Finally, the 2007 season is starting!

　The 2007 season finally begins. We welcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima to our home, Ajinomoto Stadium, and kick off the start of the year. Under the new coach Hiromi HARA, Tokyo aims for "dynamic and large-scale soccer" this season and has been preparing for about a month and a half. In this opening match, we hope to show the new face of Tokyo and also expect to continue the streak of opening victories that has been going on since the J2 era in 1999.

　Hiroshima, who will face them, has been under the command of coach Petrovic since the middle of last season, and the team has not undergone major changes. They will approach the game by enhancing their previous tactics. Among them, the most cautious should be the powerful forward duo of Sato and Weslley. They have the ability to break through even with their individual skills. It is desirable to chase the ball from the defensive line and turn it into a counterattack against Hiroshima's attacking style, which starts from the sides of midfielders Komano and Hattori.

　This week, Makoto IMANO had a fever, and Fukunishi, who joined this season, also injured his left ankle and was worried, but both have recovered. Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama, who played in the Olympic qualifiers as members of the U-22 Japan national team on Feb 28 (Wed), also maintained their condition and were named as starters. On the other hand, Shigenobu dislocated his shoulder shortly after the start of January and has been on a long-term leave from the team. Evaldo's injury has also been prolonged, and the center-back position is now filled by rookies Yoshimoto and Tokunaga. Kanazawa, the left full-back, returned from a long injury and made his first appearance since May 21 last year (Nabisco Cup Fukuoka match). Hirayama leads the front line, with Lucas and Ishikawa on the left and right front lines, and Imano and Fukunishi serve as a double pivot in the 4-3-3 system.

　Ajinomoto Stadium with a climate that makes you feel the gentle spring. Before kick-off, in unison with the stands through the magnificent performance by Nobuyasu Okabayashi, it made us feel "the season has finally begun", and the match started with Tokyo's kick-off at 14:03.

Just as we were getting a hold of the rhythm, we sink to Hiroshima's counterattack...

Attacked sharply. In the 3rd minute, they earned a right FK and Inoha headed the ball after Ishikawa's kick, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Immediately after, Inoha aggressively shot the ball, showing a proactive attitude. In the 8th minute, Hiroshima FW Weslley passed the ball to Sato, who broke free in front of the goal. However, Inoha chased after him with a fierce dash and skillfully slid to prevent a dangerous situation. In the fast-paced transition between offense and defense, in the 10th minute, Hirayama headed the ball after Inoha's early cross, but it narrowly missed.

　In the 12th minute, Ishikawa → Hirayama made a sacrifice and Kajiyama received a through pass to the right area. Ishikawa broke free and took a shot, but it hit the post. Although they were starting to find their rhythm, they missed a big chance to take the lead. In the immediate 13th minute, Hiroshima stole the ball in midfield and made a big side change from left to right. Then, right midfielder Komano lifted an early cross to the front line on the opposite side again. FW Sato, who ran into this space, scored a precise goal and conceded the opening goal. However, they showed good opportunities in their attacks multiple times. In the 15th minute, Hirayama jumped into Ishikawa's right cross and headed the ball, but it narrowly missed to the left.

　On the contrary, in the 18th minute, Hiroshima connected a pass from a goal kick, sent a long ball to the front line, and FW Sato, who had once again escaped behind the Tokyo DF, scored a goal. After conceding the second goal, the space between the defense line gradually stretched, allowing the midfield to be exploited. In the 27th minute, Hiroshima MF Kashiwagi cut into the area and his shot was saved by Doi, but the loose ball was picked up by FW Weslley, who scored a shot from a difficult angle, resulting in an early 3rd goal conceded.

　Hiroshima thoroughly aims to quickly put the ball into the top two without spending too much time starting from the side. They were also troubled by the exquisite timing of FW Sato's breakthrough, and in the 29th minute, Fujiyama replaced Yoshimoto. It was a bitter debut match for Yoshimoto, but they gradually regained their composure from this time period. In the 38th minute, Kajiyama attracted the opponent's defense inside their territory and passed it to Hirayama just outside the area. However, he was surrounded by the opponent's defense and fell down, resulting in a handball foul and a Hiroshima ball. In the 41st minute, Inoha's early cross was headed by Kajiyama, who had moved up in front of the goal, but the ball floated and they went into the second half with a three-goal deficit.

Lucas scored 2 goals, but the comeback fell short

　In the second half, Tokyo, who had no choice but to attack, brought in Baba. Lucas, Ishikawa, and Hirayama formed the front line, and Baba was involved in the ultra-attacking formation to score a goal. In the 49th minute, Lucas received a pass from Baba in front of the goal. He faced the opponent's defender, but he feinted and cut inside, then took a well-aimed shot. It went perfectly into the bottom right corner, bringing the score to 3-1! We wanted to seize the momentum after this goal, but in the 52nd minute, Hiroshima's forward Sato scored a rebound from his shot, with Wesley following up and conceding a goal. We just couldn't quite grasp the rhythm.

