Nabisco Cup Resumes, Achieving Revenge Against Chiba in League Match

　The Nabisco Cup resumes. We face JEF United Chiba in the qualifying league Sec. 3. In the league matches, we took control against Kyoto and Yokohama FM, keeping a clean sheet in two consecutive games. Coach Jofuku and the players also mentioned, "We want to cherish this momentum," and this match in the Nabisco Cup will be an opportunity to maintain the rhythm we've gained and aim for consecutive victories.

　However, Kajiyama, who was injured in the match against Yokohama FM, will be absent. With the departures of Cabore and Ishikawa, the team is in a difficult situation, but Coach Jofuku feels confident, stating, "Whether starting or coming off the bench, we have players who recognize their roles and can be counted on." Therefore, fresh members will be used today, with Kanazawa in the defensive midfield and Tanabe making his first professional start on the right side. Additionally, Tokunaga, who had been playing the full matches until now, twisted his ankle in practice the day before, so he will be excluded from the lineup as a precaution. As a result, Mukuhara will be included in the starting lineup and will take the field.

　Chiba, on the other hand, has only managed two draws in the Nabisco Cup and has yet to secure a victory. Although the tournament is different, we want to shake off the bitter memories of losing in comeback defeats during the two league matches and finally achieve a win this time. Coach Jofuku also expressed his determination, stating, "Whether it's the Nabisco Cup or not, in order to repay Chiba for the 'valuable lessons learned,' we must return with 'three' points."

　Chiba has a clear strategy of targeting the front line and attacking from the sides, so for Tokyo, a key point will be how well they can pick up loose balls. They want to maintain possession and extend their time playing their style of football without being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of Chiba, who are taking advantage of their home ground, and aim for victory by overcoming their mental block. The humid heat reminiscent of early summer lingers at Fukuda Denshi Arena. The match started at exactly 19:00 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Kondo scores first! The team takes control of the match starting from Hirayama.

　In the early stages, there was a fierce battle for possession, and the ball was hard to settle, but gradually Tokyo found their rhythm and took control of the match. In the 7th minute, Hirayama sent a through pass behind the opponent's defense to Kondo, who caught up and his shot grazed the goalkeeper's hand and hit the right post... Then in the 19th minute, in a similar play, Yonemoto sent a penetrating pass to Hirayama, who, while competing with an opponent, spread the play to the left. Kondo received the ball and charged into the area with a fierce dribble, cut past the opponent's defender, and unleashed a left-footed shot that went through the goalkeeper's legs and into the right side of the net. Kondo scored a spectacular goal to take the lead!

　Taking this opportunity, Tokyo completely controlled the ball, with Hirayama reliably receiving the ball in the front line and becoming the starting point, heading towards the Chiba goal one after another. In the 20th minute, from a cross by Hirayama that flowed to the right side, Kondo at the near post made a direct shot. In the 23rd minute, Hirayama carried the ball deep into the left area and made a last pass in front of the goal. However, it did not reach Tanabe at the far post and was cut off by the Chiba defense, resulting in a throw-in. There were moments when Chiba launched counterattacks, but everyone maintained a high defensive awareness, and at the final line, Konno and Bruno QUADROS consistently nipped potential crises in the bud and connected them to attacks.

　In the 38th minute, Tokyo launched a quick attack, with Tanabe bringing the ball into the right area and sending a through pass to the center between two opposing defenders, but it lacked power and did not reach Hirayama. In the 41st minute, Kondo contested for the ball at the front line, which Hirayama touched down with one touch, and Hanyu reacted to it. He broke through alone in front of the goal and, gaining speed, took a decisive shot from the left area, but it went wide... In the 44th minute, Bruno QUADROS picked up a ball cut by the defensive line and dribbled forward, sending a through pass into the space on the left front line. Kondo sent a cross to the center, and once again, Bruno QUADROS, who had moved up to the front of the goal, dropped it with his chest, but his trap was slightly too big, and he was surrounded by defenders and unable to shoot. In the end, there were mistakes due to a lack of coordination and precision, and they could not score the second goal, ending the first half.

Faced with a fierce counterattack from Chiba, but achieved a valuable victory with focused defense!

　In the second half, Tokyo maintained the pace and pressed forward. However, at the start, Bruno QUADROS made a cut that pushed the whole team forward, and a last pass from Kanazawa to Tanabe floated to the front line. Hayu made a run, but the Chiba goalkeeper cleared it a step earlier. Kondo took a direct shot from the right side after it spilled over, but it went wide. In the 50th minute, from a free kick on Chiba's left side, a forward, Maki, took a header from close range, but Gonda caught it securely.

　In the 54th minute, Nakamura was brought in for Kondo on the right midfield, aiming for an additional goal by moving Tanabe up to forward. In the 56th minute, a right cross was dropped by Tanabe in the area, trying to set up for a shot, but he was closed down by the defense and couldn't shoot. Nevertheless, they persistently regained possession and connected passes as Nakamura and Hayabusa aimed for a central breakthrough, but they couldn't create a chance. In the 61st minute, Yonemoto exploited a gap in the opposing defense and broke into the area. However, the shot lacked power and went straight to the goalkeeper.

