An important first match after the break, let's unite and win at home!

　After a break of about 3 weeks, the J-League resumes. In Sec. 14, we will face JEF United Chiba at home. During the break, we focused on hard training with the theme of "how to play in difficult situations." Based on that, this past week we have been concentrating on training for the Chiba match, focusing on quick transitions from defense to attack and how to play in unfavorable situations, among various scenarios.

　While Konno returns from the Japan national team, Nagatomo and Mobiwa have been injured one after another. This match will see Sahara and Fujiyama as center-backs, with Kanazawa serving as the left side-back. Coach Jofuku expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "Regardless of whether they make the roster or not, the players are united in facing Chiba. In this good sense of tension, we aim to turn accidents into positives."

　Chiba is currently at the bottom of the league standings. However, under the guidance of coach Alex MILLER, they have gone unbeaten in the last five matches with four wins and one draw (two league matches and three Nabisco Cup matches). They defend with a four-back formation and maintain their line with midfield players, building on a solid defense while launching sharp counterattacks to accumulate points. Additionally, in these five matches, they have scored the opening goal every time and demonstrated resilience in suppressing the opponent's counterattacks.

　Coach Jofuku stated, "Chiba must have been brushing up on their defensive system and counterattacks during this break. If we don't break through that, we won't be able to earn three points. I think it will be a tough match, but we want to show something that surpasses our opponent." He also anticipates that if we allow the first goal, they may solidify their defense. We want to create chances with quick passing and movements that outpace the opponent, aiming to score the first goal. Even in difficult times, we want to maintain our balance, calmly implement 'Moving Football,' and turn it into opportunities.

　Chiba's lineup appears as 5-3-2 on the roster, but with DF Toda moving to midfield and FW Ronaldo taking the front line, they approached a formation closer to 4-1-4-1. Unfortunately, under the rainy skies of Ajinomoto, the match started at 16:04 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Despite being reduced to 10 players in the 7th minute, they took the lead without feeling the numerical disadvantage!

　From the start, they went on the attack. In the 3rd minute, Emerson aimed for a long shot. In the 5th minute, Emerson moved up to a high position on the right side and delivered a cross. Hirayama in front of the goal attempted a shot after a chest trap but was unable to shoot due to pressure from the defender. However, in the 7th minute, a vertical pass from Chiba's defender Bosnar went over Sahara's head and reached Chiba's FW Ronaldo. FW Ronaldo utilized his speed to break through to the front line, but Konno, who came to cover, fouled him in the area, resulting in a penalty kick... The penalty kick taken by FW Ronaldo was stopped by Shiota with a great save, avoiding a critical situation, but Konno received a red card, forcing them to play with 10 men early on.

　In the 9th minute immediately after, Chiba FW Ronaldo broke through again on the right side of Tokyo and took a shot from the area. The rebound was pressed by MF Kudo, but Shiota made consecutive saves. After Shiota's excellent defense, Tokyo regained their composure. From an aggressive attacking plan, they had to change to a shape aiming for a counterattack, with Kajiyama, Emerson, and Hanyu raising their defensive awareness in the midfield, but they calmly connected passes and looked for opportunities to counterattack by playing their own style of football.

　In the 23rd minute, Hirayama was fouled in the area, and this time Tokyo got a penalty kick. However, Cabore's penalty kick was saved by the Chiba GK, missing another great opportunity to take the lead. Still, they launched an attack exploiting the open space, and in the 28th minute, Kanazawa advanced centrally, bravely aiming for the goal while surrounded by the opposing DF. In the 33rd minute, Cabore received the ball just outside the area on the right, cut inside, and aimed for a mid-range shot. It was a controlled shot, but it went over the bar. In the 38th minute, from a right cross, Hirayama, while being marked by a DF, made a clever move to turn and shoot. He created a big chance with his skillful play, but the shot went straight to the GK.

　With a fighting spirit that did not show any numerical disadvantage, they approached the Chiba goal. In the 39th minute, Hirayama chased down a clearance from Chiba and earned a left corner kick. When Hanyu took the kick, Sahara was completely free at the far post. Although there was no angle, he calmly headed the ball into the net for a goal! This was Sahara's first goal in the J1 League, giving them the lead by one point as they headed into the second half.

Sahara was injured, caught off guard by an accident, ending in a draw...

　In the second half, they launched attacks while maintaining a solid defense, leading to intense back-and-forth action. In the 46th minute, from a left free kick, Kajiyama exchanged a one-two with Hanyu and dribbled into the center to shoot. In the 49th minute, from a quick attack, Hanyu on the left passed to Cabore, who shot from the center. However, it lacked power and went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 53rd minute, a right cross from Chiba was dropped in the area, and forward Niinai was about to shoot just in front of the area, but Kajiyama blocked him by getting in the way. In the 56th minute, Hanyu spread the ball to the left, and Kanazawa delivered a left cross. It reached Hirayama on the right side of the area, but he got caught on the pitch and couldn't take a shot. Hanyu didn't give up, rushed in for the loose ball, and earned a right corner kick, but they couldn't create a chance from the corner.

