Can we achieve a 6th consecutive victory?! Match against the defensively strong Hiroshima

　The 6th round, which was greeted with a 5-game winning streak at the start of the 2nd stage. The opponent is Sanfrecce Hiroshima, currently in 7th place. Hiroshima is a team that boasts a solid defense with a total of 15 goals conceded in the 1st stage. Although they have lost the last two games conceding 6 goals, their strength with Popovic at the center and Uemura and Ito as the back three cannot be underestimated. Another focus of today's match will be how to contain the ace Kubo, who has outstanding scoring ability and ball retention.

　Tokyo started with the same starting lineup as the previous match, with Kina and Asari in the double pivot in the midfield, Yukihiko on the right side, and Masuda on the left side. The rain that had been falling since last night has stopped, and the match kicked off on a field with a mild temperature of 25 degrees.

While dominating the game, they conceded the first goal with a strike from the "most dangerous forward."

　From the start, Tokyo dominated the ball. However, Hiroshima also countered with organized defense. It became a game where both teams showcased their strengths.

Tokyo's right back Fujiyama often pushes forward and creates chances from the left in combination with Masuda. However, Hiroshima's defense, not only the backline but also the midfield players' defensive awareness and quick transition between offense and defense, makes it difficult to bring the ball into shooting range. In the midst of such offensive and defensive battles, Asari injured his left foot in a collision with an opponent player around the 5th minute of the match. Although he initially returned to the field, he was unable to continue playing and was replaced by Koike in the 12th minute.

　The first chance for Tokyo seemed to be in the 14th minute. Connecting a goal kick from Doi, Masuda passed it to the front line. It seemed to pass to Yukihiko, who had broken through the back of the DF line with great determination, but Hiroshima GK Shimoda jumped out early and made a save. Immediately after that, Yukihiko, who had broken through the right side, crossed the ball, but Shimoda caught it. In the 17th minute, Amaral in the center dropped the ball from Masuda's pass from the left, and TUTO ran in and shot from outside the penalty area. It was the first shot for both teams, but it went straight to the front of the GK.

　Hiroshima also had a header shot from Popovic from a set piece in the 18th minute. Then, in the 19th minute, Tokyo had a header shot from Sandro from a corner kick, but both shots missed the target.

　Tokyo, which attacked the game advantageously, was unable to create decisive chances. They should have been able to deal with Hiroshima's counterattacks with ease. However, in the 21st minute, from Hiroshima's left side, Uemura threw a long throw-in, which Popovic headed down in front of the goal, and Kubo, who was free there, shot with his left foot! In an instant, the ball was sucked into the goal, and they conceded the first goal in a momentary lapse.

Conceded a goal again and suffered the first two goals in the 2nd stage...

　Tokyo, which tries to expand wide from Amaral as a starting point without getting impatient even with a deficit, faces tough checks from the Hiroshima DF that gains momentum by taking the lead, resulting in many scenes where the ball is taken away.

　However, in the 28th minute, TUTO sent a perfect through ball from a throw-in to the center, and Masuda took a shot. In the 30th minute, Amaral created a chance with a header from a corner kick, and in the 36th minute, Amaral, TUTO, and Masuda attacked the goal with a quick counter-attack, but the Hiroshima defenders defended resolutely until the end. In the 38th minute, Naito had a header from a corner kick. In the following 40th minute, they launched a counter-attack, and TUTO dribbled past two defenders on the right side of the penalty area after receiving a pass from Amaral, but Shimosaka made the catch. ... They just couldn't break through the goal no matter what.

　On the contrary, in the 44th minute of the first half, with little time remaining, a long ball from Hiroshima's defensive line reached Kubo on the left side of the front line. Kubo dribbled into the penalty area, performed a feint, and took a shot-like kick in front of the goal. Another forward, Fujimoto, ran through the Tokyo defense and scored. It was a one-play that showcased Fujimoto's specialty of breaking out from the second row as a midfielder, and in an instant, Tokyo found themselves two goals behind...

A fierce counterattack with an offensive formation! Tokyo's soccer that never gives up until the end

　In the second half, Tokyo, who had no choice but to go for the goal, substituted Amaral for Yukihiko and brought in Kamiya. Kamiya was placed at the top, Amaral in the center, TUTO on the left, and Masuda on the right. In the early stages of the 47th minute, Kamiya made a diving header from Masuda's cross! Although it narrowly missed the goal, it was a play that gave a sense of an impending goal.

　However, on the other hand, Hiroshima also substituted attacking MF Hattori with defensive midfielder Moriyasu. Although they have pushed Kuwahara, who had been playing in the deep midfield, forward, they have solidified their defensive posture. In the 48th minute, they connected the ball they won in the midfield to the DF and quickly sent it to the forward line's Fujimoto from the final line. Fujimoto dribbled past the Tokyo DF who was trying to get back and took a shot. Although the goal was missed, Hiroshima also showed a quick counterattack from a solid defense.

　Still, Tokyo continues to attack one after another. In the 56th minute, they connected with Fujiyama from Kina through a set play, and Amaral finished with a header. In the 57th minute, TUTO and Kamiya attacked the goal with a one-two pass, and in the following 58th minute, Amaral reacted to a through pass from TUTO, but couldn't finish against Hiroshima's solid defense. Tokyo dominates the game, but as Hiroshima places five players in front of their goal, signs of impatience start to show. A stalemate continues as Tokyo's attempts are blocked by Hiroshima's strong defense. Unable to score a goal, Tokyo substitutes Ko Kobayashi for Koike in the 78th minute. Ko Kobayashi is positioned on the right side, while Masuda is placed in the center, and Fujiyama also takes a high position to increase the number of players in the front line for a total attack.

　And finally, in the 84th minute, TUTO, who evaded the defender on the left side of the penalty area, made a last pass in front of the goal. There, Kamiya scored a goal! It was a moment when they finally took one point.

　Tokyo enters an intense counterattack mode from here. Pressed by the unified voice of the stadium, they repeatedly launch attacks with Sandro leading the front line. However, in the 87th minute, Amalao connects a header from Doi's goal kick, and Kamiya's shot, which he unleashed after infiltrating the goal area, grazes the hand of goalkeeper Shimoda and hits the post. Unable to break through the concentration of Hiroshima's defenders until the end, they ultimately fail to score even in the 4 minutes of stoppage time. In the end, despite having 16 shots compared to Hiroshima's 9 shots, they suffer their first loss of the current stage with a score of 1-2.

　However, it is a fact that although the winning streak has stopped, they showed us the never-give-up spirit of Tokyo soccer until the end. I want to take this feeling and face the final round against Gamba Osaka, which we will face in two days.

"Coach Thomson's comment"

"I was really happy with today's victory because we had lost two consecutive games, but I think we won because we deserved to win. Our tactics worked well and the players encouraged each other and did well. We should have scored the third goal and sealed the game there, but Tokyo was really good in the last 20 minutes. They brought the game back. We had several chances to score the third goal, but we couldn't convert them, and it became a difficult game."

"Coach Okuma's comment"

"It wasn't decisive, but there were several chances to score. By missing those chances, the transition from the front line to the midfield defense became slower. I think it was a lapse in concentration, but conceding a goal in such a predictable manner during that time period had a big impact on this match. We have always been the team to score first, so being two goals behind was tough. However, in terms of going for a goal as a team, there are still some issues, but I think the atmosphere and the mental aspect of being a team that can 'score' were evident. We want to start over from scratch for the next match."