The first match of the Golden Week series, aiming for victory regardless of the circumstances

　In Sec. 9 of the league, we will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima away. In the previous match against G Osaka, we failed to capitalize on our chances and suffered a scoreless defeat. Additionally, we have not won in the league since April, putting the team in a difficult situation. However, the players have stated, "There is no point in dwelling on bitter feelings," and are looking forward, while Coach Jofuku also remarked, "The content is not entirely 'dark.' However, something is lacking, which is why the sun is not shining. We need to think about our current quality, what we can do, and what is missing, and find a feasible light. We will continue to repeat this diligently." On the other hand, Hiroshima currently sits in 6th place with 12 points. In the league, they have 1 win and 2 draws in their last 3 matches. They could not secure victories against Kashima and Niigata, but in the ACL match against Pohang on Tuesday, the 27th, they rotated their squad and managed to secure a win with fresh talent. Therefore, in terms of team unity and atmosphere, they are on an upward trend. Above all, they aim for possession football and are entering their 5th season under Coach PETROVIC, improving their coordination and precision. Last season, the matches ended in 1 draw and 1 loss, making them opponents that Tokyo could not defeat. Tokyo, despite losing Hiramatsu to injury, will see Kajiyama make his first start of the season. Tokunaga will partner with him in the holding midfield, while Hayabusa will play as left midfielder, and the full-backs will be Nagatomo and Mukuhara. Even when comparing the situations of both teams, the focus will be on how to break down Hiroshima's solid defense. To achieve this, Coach Jofuku stated, "How we win the ball will be a key point." If we allow Hiroshima to play freely, they will utilize the runs from the second line, the speed of forward Sato, the dribbling of midfielder Yamagishi, and the crosses from midfielder Hattori to launch diverse attacks. Therefore, we want to apply intense pressure from the front to win the ball and initiate quick transitions in our attacks. However, if we cannot create chances and are forced to retreat, we need to persistently connect passes and aim for attacks that intend to break down the opponent's defense through Hayabusa's dynamic movements and Kajiyama's distribution. In defense, we have recently seen situations where we concede goals due to being caught off guard, so we want to enhance communication once again and thoroughly challenge and cover the ball. Hiroshima, who has adopted the slogan "Run and Attack" this season, aims to match that intensity without being outpaced and to showcase the power and fighting spirit to capitalize on chances, striving for victory away. The match will kick off at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at Hiroshima Big Arch.

Unable to convert many opportunities and turn around with a one-point deficit

　From the start of the match, Tokyo's Kajiyama handled the ball well and Ricardinho and Hayu exploited the side spaces of Hiroshima's defense, creating chances. In the 5th minute, from the combination of Mukuhara, Ishikawa, and Kajiyama on the right front line, Ricardinho drifted to the right and sent the ball to the opposite side, where Hayu's left cross was headed by Hirayama but missed the target. In the 14th minute, Mukuhara made a big side change to the left area, and Ricardinho, in a difficult position, attempted an overhead pass towards the center. Hirayama also closed in, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 17th minute, Hirayama and Ishikawa made a counterattack from the right side, cutting inside with speed and taking a shot that hit the crossbar...they couldn't convert the chance. On the contrary, in the 24th minute, Hiroshima's forward Sato created an opportunity on the right front line, and Yamagishi, the right midfielder, passed to Yamazaki, the forward, on the left. In response, Hattori, the left midfielder, broke free in the left area, and from the post of the central forward Sato, he kicked the ball to Yamagishi, who had run into the right area, resulting in a goal... Hiroshima's flowing wide passing broke through Tokyo's defense and they conceded the first goal. In the 28th minute, Hirayama was substituted by Akamine. Immediately after that, in the 31st minute, Ricardinho picked up a clearance mistake by the opponent and entered the right area, passing the ball back. Akamine directly hit the ball, but it missed the target. In the 35th minute, Kajiyama cut back the opponent's defender just in front of the area, and Hayu, who had rushed into the right area, took a shot but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Tokyo controlled the ball and didn't allow Hiroshima to create any clear chances except for the goal conceded, but they entered the second half trailing by one goal.

I thought we would gain momentum with Morishige's equalizing goal, but we allowed an additional goal and suffered a defeat.

