We can't lose anymore, let's defeat the Nabisco Cup champion!

　Sec. 31 will be a battle against JEF United Chiba at home. This season, this match is the 4th game, including the Nabisco Cup qualifying league, and we have lost all 3 previous matches. That's why the players showed a considerable enthusiasm, saying, "We can't afford to lose all 4 games." Coach Hara also looks back on the previous matches, saying, "All 3 matches were close battles, and we lost by a one-point difference. The performance was not bad at all, and a slight difference determined the outcome." And he feels a sense of accomplishment in the current team situation, saying, "Chiba had stability, but if we consider our current condition, we haven't lost in terms of physicality, reaction to loose balls, or speed of switching between offense and defense."

　Chiba, who won the title in the previous Nabisco Cup, is currently in 5th place in the league. They are 7 points behind the leaders G Osaka, and they will come aiming for a victory even away from home, hoping for a comeback. In this match, DF Stoyanov, who plays in the center of the 3-back, is suspended, and Nakajima is used in the DF line. "We will defend firmly in man-to-man and when we attack, we will also come forward from the DF line. If we retreat, we will be played as Chiba wants," said Manager Hara.

　Chiba's characteristic is to break down the opponent's defense with a combination of forward movement from the back and high positioning on the sides. In the league matches, Chiba has had almost equal results with 5 wins and 5 draws since the 21st round on August 27th, while Tokyo has been undefeated with 4 wins and 4 draws since the 23rd round on September 10th. To counter this, it will be necessary to press more aggressively than before and quickly transition from defense to offense. Coach Hara continues, "Instead of playing defensively against the Nabisco Cup champions, we need to challenge them with a fighting spirit." The key to victory is to launch attacks quickly and break Chiba's stability. Let's play aggressively and aim for a home victory!

In the previous match against Kashima, Mobata and Kaji suffered ankle injuries. They have been undergoing separate training programs during the first half of this week, but today they appeared in the starting lineup in good spirits. The match started at 14:04 at Ajinomoto Stadium, which gives a sense of the arrival of winter.

F.C.TOKYO Tackle The Nabisco Champs

Jef United Chiba was the visitor for the 31st game of the season. The two clubs had met three times previously this year, twice in the Nabisco Cup, and Jef had won all three matches. The players and manager Hara were determined not to allow a clean sweep: "We didn't play badly at all and lost the games by only a single goal each time," he commented, "there really isn't much difference between the two teams." He continued, "Chiba are a very solid team but in terms of running, picking up the loose balls and switching from defense to attack we're second to none right now."
Nabisco Cup winners Chiba lay in 5th place in the league at kick-off, seven points behind leaders Gamba. A faint hope of a first league title remained and the team could be expected to go all out for a win. Central defender Stoyanov was suspended and Nakajima took his place in the three-man backline. "We have to tightly mark up man-to-man and get defenders forward to join the attack," commented manager Hara, "If we play too deeply then they will be all over us."
The principal features of Chiba's game are late runs from deep positions, wing players pushing high upfield and sharp interplay between the forwards. Like TOKYO, the club was unbeaten in the previous 8 games. To stand a chance of victory TOKYO would need to aggressively throw Chiba off their stride and attack at high speed.
Following a rapid recovery from an ankle injury sustained in the Antlers game and a week of training separately from the rest of the squad, Moniwa was named to the starting eleven. Winter had finally arrived in Tokyo and Chiba kicked off shortly after 2pm on a sunny but chill afternoon.

Both teams play a fast-paced soccer game, but fail to capitalize on scoring opportunities

　From the beginning, both teams played speedy soccer. Tokyo pressed from the front and picked up second balls, creating many shooting opportunities. In the 3rd minute, Fujiyama, who had moved up the side after connecting with Suzuki Nori's loose cross, took a shot. In the 5th minute, Jean cut off Chiba's right cross. Suzuki Nori dribbled up to the front line and Kajiyama, who had moved up from the right, took a shot, but the GK caught it. In the 9th minute, Lucas broke out on the right side, bypassed the opponent's DF, and passed to the center. Kajiyama, who received the ball, was slightly mistimed and couldn't take a shot, so it went back to Lucas. The shot he took was blocked by the opponent's DF.

　On the other hand, Chiba also launches a fast counterattack and approaches the Tokyo goal. In the 12th minute, a pass from right MF Sakamoto to FW Maki inside the right area, and a shot. The Tokyo DF blocks it and it becomes a corner kick. This corner kick is connected, and MF Abe shoots a looping shot from the center. Doi saves it just before hitting the crossbar, and it escapes to another corner kick. The offense and defense rapidly change, and in the 17th minute, there is a decisive moment for Tokyo. From a quick attack, Kaji's right cross reaches Suzuki Nori, who runs freely into the far side, but his direct shot misses the target, missing the chance to take the lead.

