With a sense of crisis, we face Chiba at home National

　In Sec. 6 of the league, we will face JEF United Chiba at our home, Japan National Stadium. In the previous match against Kashima, we showed a promising performance but fell short of victory. Coach Jofuku expressed concern, stating, "The issues we have been working on as a team were particularly evident in the first 15 minutes. That has not been resolved."

　In order to break this situation, it is necessary to "change the combination of members once again and for each individual to have a sense of responsibility and crisis under intense competition," and for this match, the members have been changed from the previous match, with Konno positioned as a center back and Yonemoto making his first professional start as a defensive midfielder. The formation will be led by Kondo at the front line.

　Chiba has not yet won a match in the league, with 3 draws and 2 losses. However, Coach Jofuku remains vigilant, stating, "Under Coach Miller, they will implement measures to effectively counter the opponent's strong points." Above all, the strong determination to bet everything on a crucial match and the insatiable desire for victory have already been proven in the final match of last season. To not be on the defensive against Chiba's strong spirit and to start the match with full concentration is an absolute condition for victory.

　Chiba's counterattacks are sharp, and after targeting FW Maki, FW Fukai and others burst forward decisively. MF Kudo's movements are also skillful, and we want to ensure they are not allowed to play easily. In attack, it will be necessary to base our strategy on the wide formation shown in the match against Kashima, exploiting Chiba's compact defense. Our goal is, of course, to earn 3 points, but we want to capitalize on our chances and ideally score more than 2 goals by building up step by step. Under the spring-like climate, the National Stadium is enveloped in twilight. The match started at 19:04 with Chiba's kickoff.

Took control on the right side and took the lead with Ishikawa's first goal of the season!

　From the beginning, both teams displayed fierce determination and went after the ball. The match continued with both sides exchanging kicks, but Ishikawa fought hard in both defense and offense, creating chances starting from the right side. In the 6th minute, Tokunaga, who advanced, was fouled on the right flank, earning a free kick. Ishikawa pretended to kick a high ball but sent a ground pass to Kondo just outside the area, but the kick was weak, and they couldn't synchronize. In the 9th minute, Cabore stole a loose ball, dribbled forward, and spread it to the right flank. Ishikawa caught up and passed it to Tokunaga, who followed. Kajiyama at the far post connected with a half-volley from the cross, but it went straight to the opposing GK.

　In the 15th minute, forward Maki reliably controlled a long pass from Chiba, and midfielder Kudo advanced from the defensive midfield position to take a shot, creating a familiar opportunity, but Gonda caught it. In the 18th minute, Yonemoto cleared a pass to the front line from Chiba with a header. Kajiwara received this, and Cabore passed it back to Kajiwara, who then sent it to Ishikawa, who was drifting left. Ishikawa dribbled inwards, skillfully evading the defender, and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot! The shot grazed the goalkeeper's hand and went into the top right corner. Ishikawa scores a strong first goal of the season to take the lead!

　In the 20th minute, a quick attack from Chiba was met, and FW Fukai broke through to the front line, but Nagatomo blocked him. Following this, a free kick awarded led to an attack in front of the goal, but the defense cleared it with determination. Thanks to Gonda's save, they also managed to defend the subsequent corner kick. In the 26th minute, Kondo broke through to the front line and took a powerful shot, but it missed the target. In the 38th minute, Ishikawa caught up with a long cross-field pass and connected with Hanyu, who advanced on the outside. They showed good coordination, but the ball sent into the middle by Hanyu hit the opposing defender. Although they couldn't convert the chances, they remained calm in defense, suppressing Chiba's vigorous counterattacks, and went into halftime with a one-goal lead.

Conceded 2 goals in the last 5 minutes, resulting in a comeback loss...

　In the second half, it was Chiba who quickly found their rhythm. However, they responded firmly at the back line, calmly holding on, and gradually Tokyo took control of the pace with speedy attacks. In the 53rd minute, from Kondo's reliable hold-up play, Hanyu moved forward, drawing the defense and smoothly shifting the ball to the left. Cabore struck the ball with his right foot from just in front of the central area, but was thwarted by a great save from the Chiba GK, resulting in a corner kick. Following this, Cabore connected after the clearance from the left corner kick, and finally, Tokunaga's shot from the left area pierced the net, but it was ruled out for offside beforehand... In the 56th minute, Kondo received a vertical pass and aimed for a shot from a tight angle, but this too was blocked by the GK's save.

