Return to our roots and aim for goals and victories in the three consecutive games against Chunichi

Sec. 23 of the league will be held on weekdays, and the home game will be moved to the National Stadium to play against Sagan Tosu. The previous match ended in a scoreless draw, and in the last 3 matches, we were unable to achieve victory with 2 draws and 1 loss. At the same time, we have been unable to score in the last 2 consecutive matches. We will face this match as the middle day of a 3-match series, but we want to make some adjustments and score goals to secure a victory.

However, due to accumulated warnings, Yonehara will be suspended. Therefore, Takahashi and Hasegawa will form the defensive midfield. In addition, Ishikawa will start as the right midfielder, following the previous match. Mita, who started for the first time since Sec. 16 (July 13th, Niigata match), will be used on the left side. The center-back will be composed of Morishige and Kaga.

Sagan Tosu, the opponent, is currently in 14th place with 23 points. Up until now, they have struggled to prevent goals and have suffered many defeats in close matches. However, they have strengthened their defense with DF Kikuchi and GK Hayashi in the middle of the season. By accurately reinforcing what was lacking in Sagan Tosu's soccer, they have now achieved two consecutive victories. It can be said that they are regaining their form and gaining momentum.

Of course, the center of the attack will be FW Toyota.S. His strong heading ability and powerful attack utilizing the movement of all members are undoubtedly Tosu's weapons. On the other hand, if we lose in the early stages, the opponent will seize the rhythm. In order to suppress the energetic breakthroughs of FW Ikeda and MF Mizunuma, we want to actively fight without reducing our movement and without becoming passive.

To make the most of Tokyo's strengths, we need to demonstrate teamwork supported by hard work and quick decision-making, aiming for victory. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at the Japan National Stadium, where a slight breeze finally blew under the harsh lingering summer heat.

Conceding the first goal from Tosu's one chance, and then quickly conceding another goal

Sagan Tosu started strongly from the beginning. In response, Tokyo calmly adapted. Gradually, they gained control of the ball and set the pace. In the 7th minute, Ota attacked from the left side. The cross was cleared by the opponent, but Ishikawa picked up the loose ball and took a direct shot from the left area. In the 12th minute, Mita received Hasegawa's side change and boldly dribbled, aiming for a low trajectory shot.

26 minutes, Takahashi changes sides to the left front line. East, who received the ball, brings it inside and passes it to Mita, who has moved up in the center, and dodges a one-two pass, receiving the return and taking a shot. In the 35th minute, Takahashi runs into the midfield where the ball has spilled and persistently connects it to the front line. Ishikawa, in front of the area, turns around and takes a shot in response to the pass sent by East with one touch, but he cannot hit it properly due to his posture being disrupted.

In the 39th minute, which was greeted without being able to take advantage of the chance, Tosu's left back DF Kan lifted the cross. It hits the Tokyo DF once, but it is picked up and the cross is raised again. In this, Tosu FW Toyoda skillfully moves in front of the Tokyo DF and scores a header. Immediately after conceding the opening goal in the 41st minute, when losing the ball in the midfield, Tosu FW Ikeda enters the left area freely with a speedy dribble. Kaga tries to cut it off with a sliding tackle, but is cut inside and the ball is pushed into the net on the opposite side, allowing a two-goal lead to be turned over in the second half.

Hirayama scored his first goal since November 2010, Watanabe followed up, and made a fierce pursuit, but...

It was the second half that we wanted to launch a counterattack, but it was Tosu who first found their rhythm. We allowed them to dominate the ball by losing out on second balls. Nevertheless, Tokyo wanted to get a goal back first, and in the 61st minute, Takahashi switched the play to Watanabe on the right, and Tokunaga overlapped to provide support. From here, Hasegawa and Watanabe exchanged precise passes in the center, and finally Tokunaga, just outside the right area, took a shot. However, it went well over the bar. In the 62nd minute, Hirayama and Lucas were brought on. With this, we successfully grasped the rhythm of the counterattack.

However, despite attacking mainly through crosses, they were unable to make any decisive shots due to Tosu's quick defensive start and strong defense on the final line. However, they persisted and in the 81st minute, Mori Shige passed to Ota on the left, and Hirayama jumped in from the far side with a powerful header! It grazed the opponent's goalkeeper's hand, hit the left post, and bounced back into the goal!! Hirayama scored his first goal since November 2010 in the desired manner, narrowing the gap to one point.

Raise the signal fire of counterattack and push Tosu, and in the following 84th minute, Watnabe, who received a pass from the right side by Higashi, turned around at the penalty arc and turned towards the goal, piercing a sharp shot just inside the lower right corner. With a splendid goal, they equalized as if folding over, and the mood for taking the lead increased.

But immediately after the 85th minute, he stuck in the right area and made a decisive shot from the ball that was connected to the center, but it was blocked by the good save of the Tosu GK, and on the contrary, he was hit by the counterattack of Tosu. Tosu's right back DF Niwa -> right MF Mizunuma's ground cross, FW Toyoda slid in from the far side and although Kanda came out and saved it, he was pushed in with his body in a collision and allowed the go-ahead goal.

Afterwards, Tokyo continued to attack without giving up until the end, including 6 minutes of additional time, but it was in vain. They suffered a defeat with a score of 2-3, ending up with a result of 4 consecutive winless matches.


[Player Comments]
《Hirayama》
"When it comes to playing, I wanted to focus on working in the center without drifting too much to the sides. Our wings have great attacking power, so even before scoring, there were several crosses. I felt that it was a matter of my own movement and accuracy. I think I was able to score because Ota sent me a pinpoint accurate ball, even if the goalkeeper touched it. However, I want to score goals and assist for the sake of victory. I want to work hard for the next game to win."

"Hikaru Mita"
"I had the feeling of wanting to do my best as it was my first start in a while. I think the start of the game was not bad. However, I lost the ball and that led to the beginning of the second goal. I want to fix those areas."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"I think it was an interesting match for everyone watching. The progression of goals and the development of the game were enjoyable. However, we are not satisfied because we couldn't secure 3 points. In the first half, we had control, but the opponent scored 2 goals with 2 shots. The first goal should have been Tosu's first shot. They scored the second goal with their third shot. We also made mistakes, but we should have played more effectively by scoring from 2 out of 3 shots and tightening up at crucial moments."

In the second half, we were dominated at the beginning, but we controlled the game with substitution strategies and created many chances. There was also a chance to turn the game around by scoring two goals. We couldn't finish it off, but I want to say well done to the players' fighting spirit. I also want to thank the fans and supporters for their support until the end. I want to congratulate Tosu on their victory."


[Summary of Tosu Coach Yin's Press Conference]
"Despite it being a weekday, I am truly grateful for the support from many people. We had a difficult situation facing the game with a short span, but the players made a very good start and fought well. We allowed two goals in the second half amidst some disorder, and the situation became tough. The nightmare of last season crossed my mind, but they fought until the end without giving up. I think that led to the victory. However, some players have accumulated warnings and there are also injured players, so we cannot immerse ourselves in this situation for the game in two days. We want to prepare for the next game."