　Chiba also 18 minutes, FW Haas cuts into the left area, passes through MF Yamagishi, and FW Maki shoots from inside the right area. In the 26th minute, FW Maki is shot with a decisive shot from the counter, but this is a nice save by Doi! After avoiding the pinch, in the 29th minute, Lucas drops a right cross and Yoshiro Abe shoots as he runs into the center. Blocked by the DF. In the 35th minute, they steal the opponent's ball in their own territory, and immediately Lucas makes a big side change to the right front line. Abe catches up and cuts back the opponent's DF in the right area and shoots, but it goes over the bar. In the 37th minute, they get their first direct free kick of the day and Noriyuki Suzuki directly aims from a distance of about 25m to the left near the goal, but it is blocked by the opponent's wall.

　Both teams played well, running and coordinating their offense and defense in a back-and-forth match where either team could have scored. The game continued with exciting attacks and defenses, resulting in Tokyo taking 11 shots and Chiba taking 8 shots in the first half. However, neither team was able to convert their chances, and the match was carried over to the second half.

High Tempo First Half Yields No Goals

The match began at a frantic pace. TOKYO seized the early initiative with some hard pressing from the front that created possession and chances. In the third minute Fujiyama latched onto a loose ball following Suzuki's run and cross but failed to hit the target. Jean cut out a cross from the right in the 5th minute then set Suzuki away down the wing; Suzuki centered to Kajiyama but Kushino, in the Jef goal, held his effort comfortably. In the 9th minute Lucas evaded the Chiba defense down the right and rolled a pass forward to Kajiyama in a central position. Kajiyama failed to control the ball cleanly and it rebounded to Lucas who struck his shot against a defender.
Chiba threatened on typically fast counter attacks. In the 12th minute midfielder Sakamoto slid a pass into the path of Maki inside the area. The TOKYO defense blocked Maki's shot out for a corner that was cleared but only as far as Abe just outside the area. Abe produced a dipping lob that Doi tipped over the bar diving backwards at full stretch. The end to end nature of the game continued and TOKYO produced a clear chance in the 17th minute. Kaji steamed down the right flank before crossing to Suzuki, completely unmarked, racing into the Chiba penalty area. Suzuki took the ball first time on the run but directed his shot wide of the post.
Haas and Yamagishi combined neatly to set up Maki in the 18th minute before Doi produced a stunning save to deny Maki the opening goal in the 26th minute. Abe lashed Lucas' knock down against a defender in the 29th minute and then fired over the bar in the 35th minute after cutting inside a defender on the right wing. TOKYO earned the first direct free kick of the proceedings in the 37th minute, around 25 meters from the Chiba goal, but Suzuki smashed it into the wall.
The thrilling, open football continued and although both sides looked capable of scoring at any moment neither did and the first period ended 0-0. TOKYO had mustered 11 shots while Chiba managed 8 over the course of a highly entertaining 45 minutes.

Kajiyama and Abe Yoshito's goals secure an impressive offensive and defensive battle!!

　Tokyo applied a constant press from the front and the backline displayed stable play. In the 46th minute, Chiba sent a pass from the right side, which was met by MF Mizuno in the area, but Shigeki held his ground and Doi made the save. In the 48th minute, FW Haas from the right side passed to DF Nakajima, who had moved up into the area. Nakajima attracted the attention of the Tokyo defenders and passed to the left. MF Yamagishi's decisive shot, taken while he was free, narrowly missed over the bar.

　However, thanks to the stability of the defense, both Makoto and Kajiyama, the two defensive midfielders, were able to contribute to the attack, and Tokyo also created chances. In the 51st minute, Makoto intercepted Chiba's throw-in on the left side and headed it to Lucas in the center. Lucas quickly sent a lobbed pass to the front line. Makoto once again tenaciously chased after it, shook off the opponent's defender inside the penalty area, and made a minus pass in front of the goal. Kajiyama, who had made a run, directly finished it and scored! Makoto's tenacity and aggressive play assisted the goal, and Kajiyama finished it perfectly to take the lead!