　Tokyo maintained control in the second half as well. Starting from the 54th minute, they gained consecutive corner kick opportunities. In the 56th minute, from a right corner, Ishikawa connected with Ricardinho for a short pass to Hanyu. From there, an early cross was sent in, and Morishige headed it in for a goal!! This was Morishige's first goal since his transfer, bringing the score to a tie. After that, Tokyo continued to seize the pace and advanced the game in Hiroshima's territory. In the 62nd minute, they substituted Ricardinho for Shigematsu. They aimed for a free kick from 25 meters in the center, but it was caught by the GK. In the 67th minute, Shigematsu passed to Akamine in the center, and Kajiwara made a run to shoot, resulting in a corner kick. This right corner was cleared once, but this time, Nagatomo on the left side entered the area and crossed. They launched a wave of attacks but couldn't finish. Hiroshima defended with a formation close to five at the back and launched sharp counters. Then, in the 68th minute, after a quick series of passes, Hiroshima's midfielder Yamagishi was allowed to enter the right side of the area, and forward Yamazaki slid in to connect with a negative pass for a goal. They lost the second goal while being toyed with by Hiroshima's passing. Tokyo, wanting to counterattack, brought in Kim Yong-gun as a center-back in the 70th minute, replacing Kajiwara, and moved Konno up to a defensive midfielder position. In the 80th minute, Shigematsu picked up a loose ball from a free kick in the left area and aggressively dribbled in, but couldn't hit the target. Meanwhile, Hanyu took care of the defensive midfield while pushing Konno higher up, but they couldn't shake the net until the end. The total number of shots combined for both halves was 23 for Tokyo against Hiroshima's 8, but they couldn't score in the flow of the game. They ended in defeat. 【Player Comments】《Morishige》"I was happy to equalize with my goal, but... If there are chances, of course, I want to participate in the attack, but that depends on the situation. As a defender, I don't want to concede even one goal. It became even more difficult after conceding the second goal, but we ended up chasing the game after giving up the first goal. I want to make sure to correct the scenes where we conceded. Regarding the attack, we might be connecting too much at our feet, lacking a bit of fear. If we can create chances in front of the goal with accents and fluid movements... It's about how to play in a way that is unpleasant for the opponent. I want to come up with ideas and discuss them with everyone." 《Nagatomo》"I can't really express my feelings... The content wasn't bad, so I feel a lot of regret. But it's painful that even with good content, we can't win. Ultimately, it's understandable to say it's a difference in finishing ability. (Isn't it difficult to correct since the content wasn't bad?) However, there is some cause for the goals conceded. I want to reflect on that and definitely correct it. There's no time to look down, so it's necessary to properly accept this result. Still, we must continue without losing confidence and without wavering. And we have to switch to the Sendai match." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】"I think the players are working very hard and doing their best. I apologize to the fans who came to support us despite the distance. (What was the reason for Hirayama's substitution?) There was no accident. It wasn't just one thing. We had been dominating the game, and we had chances. And while he was on the field, I think you understand the reason. This isn't just this time. (About Akamine and Shigematsu) I feel my inadequacy in not being able to guide the current scoring ability with the players, and I want to work hard within the given time to improve our scoring ability together with the players. (What about Kajiwara?) I think he showed his strength and contributed to the team in both attack and defense. However, I, of course, am not satisfied with today's performance, and I want us to demand high standards from each other." 【Hiroshima Coach Petrovic's Press Conference Summary】"I think we were able to show a good tempo of football today. I believe FC Tokyo is counted among the best teams in Japan. I think we were able to show a balanced fight today, but being able to win in that situation was also due to luck being on our side. In the first half, FC Tokyo had good scoring chances. With seven matches in 22 days, I think the players' fatigue is at its peak. In the second half, we expected FC Tokyo to attack more and they took control, but we eliminated dangerous situations and didn't allow decisive attacks. From the outside, it may have seemed like we were being pushed back, but we didn't give away any decisive chances. Even after being equalized, it may have looked like we were being pressured, but we were able to score from a counterattack with good defense. Today's players gave more than 100%. Their strong spirit brought us luck. Despite missing so many key players in the league and ACL battles so far, we have shown a dignified fight and achieved results. I personally can't believe how much Sanfrecce has grown. What I hope for is that the team, which has shown a strong spirit, will unite and fight together. The team is working hard, and the supporters see that, which is why so many came to support us. The supporters and players fought as one and achieved good results. It's a wonderful moment for Hiroshima."