Nabisco Cup resumes, Chiba seeks revenge in league match

　The Nabisco Cup resumes. In the third round of the qualifying league, JEF United Chiba will face off against their opponents. In the league, they have taken control of the game against Kyoto and Yokohama FM, keeping two consecutive clean sheets. Coach Shirofuku and the players have expressed their desire to maintain this momentum and continue their winning streak in this round of the Nabisco Cup.

　However, Kajiyama, who was injured in the Yokohama FM match, will be absent. With Cabore and Ishikawa also out, the team is in a difficult situation, but Coach Eifuku says, "Whether starting or coming off the bench, we have players who understand their roles and can make calculated decisions," and he is also feeling confident. Therefore, a fresh lineup will be used today, with Kanazawa in the defensive midfield and Tanabe making his first professional start on the right side. In addition, Tokunaga, who had played the full 90 minutes in every game so far, twisted his foot in practice the day before and will be absent today as a precaution. As a result, Mukuhara will be in the starting lineup, facing the match.

　Chiba, on the other hand, has only drawn twice in the Nabisco Cup and has yet to win. Against Chiba, although it is a different tournament, we want to win this time by overcoming the bitter memories of two come-from-behind losses in the league matches. Coach Jofuku also said, "Whether it's in the Nabisco Cup or not, in order to repay Chiba for the "good learning experience" they gave us, we must return "three" wins with determination."

　Chiba is targeting the front line and clearly aiming to attack from the sides, so for Tokyo, the key will be how well they can pick up loose balls. They want to win the battle for the ball and running, and dominate possession to extend their own soccer time. They aim to win the match without being swallowed up by the atmosphere of Chiba's home advantage and dispel their weakness. The Fukuda Denshi Arena, still humid with the feeling of early summer. The match started at exactly 7:00 PM with Tokyo's kickoff.

Kondo scores first! Hirayama leads the game in our favor.

　In the early stages, there was a fierce battle for possession and the ball was not settling down easily, but gradually Tokyo took control and dominated the game. In the 7th minute, Hirayama chased after a through pass sent by Kondo from the left side, behind the opponent's DF, and his shot grazed the GK's hand and hit the right post... Then in the 19th minute, in a similar fashion, Yonemoto sent a through pass to Hirayama, who battled with the opponent and moved to the left. Kondo, who received the ball, dribbled fiercely into the penalty area, cut back past the opponent's DF, and swung his left foot, sending the ball through the GK's legs and into the right side of the net. Kondo's spectacular goal gave them the lead!

　Tokyo completely dominated the ball, with Hirayama securing the ball at the front and leading the team towards the Chiba goal. In the 20th minute, Kondo scored a direct shot from Hirayama's cross on the right side. In the 23rd minute, Hirayama brought the ball deep into the left area and made a final pass in front of the goal. However, it did not reach Tanabe on the far side and was cut off by the Chiba defenders for a throw-in. There were also moments where Chiba attempted a counterattack, but everyone maintained a high defensive awareness and the final line of defense, Inamoto and Bruno QUADROS, successfully prevented any potential threats and connected the team to the attack.

　In the 38th minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack, with Tanabe carrying the ball to the right area and sending a through pass through two opposing DF players, but the momentum was weak and it did not reach Hirayama. In the 41st minute, Hirayama dropped a loose ball that Kondo had contested on the front line, and Hayashi reacted to it. He broke through alone and took a decisive shot from the left area with speed, but it went wide... In the 44th minute, Bruno QUADROS dribbled up the ball that was cut off by the DF line and sent a through pass to the space on the left front line. Kondo sent a cross to the center, and Bruno QUADROS, who had once again advanced to the goal, dropped it with his chest, but the trap was slightly too big and he was unable to shoot due to being surrounded by DF players. In the end, there were some mistakes due to lack of coordination and accuracy, and they were unable to score a second goal, ending the first half.

Chiba faces a fierce comeback, but secures a valuable victory with focused defense!

　In the second half, Tokyo took control of the pace and attacked. However, at the start, Bruno QUADROS cut off the entire team and pushed forward, with Kanazawa → Tanabe providing a lob pass to the front line. There, Hayu flew out, but the Chiba GK cleared it quickly. Kondo then took a direct shot from the right side, but it missed widely. In the 50th minute, from Chiba's left side FK, FW Maki was given a close-range header shot, but Gonda made a solid catch.

　In the 54th minute, Nakamura was substituted for Kondo and moved to right MF, while Tanabe was moved up to FW in an attempt to score an additional goal. In the 56th minute, Tanabe received a right cross in the area, but was unable to shoot due to the DF's defense. However, they continued to persistently keep possession and pass the ball between Nakamura and Hayashi in an attempt to break through the center, but were unable to create a chance. In the 61st minute, Yonemoto took advantage of a gap in the opponent's DF and broke into the area. However, his shot lacked power and went straight to the GK.

