JEF United Chiba ended a 16-year exile from Japan’s top flight by securing promotion to the J.League 1 with a 1-0 victory over Tokushima Vortis in December 13’s promotion playoff final, Carlinhos Junior scoring the decisive goal.
Chiba had finished third in the J.League 2 this season, missing out on automatic promotion by a single point. However, as the highest-ranked side in the four-team playoff, they earned the right to host both their semifinal and the final, knowing that a draw would be sufficient to see them through at each stage.
“This belongs to the supporters who never stopped believing in us,” said veteran defender Daisuke Suzuki, “We felt the timing was right. Even so, we didn’t approach the match thinking a draw would be enough. Our aim was always to win.”
The hosts squandered early opportunities through Carlinhos Junior and his strike partner Daichi Ishikawa, while Tokushima came agonizingly close in the 59th minute when Thonny Anderson smashed a volley off the crossbar after a deft chipped pass from Lucas Barcelos.
Despite Tokushima’s growing pressure, it was Chiba who struck first. Ishikawa switched play with a long diagonal to right-back Issei Takahashi, whose early delivery was met by Carlinhos Junior, the Brazilian forward guiding a header into the top corner with Chiba’s first effort of the second half in the 69th minute at Fukuda Denshi Arena.
Forced to chase two goals to keep their promotion hopes alive, Tokushima poured forward and delivered a stream of crosses, but to no avail. Chiba stood firm to seal their return to the top tier for the first time since their relegation at the end of the 2009 season.
“I’m incredibly happy and completely exhausted,” said Chiba manager Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, “We’re heading to J1, and it won’t be easy. There will be tough periods, but I hope our supporters continue to love and support this club.”
With Chiba’s promotion, for the first time since 2005, nine of the “Original Ten,” the founding 10 clubs of the J.League, will be playing together in the top-flight. The only absent club being Yokohama Flugels, who were merged into Yokohama Marinos to form Yokohama F. Marinos in 1999, with successor club Yokohama FC unfortunately suffering relegation from the J1 this season.