GAME RESULTGame Result

Sec. 32 Nov 22, 2009 (Sun)
Audience 14,247 people 
Weather: Cloudy, weak temperature 9.2 degrees, humidity 72% 
Referee: Masayoshi OKADA Assistant Referee: Takahiro OKANO / Koji MURAKAMI Fourth Official: Yuki NODA

J1 Sec. 32

Fukuda.A

HOME

JEF United Chiba

2-1

Match Finished

First half1-1

Second half1-0

AWAY

FC Tokyo

JEF United Chiba FC Tokyo
25' Niido Tatsuki
46' Netto Baiarno
Scorer 30' Shingo AKAMINE
22' Seiichiro Maki → Netto Baiano
77' Tatsuya Yazawa → Masaki Fukai
89' Tatsumoto Niigi → Keisuke Ota
Player Substitution 53' Shingo AKAMINE → Yusuke KONDO
69' Hokuto NAKAMURA → Daishi HIRAMATSU
77' Naotake HANYU → Yohei OTAKE
18 Shoot 6
2 CK 2
16 FK 22
72' Neto Baiano
84' Masaki Nakago
89' Tatsuki Arata
Warning 16' Naotake HANYU
21' Sota HIRAYAMA
63' Sota HIRAYAMA
Ejected 63' Sota HIRAYAMA
JEF United ChibaStarting Lineup
GK 1 Masahiro OKAMOTO
DF 2 Masaki SAKAMOTO
DF 3 Daisuke SAITO
DF 15 Hirohei Fukumoto
DF 5 Alex
MF 10 Kohei Kudo
MF 8 Masaki Nakago
MF 22 Koki YONEKURA
MF 16 Tatsuya YAZAWA
FW 11 Tatsuki Arata
FW 18 Makoto Shinjiro
JEF United ChibaSubstitute
GK 17 Kushino Ryo
DF 4 Bosner
DF 31 Ryota AOKI
MF 6 Higashimi Shimomura
MF 24 Kiyoshi OTA
FW 7 Net Buyano
FW 9 Masaki FUKAI
FC Tokyo Starting Lineup
GK 20 Shuichi GONDA
DF 33 Kenta MUKUHARA
DF 4 Bruno QUADROS
DF 6 Yasuyuki KONNO
DF 25 Yuhei TOKUNAGA
MF 28 Takuji YONEMOTO
MF 22 Naotake HANYU
MF 14 Hokuto NAKAMURA
MF 40 Tatsuya SUZUKI
FW 24 Shingo AKAMINE
FW 13 Sota HIRAYAMA
FC Tokyo Substitutes
GK 1 Hitoshi SHIOTA
DF 3 Hideki SAHARA
DF 15 Daishi HIRAMATSU
MF 7 Satoru ASARI
MF 8 Ryuji FUJIYAMA
MF 19 Yohei OTAKE
FW 32 Yusuke KONDO

【Player/Coach Comments】

Aiming for three consecutive victories in the last three matches, we will build up one by one.


 Sec. 32 of the league was played away against JEF United Chiba. In the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup against Sendai on 11/15, we lost 0-3 without showing the Tokyo style. It is true that it was a series of consecutive matches under a tough schedule, but no one is making excuses for it. Each time, we sincerely accept the challenges and reflections that arise, and we will continue to face the remaining league matches with the determination to win them all, both mentally and physically.

 Chiba, who faced them, had their position determined in the previous round, finishing 16th or below. They will move their battlefield to the J2 League next season. In the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup, they suffered a 0-1 defeat against J2 Gifu, and it can be said that the team is still in a difficult situation. However, in away games last season and home games at the National Stadium this season, Chiba was pushed back by their momentum and tenacity, and suffered reverse defeats in both matches. Coach Jofuku emphasized that "no matter what the score is, we must continue to show tenacity until the end and sharpen our desire for goals," and cannot underestimate them.

 Tokyo, Nakano and Tokunaga join the national team activities energetically. However, Nagatomo injured his right foot, and Kajiyama is absent from the game due to accumulated warnings for two matches. Hanyu is placed in the defensive midfield, and Nakamura is placed in the right midfield. Coach Jofuku once again stated, "Instead of a negative attitude of 'someone is absent...,' I want to pursue the aspect of 'there is also this kind of goodness' with a new team formation," and he is considering a battle that maximizes the characteristics of the players on the pitch, as before.

 Hanyu said, "I will fight while discussing with Yone and make use of each other's play. In defense, I will clearly define the roles of challenge and cover. I also want to work hard on both offense and defense, be involved in the build-up, and also make forward runs. I am determined to contribute in a different way from Yohei and win. The game at Fukuda Denshi Arena, which has a strong impression as a difficult place for Tokyo, but we will overcome Chiba's momentum with focused fighting and aim for victory. The match started with Chiba's kickoff at 13:03."

Despite conceding the first goal, Akamine equalizes with a goal from a pass play


 From the start, it became an intense match where both teams showed their desire to win. However, Chiba managed to steal the ball from a tough check in the midfield and launched consecutive attacks from the sides. In the 7th minute, Chiba's midfielder, 米倉, crossed the ball from the right side. Alex, the midfielder, took a shot from the middle, but it went far over the bar. In the 8th minute, Chiba's midfielder, 谷澤, dribbled through the center. He took a difficult shot with a ball that had no spin, but somehow Gonda managed to block it with his body.