　Still, Hiroshima kept the line stretched opposite to the first half and continued to take the initiative. In the 61st minute, they earned a free kick from the left side of the area, and Lucas jumped in to head the ball into the goal from the far side! They scored their second goal. In the 70th minute, Suzuki Nori replaced Kanazawa. Just before that, Fukunishi was fouled and they got a free kick in front of the goal. Suzuki Nori, who had just come on as a substitute, aimed directly for the goal. This free kick was blocked by the wall, but Ishikawa broke through the right side. Yamahira perfectly connected with the cross, but the shot narrowly went over the bar...

　After that, we continued to dominate the ball, progressed the game in the opponent's half, and created chances. In the 77th minute, Lucas made a through pass and floated the ball to the front line. The shot by Hirayama, who received the pass, was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 81st minute, Tokunaga connected the loose ball from a free kick persistently and took a powerful shot from the right side of the opponent's half. The goalkeeper saved it, resulting in a corner kick. Lucas headed the ball from Baba's kick, but it narrowly missed to the right. In the end, we couldn't score an additional goal and the game ended. Hiroshima had 13 shots while Tokyo had 20 shots, but we lost 2-4 and couldn't achieve consecutive victories in the opening match. However, there were many positive aspects that gave us a sense of accomplishment along with the challenges. We look forward to the next match for improvements.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"We were able to attack well, but the way we were scored against was not good. In the early stages, we were able to demonstrate what we had practiced and I think we were able to play in a good rhythm. We were thinking of pressing from the front, but when that press didn't work, the game became stretched out and they used the space. I talked with Fukunishi-san about "clarifying when to press and when not to", but after conceding two goals... In the second half, we had no choice but to go for goals, so we attacked aggressively from the front. However, there was a distance between me and Inoha, and there were also moments where I couldn't take action. It's disappointing to lose the opening winning streak record, but there were many elements that can be considered positive. I want us to gradually become stronger and become a team that can produce results even in bad times. How we can switch gears in difficult times. That is the challenge to reach the top."《Yoshimoto》"It's frustrating. Today, I was only thinking about giving my all. I think I was able to do well with headers to some extent, but I couldn't deal with being caught offside. When we conceded the first goal, I wasn't too pessimistic and didn't panic. But I didn't feel confident that we could do it... Especially, the movement of Hiroshima FW Sato was excellent, and I realized that he is a top-level player in Japan. I want to practice more and be able to respond to such movements."

　[Summary of the press conference by Coach Hara] "There were both good and bad aspects. Although we created several decisive chances in the early stages of the first half, we couldn't convert them, and on the contrary, we allowed Hiroshima FW Sato and Weslley, whom we were most cautious of, to run past us. Our ball recovery when attacking was poor, resulting in conceding 2 and 3 goals, which was painful. In the second half, we tried to start again and score one goal at a time. However, we were caught in a similar counterattack after scoring one goal. It became tough after that, but the players never gave up until the end. Of course, conceding many goals is not good, but there was a sense that we could create big chances or play a different style of soccer than before. The three Olympic representatives had been away from the team for a long time and seemed to have forgotten our way of playing. In this past week, Imano had a cold, and Fukunishi had a sprained ankle, so we didn't have much time to train together. However, in the second half, the original coordination gradually started to show. I heard that we have never lost in the opening match before, but even if we win in the beginning, there have been times when we couldn't perform well in the second half. This season, we want to play better soccer from here on and raise the level even more."

　[Hiroshima Petrovic Press Conference Summary] "As the first game of the season, we approached it after a long preparation period. We were able to launch good attacks from a solid defense in the first half. However, Tokyo had quite a few good chances in the early stages of the game. In the second half, we took risks and went on the offensive. We lost control and the score became 3-1. We quickly added another goal to make it 4-1, but Tokyo continued to play aggressively without collapsing and created opportunities, making it 4-2. We also created good opportunities, but I am not satisfied with our performance in the second half. It is not easy to win against Tokyo at their home game, so I am satisfied with the victory, but we couldn't execute the style we practiced during the camp. Personally, I hope that many fans will come to Hiroshima's home games. I watched the Tokyo vs. Verdy practice match, and there were 18,000 spectators at that time. We can also play good and fast soccer. I think it is worth watching. Although Tokyo lost today, the atmosphere of the 25,000-seat stadium was great. I think it is a very positive thing for Japanese soccer."