Learn from the previous game and aim for consecutive victories!

　In the 10th section of the league, we played against Sanfrecce Hiroshima away. In the previous match against Omiya, we allowed 2 goals from set plays and won by a narrow margin with only Ishikawa's hat-trick. However, we created many scoring opportunities from aggressive defense and the overall movement of the team is not bad. Coach Jofuku also said, "I don't think the Omiya match was bad in terms of content. However, we need to reflect on and learn from our playing style of not being able to grasp the situation and giving the opponent the momentum, and apply it to the future."

　Hiroshima, who is currently in 10th place with 11 points, will face them. Last season, they spent time in J2, but they have built up accurate passing, bold midfield runs, and a playing style that utilizes the speed of forward Sato Toshimi over time. This season, they seem to be troubled by injuries, including goalkeeper Morisaki Hiroshi, but their team's playing style is thorough. As coach Hiroshi Jofuku aims to "prevent them from fully demonstrating their strengths," Hiroshima, who focuses on possession, wants to start the game with aggressive defense and take the ball away to create a good rhythm.

　Tokyo, Kondo returns to the starting lineup in place of Cabore, who injured his left knee. Kondo said, "I think I will be used to score goals. However, before that, I want to mark the defensive midfielder who serves as the starting point for the opponent's passing work. If we can steal the ball from a good defense and connect it to a chance in a high position, we can also aim for the back." The key will be whether we can take control on the sides against Hiroshima, who have a formation similar to 3-4-3, and connect to chances. It is important to make moves that exploit the spaces of Ishikawa and Hanyu, who are in good form, and win the battle on the sides against the attacking fullbacks, and launch attacks.

　Nagatomo is looking forward to the one-on-one battle with the (powerful) MF Perotti. He shows confidence, saying, "I enjoy it more when I can actively challenge and compete with him rather than being outrun by his passing skills. It gives me motivation and a sense of accomplishment." Additionally, Gonda expressed his determination, saying, "We were a bit chaotic in the Omiya game. If we communicate well, we should be able to have an easier match. We will definitely learn from our mistakes and make use of them." This is an important game as winning will bring the head-to-head record to a tie. Despite the fatigue from consecutive matches, they aim for victory with a passionate game of soccer! The match started at 19:04 with the kickoff in Tokyo, at the rainy Hiroshima Big Arch.

Despite showing an equal fight, they allowed the lead to slip away and head into the second half.

　Tokyo pressed compactly against the opponent's characteristic passing play, quickly switching to counterattacks after winning the ball. In the 6th minute, Kajiyama expanded to the right side. Tokunaga sent the ball forward with a header, and Ishikawa crossed. Kajiyama once again won the loose ball and moved it to the front line. They continued to create opportunities, but in the end, it was cut off by Hiroshima's defense. In the 9th minute, Ishikawa crossed from the left side. Kondo connected with a header from the far post, and Tokunaga, who had advanced from the back, boldly aimed for a shot, but missed by a wide margin.

　10 minutes, Ishikawa boldly attacks in the opponent's territory and is brought down, causing the ball to spill. Akamine quickly picks it up and takes a powerful shot. The goalkeeper saves it and it goes out for a right corner kick. In the 17th minute, a pass is sent to Hattori who runs up the left side, causing the Tokyo defenders to shift left and right. Hattori sends a ground pass to the center, but Sato and Takahagi narrowly miss connecting. Both teams continue to showcase their strengths in an exciting offensive and defensive battle. However, in the 22nd minute, Hiroshima defender Stoyanov advances and crosses the ball to MF Mikic, who scores a header goal, giving them the lead.

　Without feeling down, Tokyo continued to run without losing, and in the 26th minute, Nagamine connected with Nagamine's cross, and Kajiyama, who had advanced from behind, feinted the opponent's defender and made a strong shot just outside the area. The ball hit the block and Kondo dropped it, and Kajiyama stabbed it into the net again, but it was offside before that... On the contrary, in the 38th minute, Hiroshima MF Kashiwagi took a decisive shot on the counter, but Kanda made a save by throwing his body. They went into the second half with a one-point lead.

