Final home match to celebrate the championship, concluding with a victory

　The 37th league matchday is held. Facing the final home game, we will play against JEF United Chiba. With the victory in the previous match against Tottori, a top 3 finish is secured. At the same time, depending on the results of other matches the next day, the championship will also be decided. To truly grasp the feeling of that championship, we want to finish today with a win. This match is not only a chance to take revenge for the away game but also to maintain an undefeated record at Ajinomoto this season. As before, we will approach the game with a strong mindset and without losing the desire to improve with each match.However, Kajiyama, who injured his left calf, will sit out to take care of himself. Therefore, Hanyu will be deployed as the defensive midfielder. Tanizawa will play as FW, with Tanabe and Ishikawa, who missed the previous match, covering the sides.On the other hand, Chiba currently sits 7th with 55 points. Their chances of finishing in the top 3 are already gone, making this match somewhat a formality. However, they advanced to the 4th Round of the Emperor's Cup by defeating J1 Iwata. Today, FW Auroi and DF Mark Milligan are suspended, and MF Sato Yu is also absent, but the fresh squad seems highly motivated. Their formation features DF Takeuchi and Aoki as center backs, DF Chano at left back, and DF Watanabe on the right. MF Fan Gessel plays as the anchor in midfield, with MF Yamaguchi and Murai ahead of him. FW Kubo leads the front line, flanked by MF Yonekura and FW Fukai on the sides in an unconventional 4-3-3.Special attention is needed for sharp counters and runs from the second line, especially starting from FW Kubo. To manage this, we must be careful about balance and how we lose possession during attacks, but we want to counter by taking control of the game. We aim to win by demonstrating the football we have built up.As night falls, Ajinomoto cools down. The match kicked off at 17:34 with Chiba starting.

Tokyo Aim To End Season In Style

Jef United Chiba were the visitors to Ajinomoto Stadium for the 37th game of the year. Following the victory over Tottori that confirmed Tokyo's promotion on the previous Saturday, other results conspired to crown the club J2 champions on Sunday afternoon. With the title in the bag, the side was determined to finish the season unbeaten at Ajinomoto Stadium with a win and to gain a measure of revenge for a defeat in Chiba earlier in the campaign.
Kajiyama had suffered a calf injury and was rested, Hanyu taking his place in central midfield. Yazawa played in a striking role with Tanabe and the returning Ishikawa on the flanks.
Chiba lay in 7th place with 55 points at kick off. Despite all hopes of promotion being extinguished, the match was far from a dead rubber as the side had kept its season alive with a victory over J1 Jubilo Iwata to earn a place in the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup. Regulars Aaroy and Mulligan were suspended, while Yuto Sato started on the bench, allowing squad members a chance to stake a claim to a place in the first team. Takeuchi partnered Aoki in central defence with Chano on the left and Watanabe on the right of a back four protected by defensive midfielder Van Gessel. Yamaguchi and Murai filled out the midfield with Yonekura, Kubo and Fukai in attack in a 4-3-3 formation.
Forward Kubo, with his sharp bursts from midfield on the counter attack, was the danger man for the Tokyo defence to guard against. Maintaining the team balance and not losing the ball when pushing forward would be vital for the home side who would also need to seize the initiative to dominate a game that was an opportunity to demonstrate the qualities developed over the course of the year.
Evening brought a chill to the stadium as Chiba kicked off shortly after 5:30pm.

Unable to break through Chiba's defensive block, it became a tough game...

　The first half was a continuous battle for ball possession. Although Chiba applied intense pressing from the front at the start, Tokyo calmly responded without panic. They tried to calmly find their own rhythm. Chiba gradually solidified their defensive block and formed a compact formation. There were periods dominated by Chiba, but both sides defended strictly, not allowing freedom.At 19 minutes, from a free kick, Tanizawa quickly restarted, and through the combination of Hanyu, Lucas, and Tanizawa, Tanabe in the left area had a chance but his trap was slightly long and he couldn't shoot. At 22 minutes, Tanizawa, who tried to pass back in his own half, lost the ball and faced a Chiba counterattack. Midfielder Murai's dribble couldn't be stopped, and a powerful long-range shot was taken, but Shiota saved it and it went to a corner kick. At 28 minutes, from a Chiba counter, a pass was made to forward Fukai, who dribbled into the left area, but Morishige quickly covered and the shot went off target.After that, Tokyo persistently suppressed Chiba's energetic fast breaks and shifted to attack mainly through Hanyu and the advancing fullbacks, but there were moments of miscoordination and mistakes in the frontline, and they couldn't break Chiba's block. The first half ended scoreless.

