Emperor's Cup 4th Round, using a fresh lineup to advance to the quarterfinals

　The 4th Round of the Emperor's Cup will be a match between JEF United Chiba (J2) at the Ajinomoto Stadium. It will be a consecutive match alongside the league games, and it will be a crucial match where they want to continue their winning streak and carry it over to the league. Coach Okuma said, "To balance the goals of the league and the Emperor's Cup, we will consider the consecutive matches and the condition of injured players, and select the best lineup for the current situation," and decided to approach the match with a different team composition.

　Chiba, on the other hand, is currently in 4th place in J2. Although they are in the midst of a promotion battle to J1, Coach Okuma is becoming more cautious, saying, "Chiba should also achieve results in the Emperor's Cup and carry them over to the league matches." Chiba will also change their lineup from the league matches, with tall Nathan BURNS up front and Ota and Fukai on the sides as forwards. The formation remains 4-3-3, with the aim of aggressively pressing and taking the ball from the front line and midfield, and Kurata and others boldly launching attacks in the front line.

　Tokyo, FW Maeda and MF Yong Duk SEO made their first start in a official match in Tokyo. Maeda and Shigematsu formed the top two, Otake and Yong Duk SEO on the sides, Matsushita and Tanabe formed a double pivot, and Hirade played as the left full-back. Manager Okuma said, "We want to play a soccer that keeps pushing forward, but we must not forget the aggressiveness we have built up in both offense and defense." The key is to continue with a patient and resilient defense, not allowing easy access to the goal. In attack, we hope to see the energetic play of the fresh players.

　Facing J2 teams and considering the difficulty of consecutive matches, we should aim for the quarterfinals with an all-out effort. The match started exactly at 19:00 with the kickoff in Chiba at Ajinomoto Stadium on a cold night with continuous cold rain.

Despite evading the press and connecting with attacks, the score remains goalless heading into the second half.

　Both teams fought for the ball at the beginning, with a fast-paced exchange of attacks and defenses. There were moments when Chiba launched an attack from the right side and took a shot from the middle after losing the second ball from a cross, but MF Nakago's shot went over the bar. In the 14th minute, Chiba's FW Ota broke through Tokyo's left side with his speed. He crossed the ball and FW Net jumped in near the goal, but Tokunaga took care of it properly and prevented a dangerous situation.

　Tokyo started cautiously and there were times when they couldn't carry the ball to the front even if they stole it, but gradually settled down. In the 21st minute, Tanabe made a move in the center and Otake -> Maeda aimed for the goal from just outside the area, but it hit the defender and went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, Shigematsu approached the Chiba goal from a through pass from Tanabe -> Otake. In the 28th minute, Mokuhara sent a cross from Mori's intercept, and Mori, who had advanced to the front of the goal, made a header shot, but it lacked power.

　Maeda created opportunities from the front line, and there were more scenes where Shigematsu, Otake, and Tanabe linked up with him to finish. In the 36th minute, Shigematsu dribbled from Maeda's direct pass and earned a left corner kick, but Matsushita's kick was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 38th minute, Shigematsu directly aimed for a long-distance free kick but missed the target. In the 42nd minute, Yong Duk SEO pressed the Chiba DF who was trying to bring the ball up and stole it, launching a counterattack, but the left cross did not reach Shigematsu and Maeda in the center. Both teams attacked utilizing their strengths, but neither could create a decisive chance. The score remained 0-0 as they entered the second half.

Daiki Otake scores 2 goals from coordinated plays! Chiba takes a big lead and secures a significant victory!

　It was a more aggressive play demanded in the second half, but in the 54th minute, Chiba DF cleared Kanda's long ball. Yong Duk SEO, who received it on the left side, boldly aimed for a shot. The ball hit the opponent's DF and went towards the goal. Otake jumped in here and scored with his right foot! Each player's bold attitude towards the goal paid off, and they took the lead!