Despite creating chances, we were unable to break down the opponent's solid defense and suffered a defeat.

　In the second half, Hiroshima tightened their defense and started aiming for quick attacks. In the 51st minute, Hayashi -> Kajiyama aimed for a shot, but it went wide. Then, Suzuki was substituted for Kondo. In the 55th minute, Nagatomo made a deep cross from an attacking position. Akamine volleyed the ball that slipped past Hayashi in the center, but it went over the bar. In the 61st minute, Akamine intercepted a pass from Hiroshima's defense line and dribbled forward. He then attempted a shot from a long distance, but it went wide...

　While aggressively attacking, the play's accuracy was compromised due to the slippery pitch. Additionally, crosses from the side were repelled and decisive opportunities were difficult to create. In the 63rd minute, Hirayama was substituted for Yonemoto, with Hayabusa dropping back to defensive midfield and Suzuki moving to the left side. Then, in the 65th minute, Hirayama dropped a left cross in the area, and Ishikawa's shot was sucked into the goal, but Hirayama's play was called a foul and the goal was disallowed. In the 68th minute, Ishikawa broke free from Hayabusa's through pass and dribbled into the area for a shot. However, the goalkeeper made a great save and prevented a goal.

　Then, in the 74th minute, Hiroshima launched a quick attack, with MF Kashiwagi passing to MF Aoyama, who then played a combination with FW Sato, resulting in a goal. Tokyo, who had no choice but to attack, had a shot from Suzuki in the 80th minute from just outside the penalty area. Hirayama seized the loose ball from the defense block and entered the penalty area. He took a shot, but it was not strong enough and the goalkeeper caught it. In the 89th minute, Akamine made a volley after receiving a cross from Bruno QUADROS, but he missed the target. In injury time, Hirayama passed to Suzuki, who then connected with Kajiyama for a shot from the middle. The angle changed after hitting the defender, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the end, despite Tokyo's decent performance, they lacked accuracy in their play and suffered their first goalless defeat of the season against Hiroshima, who made the most of their chances.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I may have been too focused on starting from the sides. We made difficult choices ourselves instead of connecting more in the center. Hiroshima was good at passing the ball, but we conceded goals on the counter and collapsed by being on the back foot. It didn't feel like we were beaten... The biggest challenge is how we can finish when we have the ball. I think we have it in us."《Akamine》"I don't think we were attacked too many times... I feel responsible for the result of not scoring. It's a reflection point that we couldn't convert the chances. However, we need to quickly switch focus as we have consecutive matches. We are creating chances, so we want to prepare our condition and make sure we can score. It's a disappointing result for the fans who came to support us from far away, but we will do our best to secure 3 points in the next match."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "It is very disappointing and regrettable to lose without scoring any points. Our game plan was for us to aggressively go for the ball, play the style of soccer we have been aiming for this year, and earn 3 points by maximizing our potential. We were particularly cautious of DF Stoyanov's attacking runs and being utilized wide, which happened as we expected. The ball that entered the penalty area first was intentionally created by Sanfrecce, so it is very regrettable that we fell for it despite being cautious. However, I don't know our current ranking, but overall, I believe that if we continue to play the soccer we intend to play, we can achieve a certain level of success. The current ranking is my own shortcoming, as I lack the ability, but I think the players should continue playing this soccer, and if they do, I believe the results in the league matches will be honest, and we will definitely see positive outcomes."

　[Hiroshima Petrovic's press conference summary] "Every game is difficult, and I think today's game was also difficult. In the first half, I thought we played very good football. We took the lead 1-0 and had chances to score more goals, but we couldn't convert them and ended the first half. It is important that in recent games, we have been giving away goals like gifts to the opponents, but today we didn't concede such goals, which proves that we are a team with a good defense. I don't think it is easy to score against our defense. In the second half, we also scored goals when we had chances, and when the opponent brought in Hirayama, we calmly dealt with it by bringing in Morita and playing long balls. It was a game where we won because we deserved to win, although we were a bit physically tired in the second half."