　In the 62nd minute, Suzuki was brought in to replace Tanabe. However, Chiba never gave up, and there were moments when they fiercely clashed with each other, trying to regain their rhythm. In the 64th minute, a left cross was received by forward Maki, who dropped it with his chest, evaded Konno with a trap, and took a shot. It was a decisive opportunity, but it went wide of the goal, and they escaped unscathed.

　In the 74th minute, Yonemoto persevered and earned a free kick just beside the right corner. Suzuki took the free kick, but the opposing DF cleared it. Nakamura dropped the loose ball with his chest just outside the area and shot with a direct volley. It made one think of a repeat of the match against Yokohama FM! However, it went over the bar... In the final stages, Tokyo became unsettled and struggled to connect passes, leading to a frantic exchange of counterattacks. In the 80th minute, Nakamura, after holding the ball on the right side, cut back past the opposing DF and delivered a sharp cross calmly in front of the goal. It was a decisive ball, but it just barely missed Hayama. Chiba also launched a counterattack by throwing the ball to forward Maki at the front line, starting from side MF Fukai.

　In the 86th minute, from a free kick by Chiba, a last pass was delivered that broke through the Tokyo defense, and Chiba's MF Yonekura, who advanced from the right, took a decisive shot from inside the area, but it was saved by Gonda and resulted in a corner kick. Following that, a counterattack from a mistake allowed Chiba's MF Fukai to sprint down the left side. A last pass was sent to FW Maki in front of the goal, creating another scoring opportunity, but the timing was just slightly off, and they escaped the danger... In the long 4 minutes of stoppage time, everyone remained focused, and with Gonda at the center, they shut out the attack with a solid defense. They held on to the precious goal scored by Kondo, achieving victory with three consecutive matches without conceding a goal.

【Player Comments】<Kondo> "There was a similar chance to score at the start, but I couldn't finish it. Then the exact same situation came up again, and I absolutely wanted to score. The angle wasn't great, but I thought if I swung my foot through without thinking about the pass, I could score. I'm happy to have delivered a result when I was on the field. I had frustrating experiences against Chiba since the end of last season, and I thought we couldn't lose the same way three times. Everyone fought with strong determination, and it was good to win without conceding. But I also felt the difficulty of managing the game." <Tanabe> "I wasn't involved in any shots. I was just desperately trying to keep up, and it ended like that... Until I stepped onto the pitch, I wasn't completely free of anxiety, but the excitement was greater. I think my start to the match wasn't bad, but I couldn't show any of my strengths at all. I tried to break through with dribbling, got half a body past, but then was stopped and couldn't get all the way through. I felt the physicality, and I lost my composure. However, realizing today that nothing worked was a good experience. It will be an even bigger motivation."

　[Summary of Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference] "Despite it being a weekday night away game, we are truly grateful that many fans came to support us. It was very good to be able to celebrate together with them here at Fukuda.A. However, the content of the match was such that it should not have ended 1-0. Ideally, we wanted to score 2 or 3 goals. Nevertheless, I believe it was a valuable 1-0 victory. We knew the opponent would play a style of kicking the ball in at the end, but despite various accidents, the players stayed focused. If we could score a second goal in this condition, I think we could go even higher, but we managed to hold on. This is the third consecutive match without conceding a goal, and we want to continue this. (Regarding debutant player Tanabe) We always approach matches aiming to respect each other's individual strengths and to maximize the common good in order to win. When a new player joins, the surrounding players respect that and play accordingly. Because of that, the player who joined for the first time was probably able to play comfortably. (Reason for selection?) Standing on the pitch naturally comes with responsibility. The premise is that he has been able to maintain the performance to bear that responsibility at Kodaira. There are other players like that, but he has creativity in the attacking third, which the current team lacks, and various stimuli that can help this team reach the next level. That was also part of the background."

　[Summary of Coach Miller's Press Conference - Chiba] "In the first half, FC Tokyo attacked in better shape. The reason was that we were not able to circulate the ball properly. Especially in midfield, they dominated the game. Even when we regained possession, we lost the ball again quickly. Regarding the goal conceded, the opponent broke behind our defenders and scored from a bad situation. Our play improved in the second half, and I think the tempo and passing of the game became much better. Still, we couldn't convert our chances. If we had scored then, there might have been a possibility to equalize or even turn the game around. I am pleased with the players giving their all, and they fought well despite the tough schedule of five matches in 14 days. (Reason for improvement in the second half?) First, there was a positional issue. In the first half, when we had the ball, the four players at the back circulated it, but the opponent applied pressure aggressively, with the first, second, and third players pressing, causing us to lose the ball. Also, there was little supply of the ball to the forwards. We ended up making more sideways passes, which were pressed again, leading to losing possession repeatedly. In the second half, players with the ball started playing facing forward, and players began running forward into open spaces, allowing us to use the field more widely. I think that was the key point where we could seize control."