　However, as time passed, signs of fatigue began to show, and they gradually reached a point where they could not maintain the pressure. In the 57th minute, Chiba replaced DF Toda with FW Maki, starting to push Tokyo back with long balls. In the 59th minute, they lost a pass in midfield, and Chiba FW Maki was fouled just outside Tokyo's right area, resulting in a free kick. Chiba MF Kudo's free kick was cleared once, but from the throw-in given, they exploited the open space in front of the goal. In the 62nd minute, a long ball from the left by Chiba was dropped by FW Maki at the far post, creating a decisive scene for FW Ronaldo at the near post. It was a close-range shot, but Shioda made a save to prevent the goal.

　The incident occurred in the 66th minute. In response to a ball towards Chiba's front line, Sahara and Kanazawa collided. Unable to take possession, Chiba FW Ronaldo was allowed to shoot freely from the right area. He cut to the left and avoided a crisis, but Sahara suffered a facial injury and was bleeding, requiring treatment off the pitch. In the 68th minute, under those circumstances, Chiba DF Ikeda's vertical pass reached FW Niinai on the right side, who sent an early cross. In response, FW Ronaldo jumped in with his head in front of the goal, and finally, the goal was scored...

　Still, in the 74th minute, Ohtake was substituted for Hanyu, in the 79th minute, Kondo was substituted for Cabore, and then Akamine was substituted for Hirayama, aiming for an additional goal with the attacking lineup. However, Chiba also attacked with the substitute MF Tanizawa, FW Niinuma, and Maki, and in the 85th minute, a left early cross from Chiba's MF Tanizawa was headed by FW Maki, but Shiota caught it. In the 86th minute, Kondo was fouled just in front of the left area, earning a free kick. Kondo's direct ground shot was blocked by the Chiba DF wall. As the back-and-forth continued, in the 87th minute, a quick attack was launched, with Emerson dribbling up the center and passing to Kondo, who ran from left to right. Kondo turned inside and aimed for the open space to shoot, but missed the target. The intense back-and-forth continued, but neither side could score an additional goal. The first match after the restart ended in a 1-1 draw.

　【Player Comments】<Shioda> "Since it was a home game, I wanted to win. The draw is disappointing. Even so, fighting with 10 men for over 80 minutes and limiting the goals conceded to a minimum was good. I think everyone's feelings did not become scattered and we were able to unite as one. When we were down to 10 men, we switched to quick attacks while passing, but we absolutely did not lose in running and tried to fight hard. We were able to connect passes on par with the opponent and created chances, but... Conceding a goal when down to 9 men is an issue we've had before. We need to either waste time or make finer judgment adjustments. However, the 1 point earned without losing here is necessary to continue fighting at a higher stage in the future. I want to carry forward the fact that everyone fought looking in the same direction even in tough times." <Hanyu> "I want to think positively about earning 1 point even with 10 men. The midfield was down to 3 players, but together with 4 defenders, we formed a block to defend. However, naturally the coverage area expanded and there was fatigue. In that situation, we scored from a set piece and had chances to win. The accident where player Sahara went off the pitch and conceding a goal at that time is a point to reflect on. Because I dropped back to defend as a side back, I couldn’t press from the front and allowed an easy cross. We couldn’t show what we planned to do with 11 men, but there were things we could do with 10 men. I want to turn those into positives going forward."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "The J.League has resumed, and despite the bad weather, many people came to the stadium. We also wanted to achieve a good result. It is unfortunate that we only earned 1 point. We always conduct various game simulations and prepare for different situations before matches, but today, Konno was sent off early in the game. We did not expect to be down to 10 players so soon, but after that, we switched to a single forward and formed a diamond midfield. I think the way we managed the game was not bad. In the first half, since the opponent's formation did not change, we also formed a block and played with the mindset that a 0-0 score was acceptable. We could have scored and ended the first half in a good position, but in the second half, Chiba came out with three forwards, spread wide, and brought in forward Maki, so we anticipated various scenarios. However, we did not expect to have only 8 field players on the pitch for such a long time due to injuries during the match. We must reflect on conceding a goal during that period. Still, playing with 10 men for over 80 minutes on a pitch in poor condition due to bad weather is extremely tough. Regarding how the game was managed, I think the players fought very well."

　[Chiba - Summary of Coach Alex MILLER's Press Conference] "I think we started well. We were able to attack early and earned a penalty kick, but the opposing GK made a great save. After that, we struggled to maintain possession, and it became a tough situation. We couldn't break through, and we conceded a goal from a corner kick, ending the first half in a difficult position. However, we improved in the second half. GK Tateishi made several saves for us. The fact that we started functioning in the second half was largely due to our ability to utilize side attacks. We used a lot of switches to create opportunities and managed to create several good chances. By effectively using short passes to the wide areas, we were able to generate various movements from there. As a result, I believe we did enough to earn one point. The players fought very well, and I want us to continue to fight like we did in the second half going forward."