Defence Dominates In Tight First Half

The game began with possession changing hands rapidly. Chiba pressed hard from the front but Tokyo refused to panic and attempted to build a rhythm. As the game progressed the visitors gradually tightened their block defence, maintaining a compact formation. Although Chiba did enjoy some periods of possession defence dominated in a chance-free opening quarter. 
In the 19th minute Yazawa, Lucas and Hanyu combined to set up Tanabe from a quickly-taken free kick but the young midfielder's first touch was heavy and the shooting opportunity was squandered. Yazawa lost possession in the 22nd minute allowing Chiba to launch a rapid counter attack. Murai dribbled forward and unleashed a fierce low drive that Shiota tipped around the post at full stretch. Chiba threatened again on the counter in the 28th minute as forward Fukai took the ball inside the Tokyo area on the left. Morishige was smartly across to cover and forced Fukai to snatch at his shot which sailed well wide. 
A gritty and spirited Chiba side continued to threaten with their speed on the break and although Tokyo responded through the sidebacks and Hanyu the attack stuttered and failed to penetrate the solid Chiba defence. The first half ended scoreless. 

Lucas scores a goal at his favorite home! Taking control, unbeaten at Ajinomoto!!

　In the second half, from the start, we created a series of big chances. In the 47th minute, Tokunaga's cross was dropped by Hanyu, and Ishikawa took a shot. In the 48th minute, Hanyu on the right side sent a perfect last pass to Tanabe, who ran free into the left area at just the right moment. We created a decisive chance, but we couldn't convert any of them. In the 57th minute, after Takahashi's interception, Ishikawa passed to Hanyu, who moved up the center and took a shot, but it went wide to the left.

　Immediately after that, in the 57th minute, Roberto CESAR came on for Tanabe. In the 61st minute, CESAR broke into the area to meet a pass from Hanyu in the front line, but the shot lacked power... and was blocked by the GK's save. In the 65th minute, Takahashi intercepted a clearance from Chiba's right back and took a shot from the middle. It seemed to fly just barely to the upper right and was blocked by the opponent's GK with one hand... resulting in a goal kick for Chiba.

　While continuing to push Chiba without being able to score, in the 75th minute, Chiba's MF Yamaguchi received a second warning and was sent off. With a numerical advantage, Tokyo completely controlled the ball. Just after, in the 77th minute, Morishige passed to Hanyu, who created space with a dribble just before the area, and then to Ceasar in the center. Ceasar sent a final pass to Lucas a little ahead, and Lucas skillfully controlled the ball to break free from the defender and confidently struck a shot from directly in front of the goal!

　Lucas scored again at his favorite Ajinomoto Stadium, taking the lead, and Tokyo continued to circulate the ball in search of additional points. In the 78th minute, Tanizawa on the right passed to Cesar, who charged in from just outside the left area and unleashed a powerful shot that narrowly went to the right. In the 86th minute, from Tokunaga, the ball was passed through central Lucas to Mukuhara... connecting wide, and from Mukuhara's pass into the area, Lucas, along with Morishige, was involved, moving the ball back to the opposite side. After circulating the ball, Suzuki passed to Cesar at the right corner of the area, and Hanyu attempted to return it from the inside, but they could not bring it to a finish.

　Although we couldn't score the second goal, we did not give Chiba any chance to counterattack. In the first half, we struggled to break through Chiba's defense, but in the second half, we completely took control and concluded our final home match with a victory. Furthermore, we finished this season without a single loss at Ajinomoto.

　[Player Comments] {Konno} "It was a match we absolutely couldn't lose, with many supporters coming to watch. We didn't play very good football and the performance wasn't great, but we are starting to be able to win. Chiba is a strong team, and I can feel our growth little by little. Above all, I'm glad we could win and report our championship. I truly appreciate the supporters for their passionate support both at home and away."

　Hanyu: "We didn't secure promotion or win at Ajinomoto, so I wanted to achieve a result at home today. I played as a defensive midfielder, and since we were stable at the back with ball possession, I focused on pushing forward. I am grateful to the supporters for this past year. I wanted to play with that feeling, and I hope we can continue to fight together, including in the Emperor's Cup."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "In the first half, we struggled to break through the opponent's solid defense. However, I believed that we would not drop our intensity, including our movement, so we managed to keep the score at zero and played calmly. In the second half, we were able to play our style of football as the opponent started to stretch out. However, to move up from here, we need to play the kind of football we did in the second half from the first half, and we must develop the ability, judgment, and versatility to pose a threat to the opponent for 90 minutes."

　In J1, the probability of conceding goals is high, and in the remaining matches, it should be a fierce battle against Sapporo.D in the Emperor's Cup. The question is whether we can play the match with a bit more threat from the first half. Finding more passes towards the goal and space, as well as being able to dribble and shoot, remain challenges, but with confidence, we were able to play our style of football to some extent.

　[Summary of the press conference with Chiba and Kobe's coach] "Congratulations to everyone at FC Tokyo on your championship and promotion. We were unable to achieve that this season, but we definitely want to aim for it next season. Given the current power dynamics between us and FC Tokyo, it was inevitable that we would spend more time defending. It was predictable that we would retreat and aim for counterattacks from there."

