that, Tatsuya Hirayama and Akamine broke through the defense and dribbled into the area, but were stopped by a corner kick. In the 74th minute, Akamine competed for the ball and quickly passed it to Imano on the front line. Yusuke Fukunishi broke through in front of the goal and slid in a left-footed shot, but it was blocked by the GK. However, in the 77th minute, Mochinaga stole the ball and passed it to Fukunishi at the right time, who once again broke through in front of the goal and was taken down from behind, earning a penalty kick. Lucas calmly converted it, bringing the score to a one-point difference.

　There are still more than 10 minutes left, and the fans are getting excited. In the 82nd minute, they get a free kick in front of the central area. Norio Suzuki takes a powerful left-footed shot, but it bounces off the wall. In the 86th minute, Lucas passes to Hirayama on the left. Fukunishi, who has moved up to the sideline, crosses the ball. Chiba's defense clears it out for a corner kick. Norio Suzuki's corner kick to Hirayama is not controlled properly. The attack continues into stoppage time. First, Hirayama skillfully breaks through the defense and takes a shot from the front of the area, but it goes wide to the right of the goal. Next, Hirayama drops a long feed from Imakawa and Akamine takes a one-touch shot. It was a good opportunity, but the distance was just a bit too far and the ball goes wide to the left. In the last chance, Tokunaga's long throw is cleared and Tokunaga crosses from the right again. Hirayama in front of the goal tries a difficult right-footed heel shot, but the GK catches it. They pushed Chiba until the very end, but couldn't quite make it. It ended in a defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Konno》"The team was different in the first half and the second half. In the second half, we had more energy and were more motivated. We regret not being able to win in the first half. Today's game was not what we expected from Chiba. They were able to avoid our press and kick the ball forward without connecting passes. We couldn't respond to that and our defense was stretched out. I was paying attention to space marking, but I kept getting kicked and it felt strange...so I just played in the first half. They were able to pick up the loose balls and we had to defend, but then they were able to connect passes and move around, making it difficult for us. In the second half, we were clearly in control and we wanted to turn the game around...but we just didn't have enough strength."《Suzuki Nori》"I wanted to break through the side with Rychely and score a goal. We were down by two goals, but I believed that if I played my usual style, we would be okay. We had chances, but our challenge is not being able to finish them. If I can score from free kicks or in the flow of the game, I should be able to become a starter. I think we are starting to play Tokyo-style soccer. It's really frustrating that we couldn't win in front of so many fans who came all the way in the rain. We lost to Yokohama FM at Ajinomoto Stadium in the Nabisco Cup, so we want to win and erase that bad memory."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "For the first 5 minutes, we were able to play as planned and had chances to shoot. However, Jeff unexpectedly started attacking from the front with FW Mayu, which changed the rhythm of the game as MF Sato and FW Arata picked up the loose balls. Jeff was marking us closely, so I instructed the players to aim for spaces instead of trying to connect passes on the ground. But their quick start and good form allowed them to steal the ball from Ishikawa, who was trying to keep possession, resulting in many counterattacks. That's when Jeff took control of the game. In fact, we conceded the second goal in that manner. Jeff's quick attacks made it difficult for us to keep up. In the second half, I instructed the players to keep it simple and not try to connect too many passes on the same side, as it would lead to more counterattacks. However, it didn't make much of a difference, so I brought in speedy players like Norio Suzuki and Rychely. With Rychely's breakthrough and Norio Suzuki's left foot, we were able to take control of the game. We were hoping to score one goal...but then they scored a penalty from a counterattack, making it tough for us. However, everyone worked hard and there were moments where we thought we could catch up. I want to commend the team for not giving up until the end, but we should have played like that from the beginning. I think we were overwhelmed by Jeff's strengths in the first half. However, substitutes Hirayama and Rychely did a great job when they came on. We have 7 games left and we will continue to fight with fresh players."

　[Summary of Chiba Amal Coach's Press Conference] "It's a shame that September only has 280 days. The next game will be in October. Let's see what happens. (We won 5 consecutive games and became 10th place?) In order to stay in J1 next year, we need 5 or 6 more points. We must not forget where we were a month and a half ago. It's the same coach and players. (The first half was perfect, but the second half was tough?) I think it was a good game for the audience. However, it was a tough game for me. What's disappointing is that we couldn't control the second half as well as the first half. In the interview 2-3 days ago, I said, "The Tokyo game always has a lot of goals. It will be that kind of game." And it actually happened. Of course, it's inevitable that Tokyo, who had such momentum, changed their players in the second half. I think today's game showed that JEF is not yet a mature team. If it were a mature team, we would have scored more goals and won 3-0. But we couldn't do that. That's the difference between us and Gamba or Frontale. (Why were you able to control the opponent in the first half?) We were playing soccer for the first 60 minutes, so we were able to control the opponent. The remaining 30 minutes were like playing rugby. That's why the momentum shifted to the opponent. It's an exaggerated way of saying it, but Tokyo can also play games like rugby. In that kind of game, we can't handle it. In that sense, Tokyo was better in the last 30 minutes. It wouldn't have been strange if we had conceded a third goal."