　Time passed without scoring an additional goal during the chance. Here, Chiba brought in MF Tanizawa for MF Yonekura in the 63rd minute. Tokyo also substituted Suzuki for Ishikawa in the 64th minute. In the 67th minute, Chiba FW Fukai sprinted in from the left side towards the center. In the Tokyo area, YoneMoto was turned and a shot was taken. This hit the Tokyo defense and changed direction, causing a scare. It narrowly missed the target, avoiding a crisis, but in the intense match that followed, the lines stretched out, leading to a counterattack exchange. In the 69th minute, Asari was brought in for YoneMoto in an attempt to calm the game down.

　However, in the face of Chiba's intensity, both sides had a chance for a "big hit". In the 78th minute, Akamine was brought on to replace Cabore. They tried to maintain pressure from the front line, but in the 82nd minute, they lost the ball in midfield to Chiba, who launched a counterattack. The ball was played in the air in front of the Tokyo goal, and in the end, forward Maki headed it. The floating ball hit the bar, going over Gonda's outstretched hand... It was a breath-taking moment, but they were also helped by a mistake.

　However, in the 86th minute, from a throw-in by Chiba's MF Tanizawa, MF Alex, who had moved up to a deep position on the left front line, made a grounded pass to the center. This exploited a gap in Tokyo's defense and reached FW Maki, who was free in front of the goal. He kicked it in with a sliding shot, resulting in a goal conceded... The restart caught them off guard, allowing the equalizer.

　Tokyo, desperate for a victory at home, pushed forward in the remaining stoppage time to try to take the lead. However, they were instead caught off guard by a long ball from Chiba, leading to a long kick from Chiba's goalkeeper that connected with a header from Chiba FW Maki, sending the ball forward. Unable to regain possession, FW Fukai managed to keep the ball, passing it to MF Tanizawa, who then sent it back to FW Fukai, who broke into the right area. This was converted with certainty, sealing Tokyo's fate... In a shocking turnaround, Chiba, who never gives up, took advantage of Tokyo's momentary lapse and scored two goals just before the end, resulting in a devastating comeback loss. Tokyo suffered their second consecutive defeat at home...

　【Player Comments】<Ishikawa> "It's frustrating, and there are many things I need to reflect on. On the other hand, there were parts where I performed well. I must not lose sight of those and continue the process of trial and error to connect them to results. Last year had tough periods, and I felt considerable frustration in today's match and the previous game against Kashima. I believe this frustration will strengthen both the team and individuals. Regarding scoring, I missed a close chance in the last game as well, so it was good to take the shot calmly this time. However, including myself, we have continued to struggle to score a second goal. Even though the defense has been working hard, scoring only one goal is still tough. (There were harsh voices from the supporters?) That just means they are passionately supporting us. Since we are the ones actually fighting on the pitch, we sincerely accept those voices and will continue so that next time we are greeted with applause. Although full of frustration, we have no choice but to keep going." <Yonemoto> "Personally, I think there were moments where I played well and my body moved well. I intended to give my all and fight until my legs cramped, so in that sense, it was good... but the team lost, which is disappointing and frustrating. I approached the match thinking my role was defensive midfield. I believe I was effective defensively, but I only managed to make one pass that led to an attack. Moving forward, I want to get more actively involved with the ball as a plus alpha. Also, I want to be able to add more rhythm to the team. Today, I felt the lack of technique more than stamina. I want to use the frustration from this defeat as motivation to work hard for the next match."

　【Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference】 "Very disappointing. I apologize to the fans for the frustrating experience. (What was the intention behind the substitutions?) There were players who were tired, had conditioning issues, or experienced minor accidents. Some substitutions were made for those reasons, but there was also a tactical message I wanted to convey. (Did the defense panic when the opponent targeted behind the defense?) Since we were in the lead, we knew the opponent would attack. It would have been better if we could have calmly started from solid defense. In a situation where we could have scored a second goal, I think I went a bit too far when I made the third substitution and the switch was activated. Both in terms of numbers and mentality, we pushed too far forward. It's understandable if people say that the message wasn't conveyed as a result."

　[Chiba - Coach Alex MILLER's Press Conference Summary] "I think the first half was an even game, but because we couldn't keep possession and lost the ball easily, the opponent was able to attack us effortlessly. Even when we had the ball, we only completed one or two passes before losing it again, leading to repeated attacks from the opponent. In the second half, the players started pressing the opponent more, which allowed us to regain possession. With good movements from the attacking line, we were able to utilize the flanks. In the last 15 minutes, we completely controlled the game. Regarding the second half, our defense performed well as we pushed forward to counter Tokyo's dangerous counterattacks. Especially defender Sakamoto, who switched from right side to center back, did an excellent job. Sakamoto is an experienced player. Tokyo's number 18 was targeting behind defender Aoki, but Aoki responded well. Therefore, we kept that unchanged and placed defender Wada on the right side, moving Sakamoto to center back. In the past few matches, the players have been in good form and should understand what kind of play is required. In that sense, we were able to respond well to Tokyo."