　In the first half, we kept our defensive line compact, and it worked well as we finished without conceding a goal. If I had to say anything, I think we could have been a bit more proactive in winning the ball higher up the pitch, which could have created chances for counterattacks closer to the goal. In the second half, we struggled to win the ball in deeper positions, which meant we couldn't push forward or made mistakes there, preventing us from attacking. We had no choice but to defend, and it was tough... that's the impression I got. After going down to ten men, we conceded a goal almost immediately, so perhaps if we had eleven players, we could have held on... but I believe the players fought with all their might given our current capabilities.

Home Boy Lucas Grabs The Winner As Tokyo Go Unbeaten In Ajinomoto Stadium

In contrast to the first half Tokyo carved out two excellent openings as the second period began. In the 47th minute Tokunaga crossed, Hanyu knocked the ball down and Ishikawa shot. Less than a minute later Hanyu played in Tanabe on his left with a superbly-timed pass as Tokyo pushed forward at pace; both chances were clear-cut but neither were taken and the game proceeded at 0-0.
Takahashi intercepted the ball in midfield in the 57th minute and Ishikawa moved it on to Hanyu who shot narrowly wide from outside the Chiba area. Moments later Roberto Cesar replaced Tanabe. A long ball over the top of the Chiba defence from Hanyu in the 61st minute allowed Cesar to show his pace and sprint clear of the visitors’ backline; with only Okamoto to beat Cesar's attempt to place the ball beyond the onrushing keeper lacked power and was easily saved. In the 65th minute Takahashi swung a boot at a headed clearance some 25 metres from goal; the shot seemed desultory at first until it appeared to be arrowing towards the far top corner, forcing Okamoto to backpedal rapidly and seemingly tip it over the bar. The officials awarded a goal kick to Chiba.
Tokyo continued to press without finding a way through. Their fortunes took a sudden upturn in the 75th minute as Chiba midfielder Yamaguchi earned a second yellow card and was sent off. The home side ruthlessly exploited their advantage just two minutes later. Morishige picked out Hanyu just outside the Chiba area and the Tokyo midfielder held possession before laying the ball off to Cesar in a central position. Cesar rolled the ball forward to Lucas who then produced a sublime turn that left his marker for dead and the ball was in the back of the Chiba goal before Okamoto barely had chance to react.
Yet another goal at home from Lucas had broken the deadlock. Tokyo continued to control possession and pushed forward in search of a second goal. In the 78th minute Yazawa found Cesar in a central position and the Brazilian took the ball on before blazing a shot narrowly wide of the post. As the clock ticked down Tokyo enjoyed almost unbroken possession, moving the ball around fluidly and probing for openings in the harried Chiba defence. A second goal failed to materialise however, and the final whistle blew on a 1-0 win. The Chiba defence had frustrated Tokyo in the first half but the second period had seen near total domination by the home side. The result meant that Tokyo had gone an entire season unbeaten at Ajinomoto Stadium.


Players' comments 
Konno 
"With so many of our fans coming today it was a game we absolutely didn't want to lose. We didn't play much good football and it wasn't a great performance but we're winning games like these now. Chiba are a decent team so it feels like we're making progress little by little. Home and away our fans are fantastic and we're really grateful". 

Hanyu
"We won promotion away and the league was also decided away from here so we really wanted to win today. I was playing in defensive midfield and since we were moving the ball around at the back fairly comfortably I tried to get forward as well. I'd like to thank the fans for their support over the year. Their spirit helps my game and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season with their support".


FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"We couldn't make much headway against their defence in the first half. But we thought that if we could keep them out then we'd be fine since we wouldn't let our work rate drop. Then in the second half they lost their shape and we were able to play our own game. However, to improve from now on we have to be able to play the way we did in the second half for the full 90 minutes, in terms of carrying a threat, the variety of our play and our decision-making. In J1 the likelihood of conceding is high and our remaining games this year, against a Sapporo team fighting for promotion and in the Emperor's Cup, should be similar matches. Somehow or other we'll have to carry more of a threat in the first half. Passing the ball more facing the opposition goal, finding space, dribbling and shooting are all issues for us to address but we have confidence and we were able to play our way to some extent."

Jef United Chiba manager Kambe 
"Congratulations to everyone at FC Tokyo on winning the Championship and gaining promotion. We weren't able to make our dreams come true this season but we hope to be in that position next year. Regarding the game, we seemed to spend a lot of time defending. We had expected that we'd be playing deeply and hitting on the counter attack. In the first half we kept a compact defensive line but failed to conjure a goal. If we could have been a little more positive from the front and won the ball nearer their goal then maybe we could have created more chances. In the second half we couldn't get up to win the ball as far forward as in the first, the mistakes appeared and we struggled to attack. There was nothing we could do but defend and it was hard going. We went down to ten men and then they scored almost immediately; if we'd had all 11 on the field then maybe we could have hung on for a draw, who knows. The players gave everything they could during the game I think".