 In response to this, Tokyo patiently passes the ball while looking for opportunities and attacks the Chiba goal. In particular, the two forwards actively aim for the space behind the defense line, creating chances inside the penalty area, but they are unable to take shots. The pitch becomes slippery due to the rain, causing both teams to struggle with ball control. There are many situations that lead to fouls, and in the 22nd minute, Chiba forward Makoto Maki is forced to be substituted due to injury.

 25 minutes, Chiba FW Neto Baiano becomes a wedge on the counter, and FW Araki in the center of the area is able to head in Alex's cross from the left, conceding the opening goal. However, Tokyo calmly connects the ball. Then, in the 30th minute, from the left side throw-in, Nakamura passes to Suzuki in the center, who runs into the area and passes to Akamine. Facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, he calmly slots the ball into the goal with his right foot. The score is now tied as we head into the second half.

Despite allowing the opponent to take the lead, they fought back with one player less...


 In the beginning of the second half, Chiba launched a powerful side attack. Then, from Chiba's MF Kudo, the ball was passed to DF Sakamoto who had broken through the right side, and he immediately made an early cross. This was headed by the free FW Neto Baiano in the center, allowing an additional goal to be conceded early on, which should not have happened. Tokyo, who wanted to counterattack, made a change by substituting Kondo for Akamine in the 53rd minute. In the 55th minute, Suzuki entered the left side of the area after a pass exchange with Tokunaga, but his cross was cut off by the opponent's DF.

 In the 58th minute, Hayashi made a quick restart and passed to Kondo. In the 63rd minute, Tokunaga passed to Nakamura from Kondo's through ball, but both were offside. They hurried too much forward and were well defended by the opponent's DF. Moreover, in the 63rd minute, Hirayama received his second yellow card today and was forced to play with 10 men for the remaining time. In the 69th minute, Hiramatsu was substituted for Nakamura, with Hiramatsu joining the backline and Imano moving to the midfield. They tried to increase the attacking pressure and catch up, but Chiba chased the ball from the front and their compact defense prevented them from scoring.

 Substitute Otake for Hanyu in the 77th minute. Change the final line to a 3-back with Kondo and Suzuki as the top two. Yonehara and Bruno QUADROS cut off the opponent's ball multiple times and carry it to the front line, but Tokyo cannot finish their chances. In injury time, Imano throws a clear to the opponent with his whole body, picks up the rebound, and crosses low from the right. Suzuki jumps in the center but cannot connect. However, the opponent's goalkeeper cannot catch it completely, and Suzuki desperately tries to push the loose ball into the goal, but unfortunately, the ball goes outside the frame. The match ends like this, resulting in a painful defeat.

 [Player Comments] {Hanyu} "It was a situation where we had to win. Some players were substituted, but there was still motivation to achieve results. The forwards probably had the thought of scoring themselves. If everyone doesn't unite for the victory of the team, the results won't follow. I believe everyone is doing as much as they can. However, to turn that into a greater force, everyone must do it with the mindset of dedicating everything to the team. I want to reaffirm that and unify our intentions." {Tokunaga} "There was a possibility of finishing in 4th place, which was motivating, but there were quite a few mistakes. In our style of football, having many mistakes is tough. Of course, the opponent's pressure was firmly on the midfielders, but despite having practiced to evade that, we couldn't. If we can't evade this level of pressure, we won't reach a higher level of football, and I think we can only build that up. Our attack lacks the final intensity, so I want us to work on that together. In the remaining two matches, I want to solidify the football we've been playing this year. Above all, I want to finish strongly with our own style of football."

 [Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "If we had won today, we could have reached 4th place, so all the players were focused on the result and stood on the pitch. I think the players did well. I believe that the reason we couldn't achieve the result is entirely my inadequacy. We need to be able to manage the game better in the first 30 minutes; we could only do that for about 15 minutes. Even with the current members, we should be able to manage the game for a longer time. I think it is my problem that I couldn't make that happen. Until Sota HIRAYAMA's expulsion, it was also my issue that the players felt that we were getting yellow cards while the opponents were not. It is because I lack strength. (What was wrong?) In a situation where I had to change the members, it is not that something is lacking because I changed them, but rather the team must show the benefits that come from those changes. I absolutely do not want to blame injuries or suspensions, and the players fought with that mindset. However, whether the new members were able to show something that the previous members could not, and whether that was sustained for a long time, is something that happened very little. Of course, each player has their own characteristics that allow them to be on the pitch, but since none of us, including myself, are perfect, there are certainly challenges. I believe that we could have complemented each other and drawn out our characteristics more with the current members. We were unable to do that."

 [Chiba - Coach Ejiri's Press Conference Summary] "Last week, we experienced a historic relegation to the second division as a club, and we suffered a humiliating defeat against Gifu in the Emperor's Cup. Leading up to this week's match against Tokyo, I emphasized the mental aspect of 'we can do a little more.' Specifically, it was evident in today's match that building up from the back is the style I have been implementing. There were times when players Hirayama and Akamine put pressure on us, leading to some lost balls, but we encouraged each other with 'Don't fear mistakes, let's challenge ourselves.' By building up from the back, including the goalkeeper, and having MF Kudo and MF Nakago receive the ball in midfield, we managed to draw the opponent in and create opportunities on the sides. The intention to take action in the space on the sides was evident, and I believe we scored the first goal through the patterns we have been practicing. Today, what we have been working on directly translated into results, and with the match against Frontale on November 8 marking our relegation to the second division, the players expressed their pride and determination to win at home. Although it is unrelated to the match, the president's greeting at the beginning also reflected the players' feelings in today's game. Because of this, we fought until the end, ran more than our opponents, and did not give up, which I believe allowed us to secure the three points."