Strive for victory as the culmination of this season in the final match of the league

　It's hard to believe that we have reached the final match of the season, Sec. 34, facing Vegalta Sendai at home. Although we ended the previous match with a draw, we took the initiative and scored 2 goals with coordinated soccer. It can't be denied that there is a sense of finally coming to the end of the season, but it can be said that we fully demonstrated Tokyo's style in both offense and defense. As a result, the rankings for 9th place and below in the league have been confirmed, but the players are aiming to "give it their all as the culmination of this season and show what they have built up."

　Coach Popovic also showed enthusiasm, saying, "In front of many fans and supporters, everyone will exert their strength and fight to the end. I hope today's game will be a good message for the next season." In order to conclude the season in a good way and carry it over to the next season, we will focus on winning along with the game content and approach this match as one team.

　Sendai, on the other hand, secured second place this season despite losing to Niigata in the previous match and missing out on the championship. Although there is nothing to lose for both teams, "Sendai should come and express their frustration of missing out on the championship (Ishikawa)". Furthermore, Sendai has not suffered a single defeat this season, and their ability to switch focus to the upcoming match has been a factor in their success in reaching the top. As you may know, Sendai's forward duo of Akamine and Wilson are their main sources of goals. Tokyo will aim to prevent them from easily receiving the ball and connect good defense to good offense.

　In the away game of the first half of the league, Tokyo suffered a big defeat of 0-4. This match is also a game where they want to take revenge. It is expected to be an intense match where both teams collide with the determination of "not being able to lose", but above all, it is a home game. They aim for victory with the support of the stands as additional strength. Tokyo will face the match with the same lineup as the previous match, with Watanabe at the top and Hasegawa and Lucas on the sides. The cold wind of December blows, but the rain that fell temporarily has stopped and the sun shines in Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started with Tokyo's kickoff at 15:34.

Filled with dynamism, leading with Lucas's 2 goals!

　The start of the game saw Sendai passing the ball from their defensive line, trying to gain control of the game. On the other hand, Tokyo quickly stole the ball from their compact formation and tried to counterattack. In the 6th minute, Kajiyama on the left side passed the ball forward to Hasegawa, who then passed it into the central space. Yonemoto and Takahashi made runs into the box. Although they couldn't take a shot in the overlapping position, they persistently shifted the play to the right side. This time, they tried to break through with the combination of Tokunaga and Lucas, but it was intercepted by the opponent's defender. Nevertheless, Watanabe pressed the opponent's defender and Takahashi followed up with a shot from outside the box.

　Immediately after 7 minutes, Hasegawa in the midfield → Takahashi on the left sideline aims for the space behind the opponent's DF and passes a floating ball. Lucas jumps out in response to this, competes with the opponent's DF, drops the ball with his head and moves it forward, and shoots from the left area! He successfully scores the opening goal by sliding the ball into the net on the opposite side with his left foot, early in the game.

　With this opportunity, we will strengthen our offensive. In the 17th minute, Tokunaga's right throw-in in the opponent's territory was dropped by Watanabe in a high position on the right front line, and passed to Kajiyama in front of the area. Lucas, who received the return pass, then passed it to Hasegawa in the right area and circled to the left. From this one-two play with Hasegawa, he finally shot the ball into the opposite side of the goal from the center of the area with his right foot, scoring a goal! We got the second goal from a flowing direct play!

　Sendai had not created any real chances, but in the 29th minute, Sendai's left midfielder Liang and forward Akamine combined, with Liang shooting from just outside the left area. In the 35th minute, Sendai, who had taken the ball from Tokyo in their own half, quickly connected vertically, with right midfielder Ota crossing to forward Wilson near the goal line. Akamine jumped in at the perfect timing and scored a powerful header...bringing the score to 1-1. In the 41st minute, Tokyo pressed Sendai's high defensive line, and Wilson dribbled and took a shot, but it was saved by Gonda. Tokyo started the game quickly and smoothly transitioned, not allowing Sendai to find a rhythm for a counterattack, and the first half ended.

Team J1 League's highest 6 goals! Concluding the 2012 season with a goal rush

　Sendai created a chance at the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, FW Akamine broke free after receiving a long pass from DF Kamata on the front line. He controlled the ball at his feet and brought it to a shooting position, but the shot narrowly went to the right. Then, in the immediate 49th minute, Hyun Soo JANG scored a header from Hasegawa's left corner kick! Right after the danger, Sendai took advantage of a set piece opportunity to pull away.