　This is an opportunity to slow down the game. However, in the 64th minute, Chiba launched a fast attack. From a quick restart, MF Sakamoto passed to MF Yamagishi in the right area, who swept the ball to the front of the goal, where FW Haas was free and scored. The defense momentarily slackened and allowed Haas to score the equalizer. However, Tokyo calmly continued to seek an additional goal. In the 69th minute, Doi saved Chiba's corner kick. Tokyo quickly counterattacked, with Yoshiro Abe moving to the left front line. Suzuki Nori caught up and dribbled past the opponent's defender, shooting from an impossible angle! Unfortunately, the ball hit the crossbar and bounced back.

　Chiba will come with a lineup of 3 forwards, FW Hayashi and MF Hanyu, who were substituted in the 74th and 75th minutes respectively. Tokyo also made substitutions in the 74th minute, replacing Baba with Kurisawa, and in the 79th minute, replacing Norio Suzuki with Sasa. Both teams chased the ball well and created opportunities for a finish. In the 83rd minute, Kajiyama picked up a loose ball outside the right area, feigned a shot, dribbled past the opponent's defender, and then took a shot. It was a skillful play, but it hit the top of the bar by a small margin.

　And finally, the aggressive attitude leads to a winning goal. In the 84th minute, the opponent's defender clears Kajiyama's middle shot. Kurizawa connects with the loose ball with a header and passes it to Yoshiro Abe on the left area. Abe evades the opponent's defender and quickly swings his right foot! He scores, and the team takes the lead. The following 10 minutes are played calmly, pushing Chiba ahead, and the game is over! With passionate play and an attacking attitude, they secure a satisfying victory at home. At the same time, they accumulate 42 points, securing their place in J1 for the next season.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I'm happy that we were able to win above all else. We couldn't afford to lose the fourth match against JEF. The goal came because Imamura made a good cut in the beginning, so I believed the ball would come from there. I just ran there. We were able to create chances from the first half, but finishing was the challenge. I also took many shots, but I want to improve my accuracy and be able to score 2 or 3 points. In the remaining 3 matches, I want to aim for more goals and keep extending our winning streak."《Yoshiro ABE》"I knew the moment I shot it that the goal went in. The pass was connected well, and the timing was right when I received it. I thought about shooting there, but there was no angle, and I didn't feel like it would go in. So I brought it inside. The opponent's goalkeeper was also blinded, and 45 degrees is my favorite angle. I was able to bring it to my strong point. Today, the opponent also ran, so I didn't want to lose in running. Instead of defending and pulling back, the tactic of attacking and not allowing JEF's soccer to work well fit well. In the remaining 3 matches, we want to continue playing our soccer and extend our winning streak."

　[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "JEF is the champion of this season's Nabisco Cup. We approached the game with the mindset of not losing to last season's champion. JEF is quick in transitioning between offense and defense, and has a high level of physical fitness, so we were conscious of not losing in those areas. I have watched JEF's recent games and noticed that they have changed compared to before. While they still defend man-to-man, they have more players moving forward from ball possession, making it difficult to keep up. If we become afraid and retreat, we will play at their pace. For example, even if MF Sakamoto marks Abe Yoshiro, when it comes to attacking, he releases the mark and comes forward. So, I instructed them to go for the ball from the front, without being afraid and even if it becomes a one-on-one situation in the back, so that Abe Yoshiro doesn't retreat. Chiba is missing DF Stoyanov, but they are a team that finds rhythm by connecting passes. Even if they kick long balls, we are not afraid. We will go forward and see which team has the momentum, who can pick up the ball better, who has more physical fitness, and fight aggressively. Since both teams are going forward, we know that if we are caught in a bad position, it will lead to a counterattack, but we decided to take the risk. By placing Abe Yoshiro and Suzuki Nori on the sides, among JEF's three center-backs, two stoppers have to come out to the sides, or space is created on the sides. So, we initially chose a front three. Today, Imakano and Kajiyama did well, repeatedly picking up the ball and assisting in the forward line. This season has been a tough battle, but the young players have held their ground, and I think it gives them confidence and leads to their future. In the battles against Coach Osim until last year, all four matches ended in draws. This season, we played against Tokyo when they were in a bad condition and lost in both the league and the Nabisco Cup. Excluding the Nabisco Cup, in the league matches so far, we had 4 draws and 1 loss, and I wanted to win against Coach Osim at least once. JEF really fights without fear, so we were able to have a good game as intended without being afraid. If we had even a little fear after scoring a goal, we would have conceded. So, I sent a message to Kurihara and Sasa to go without fear. The support of the many supporters who came to the venue was also a factor."