　Substituting Suzuki for Tanabe in the 62nd minute. However, Chiba did not give up and both teams fiercely collided, with Chiba also receiving a counterattack trying to regain their rhythm. In the 64th minute, a left cross was dropped by FW Maki in front of the goal, and he managed to avoid Inokawa with a trap and take a shot. It was a decisive opportunity, but it missed the frame and nothing came of it.

　74 minutes, Yonemoto persevered and earned a FK from right corner. Suzuki takes the FK, but the opposing DF clears it. Nakamura drops the ball with his chest in front of the area and takes a direct volley shot. It seemed like a replay of the Yokohama FM match, but it went over the bar... In the final minutes, Tokyo calmed down and couldn't connect their passes, leading to a frantic back-and-forth counterattack. In the 80th minute, Nakamura cuts back the opposing DF from the right side and calmly crosses it into the box. It was a decisive ball, but just out of reach for Hirayama. Chiba also throws the ball into the front line to FW Maki and launches a counterattack with MF Fukai on the side.

　In the 86th minute, Chiba's FK created a chance and sent a final pass behind Tokyo's DF, but Chiba's MF Yonekura took a decisive shot from inside the area and was saved by Gonda, resulting in a CK. Following a mistake, Chiba countered and MF Fukai sprinted down the left side. A final pass was sent to FW Maki in front of the goal, creating another scoring opportunity, but it narrowly missed and the team avoided danger... In the long 4 minutes of stoppage time, everyone concentrated and defended with Gonda at the center, preserving the valuable 1-0 lead and achieving a victory with 3 consecutive clean sheets.

【Player Comments】《Kondo》"There was a similar opportunity in the beginning of the game, but I couldn't score. Then, when the same opportunity came again, I was determined to score. I didn't have a good angle, but I thought I could score if I swung my leg without thinking about the pass. I'm happy that I was able to produce results when I played. I was frustrated with Chiba since the end of last season and I didn't want to lose in the same way three times. It was great that everyone fought with a strong mentality and we were able to win without conceding any goals. However, it also made me realize the difficulty of controlling the game."《Tanabe》"I couldn't get involved in any shots. I was desperately trying to keep up, and it ended like that... That's how I felt. I wasn't completely confident until I stepped onto the pitch, but I was more excited than anything. I don't think I started the game poorly, but I wasn't able to showcase my strengths at all. I was able to dribble past half of the defenders, but then I got hit and couldn't get past all of them. I felt the strength of the opponent and my own composure started to disappear. However, it was a good experience to realize that nothing I did today worked. It will only motivate me even more."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "I am truly grateful that so many fans came to support us on a weekday night away game at Fukuda.A. It was great to be able to celebrate with them at this stadium. However, as for the game itself, it should not have ended in a 1-0 score. We wanted to score 2 or 3 goals. But I also think it was a valuable victory at 1-0. We knew the opponent would come at us in the end, but the players stayed focused despite various incidents. If we could have scored a second goal in this situation, we could have gone even higher, but we managed to defend until the end. We have kept a clean sheet for 3 consecutive games, so we want to continue this. (About player Tanabe's debut) We always aim to respect each other's strengths and bring out the best in each other to win. Even when a new player joins, the players around them play while respecting them. That's why it was easy for the first-time player to play as well. (Why was he chosen?) Of course, standing on the pitch comes with responsibility. It is assumed that he can handle that responsibility and continue his performance at PREMIST. There are other players like that, but he has the attacking creativity that this team lacks, and with various stimuli, this team can go one step further. That was also the background."

　[Summary of Chiba Miller's press conference] "In the first half, FC Tokyo had a better attacking shape. The reason for that was because we were not able to pass the ball properly. Especially in the midfield, we were dominated. Even when we were able to take the ball, we quickly lost it again. As for the goals we conceded, we were caught out behind the defense and conceded bad goals. In the second half, our movement improved and the tempo and passing of the game also improved significantly. However, we were not able to convert our chances. If we had, we could have equalized or even turned the game around. I am happy that the players gave their all, and they fought well even in the tough schedule of 5 games in 14 days. (What was the reason for the comeback in the second half?) First of all, there was a problem with our positioning. In the first half, when we had the ball, we passed it back to the four defenders, and the opponent put pressure on us. The first, second, and third players were pressed even more, and we lost the ball. Also, there were not enough passes to the players in front. We ended up making more sideways passes, which were then pressed and lost. In the second half, the players with the ball were able to face forward and play, and players started to run forward from open spaces, making it possible to use the field more widely. I think that was the key to taking control of the game."