　In the 56th minute, Hasegawa from the left area near the corner received a through pass from Kajiyama on the left side and passed it into the area. Watanabe, who followed, dribbled past the opponent's goalkeeper who had come out and advanced to the left. From an angleless position, he skillfully pierced the net! Immediately after this, Ishikawa replaced Watanabe, and in the 69th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC replaced Lucas. Although Sendai had some possession of the ball, they maintained their quick start and concentration, leading to a speedy attack. In the 81st minute, Hirayama replaced Yonemoto. It became an impressive goal rush, pressed by the heated stands.

　82 minutes, Hirayama dribbles and launches a counterattack to Ishikawa on the right. Kajiyama bypasses Ishikawa in the center and advances into the area. Vucicevic, who came up from the opposite side, passes to Kajiyama in the left area with skillful control. Vucicevic easily pierces through the opponent's defense with a one-touch play and scores a GOAL!!

　In injury time, Ishikawa rushed into the center of the area from Vucicevic's pass. He was surrounded by defenders and couldn't take a shot, but Vucicevic reacted well to the loose ball and scored the 6th goal by dribbling past the opponent's defender. Just before the final whistle, Tokyo gave a free kick to Sendai inside their own half, and from the quick restart, Muto was left unmarked and they conceded a goal... Although they couldn't close the game tightly, they played with great energy and started with Lucas' goal, scoring a team-high 6 goals in J1 and winning the match! As a result, they returned to a balanced record of 14 wins, 6 draws, and 14 losses, but their position did not change, and they finished the season in 10th place in the league.

　【Player Comment】《Lucas》"I've always wanted to score in double digits... and I'm glad I was able to achieve that. Especially the second goal, which the coach has been asking for, I was able to break through the opponent with a direct play and score from there. I want to work hard next season to aim for the title!"

　"Sendai was a team that was competing for the championship until last week. It was really great that we were able to win 6-2 against them. What I wanted to show in today's match is that if we continue to believe in ourselves positively, we can win against strong opponents like this in Tokyo's football. (About my two goals) It's really a happy thing, but it's a victory that we won as a team."

　I think I was fortunate to join Tokyo and have good teammates. At first, I couldn't show my own strength, but I was supported by my teammates, club staff, and supporters. The fans and supporters gave me more than I could give on the pitch. I want to score goals next year and share the joy together."

　[Coach Popovich's press conference summary] "Before the game, I promised to show a game that would make everyone's hearts and bodies warm so that they wouldn't freeze. Did you feel warmed up? In the last game of the season, we were motivated to give everything we had and show what we have been doing throughout the year. In that sense, I am satisfied. Everyone shone so brightly that I can't even mention someone special... We gave it our all and showed our team's strength. This season, we had a difficult time with injuries, and there were times when we outperformed our opponents in terms of content but didn't get the results."

　When everyone is gathered, the team's strength inevitably changes. And the importance of taking the lead. Even if there were decisive chances, if they couldn't be converted, there were tough matches. But if we can convert them in the right moments like today, it becomes a match like this. And even if the results don't follow, I think we were able to show the importance of believing in ourselves and persevering without changing what we do in today's match. If we had changed what we should do during the season, today's match wouldn't have happened. I feel like we were able to fully showcase Tokyo's style, and prove that Tokyo's style is a soccer that utilizes the characteristics of Japanese people. I think we were shown how to fight in the next season, but I want to raise the quality even further.

　We are filled with gratitude for all the fans and supporters. You have always supported us and truly been our strength. Today, many Sendai supporters also gathered, and both sets of supporters created a wonderful atmosphere. We want to express our gratitude to the fans and supporters who continued to support us even in difficult times and supported us.

　[Summary of Sendai Teguramori's press conference] "Ideally, we would have won the previous match and this match would have been a big game for those who came to the stadium today. We approached the game with the intention of showing the results of the season we have been fighting. However, Tokyo had the same intention. In other words, it was going to be a fierce match, so we tried to show our strategies. However, we conceded two goals at the beginning of the match. It was good that we were able to score a goal in the first half, but after FW Akamine's missed opportunity early in the second half, we conceded the third goal. It wasn't so much that our concentration waned, but rather that Tokyo's momentum increased. This season, our players have fought tenaciously and played close matches even when losing, but in the end, we showed our vulnerability in defeat."

　After playing this kind of game, I feel that we ended up as runners-up. I told the players that they don't want to lose like this again, and even if they become runners-up, they should not be complacent and should move forward. I also told them to feel frustrated about ending the season with two consecutive losses and to tighten their ranks and welcome the next season. After the game, when I told Coach Popovic, "Tokyo was amazing," he said, "We lost 0-4 at Yurtec Stadium." I think that debt has been repaid, but in life, there are good times and bad times. It was a good season for us, but we want to be careful and strive for improvement."