　[Summary of Chiba Osim's press conference] "The ground was bad today. Both teams played aggressively, but Jeff made the same mistake again. Jeff hasn't learned anything. Today, Tokyo had a better performance. It's easy to explain to the players how we conceded goals, but there are some players in Jeff who can't handle the bigger demands and it becomes a stress for them, hindering their growth. Of course, Jeff has expectations from the fans and many people. However, there are players who can't withstand or respond to those high expectations. That's the problem. I'm not saying they don't have a vision. Everyone has ambition. But even if they have it, they need to show it outwardly. Jeff has been making the same mistake in the last 4-5 matches. People who want to achieve something don't make the same mistake. It should be done once. But it's being repeated two or three times. That's the problem."

Kajiyama, Abe On Target In Thriller

TOKYO maintained their solid defence and continued to harry Chiba from the front as the second half began. In the 46th minute, Moniwa smoothly dealt with Mizuno's encroachment into the area to chase a long ball and Doi cleaned up the danger. Chiba midfielder Yamagishi blazed over the bar when he should have put his side ahead in the 48th minute after defender Nakajima had pulled the TOKYO defence towards him on the edge of the area before slipping the ball out to the left. Twin defensive midfielders Konno and Kajiyama were proving highly effective for TOKYO, finding space to join the attack. In the 51st minute, Konno stole in front of the receiver at a Chiba throw-in and nodded the ball on to Lucas; Lucas clipped a floated pass forward and Konno gave chase. Displaying his strength and technique, Konno won the ball back from a defender, raced to the byline and cut it back for the onrushing Kajiyama to drive it first time inside the near post. Konno's remarkable tenacity and Kajiyama's assured strike had given TOKYO the lead.
The frenetic pace began to slowly flag until a momentary lapse allowed Jef a foothold in the game. A quick restart down the TOKYO right saw Sakamoto play the ball into the area and the unmarked Haas drove it high into the net for the equaliser. TOKYO responded to the setback in style with Suzuki haring down the wing and turning a defender inside out before hammering the ball against the bar from a seemingly impossible angle.
Chiba sent on Hanyu and Hayashi and moved to a three striker formation as the match entered the final 15 minutes. TOKYO responded by replacing Baba with Kurisawa and Suzuki with Sasa. Both sides strove mightily to find the goal that would surely decide the contest. Kajiyama twisted and turned to make room for a shot on the edge of the area in the 83rd minute but fired high. TOKYO's commitment finally paid off a minute later. A Jef defender blocked Kajiyama's shot but Kurisawa leapt to head the ball forward towards Abe on the edge of the area. Abe jinked in front of a defender before unleashing a drive that beat Kushino at his far post.
TOKYO comfortably retained possession and ran down the ten minutes or so that remained. A spirited display had earned a highly satisfactory win and guaranteed J1 football for the following season.


Players' comments
Kajiyama
"Above all else I'm pleased with the win today. We weren't going to lose to Jef four times in one year. For the goal Konno made a great interception and I was convinced the ball would come my way. I just ran into the position. We made several chances in the first half but the finishing remains a problem. I could have had two or three myself today. In the three games left I'm going to do my best to improve my goal tally".

Abe
"I knew it was going in as soon as I hit it. Kurisawa got a nice touch on the ball but I didn't have a clear sight of goal so I moved it along. Their goalkeeper's view was obstructed and that 45 degree angle is my favourite. We knew they would run hard today and we were determined not to lose out on work rate. Our tactics of not playing too deeply and not allowing them to play their game worked out well. We just want to play our own game in the remaining matches and win them all".


TOKYO manager Hara
"Jef are this year's Nabisco Cup champions but as last year's winners we were determined not to lose today. Their style has changed slightly; they now get men forward in greater numbers and try to swamp the opposition. If you play too deeply they can overwhelm you but if you don't then markers can be lost and space appears in their defence. Both sides like to attack and we felt that if we accepted the possibility of losing the ball in dangerous positions then it was worth the risk to push forward. Konno and Kajiyama played very well today and this result will be another great confidence boost for the younger players. Up until last year we had played 4 draws with Osim's Jef United; they caught us at a bad time earlier this year and beat us three times. Now we can say we have pulled one back on them. After we took the lead we became a little fearful and that allowed them to get back into the game. So we sent on Kurisawa and Sasa to reinforce the aggressive forward momentum. The crowd also played their part in the win".

Jef United manager Osim
"The pitch was in poor condition today. Both sides played aggressively but Jef made the same mistakes over and over again. The team is just not learning anything at the moment. TOKYO played better today. When we explain what we want from the team some players suffer stress and can't respond to it. Our fans have high expectations of the team but unfortunately some players can't live up to those expectations. They can't deal with it. In the last four or five games the same mistakes have been made over and over again. This is a major problem".