　In the 57th minute, Mokuhara made a speedy move and Otake in the right area attempted a precise shot. It slightly curved to the left, but in the following 59th minute, Chiba DF cleared Kanda's kick again. From Yong Duk SEO's initiative after stealing the ball, Otake passed to the left area. Tanabe, who entered at the right timing, skillfully dribbled past the opponent DF and made a minus pass to the center. Otake, who received the ball, pierced a precise shot and scored the second goal in a splendid combination play!!

　Tokyo, who completely grasped the rhythm and gained momentum, launched a wave-like attack by connecting passes. In the 64th minute, Yong Duk SEO, who stole the opponent's pass, took a shot from the left area. In the 67th minute, Yong Duk SEO on the left side connected smoothly with Matsushita in the center, and then with Tanabe, but Tanabe's shot missed the target. In the 71st minute, Ricardinho came on in place of Yong Duk SEO. Chiba substituted MF Murai for FW Netto and changed to a 4-4-2 formation with Yonekura and Kanazawa as the two forwards.

　However, Tokyo did not let their energy drop and did not give Chiba a chance to counterattack. In the 73rd minute, Otake made a sharp dribble and Maeda, in front of the left area from Ricardinho, took a decisive shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper... In the 80th minute, Ricardinho skillfully cut back the opponent's defender in the left area and aimed for a goal with a loop, but it hit the post and bounced back. In the 83rd minute, Otake hit a pinpoint cross from Mukuhara, and Otake in front of the goal hit a header freely... but it missed the target, and there was no hat-trick.

　Although we couldn't score the third goal, in the 79th minute, Inoue replaced Tokunaga, and in the 88th minute, Tanabe replaced by Yukino, who made his first appearance in an official match, shutting down Chiba's counterattack. The fresh members showed passionate plays and achieved a significant victory, advancing to the quarterfinals, which will be held on December 25th. We will compete against Avispa Fukuoka (J2).

　【Player Comment】《Otake》"I received a chance and had the feeling of wanting to do my best. I definitely wanted to score a goal, so when the opportunity for the opening goal came, I went into a good position and the ball came to me. For the second goal, I think the coordination with the members I always play with in practice matches was good. I was confident that the pass would come, so I was able to calmly take the shot. I want to continue this momentum and contribute to the team's victory if I have the chance in the future."

　"There was tension, but I tried to show what I had prepared so far. I was too eager in the first half, but at halftime, the coach instructed me, 'You're being too passive. Receive the ball further up the field, dribble and show your skills.' I think I was able to respond to that instruction in the second half. I have a strong desire to play, surpassing the players who usually play in the matches, but right now, I want to contribute to the team above all else. In order to contribute to the team, I want to firmly do what I should do in the future."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "Even players who haven't had a chance to play so far have been preparing well and practicing hard. Considering each player's physical condition and injuries, today's lineup is the best. There may be some quality issues, but even with changes in the lineup, the team was able to play the same style of soccer. That was pleasing, and there were also parts that impressed me as I watched each player's performance in this intense official match, different from practice matches."

　Maeda, who has not been able to play for a long time, created time on the front line, and the hard work of Shigematsu, who was thought to have low stamina, paid off. Matsushita's stamina in both offense and defense did not drop for 90 minutes. There were discoveries of new characteristics in a severe match, and a belief that we can do it was also obtained. While utilizing this in the future, we will immediately switch to the league match. There are 11 players on the pitch, but I want the players who did not have a chance to play today to remember and engrave the efforts of today's match in their hearts. And I want us to fight together in the league and the Emperor's Cup for the next 4 matches."

　[Summary of Chiba Ejiro's press conference] "The content was a complete defeat. We wanted to simply exploit the opponent's back and do things that they dislike, but today there were also aspects where we challenged the combination of players, and there were parts that we wouldn't know how to express unless we tried. Practice and actual games are still different, so I want to reexamine the combination of players and combinations a little more. In terms of attack, I felt the potential to contribute to the power struggle for promotion in the league by enhancing the breakthrough of FW Ota on the right side and the quality of the side space. We want to switch gears and head towards our biggest goal, the J-League Kitakyushu match."