Home victory in the league at Ajinomoto Stadium!

Facing Sagan Tosu in the first league match of April, as Sec. 6.
In the Nabisco Sendai match, a fresh lineup was used. Although it ended in a draw, the players speak of the harvest for catching up with the development of allowing the first goal, saying, "I think we did what the team should do regardless of who played, bringing at least the minimum result away and not interrupting the momentum." Based on that response, we aim to turn the enhancement of our strength into victory and achieve our first league victory at home, Ajinomoto Stadium, in this section.

This round, which we will face in 3 days, we will consider the condition and opponent's measures again and face it by changing the members. However, Morishige will be suspended due to accumulated warnings. On the other hand, Kaga, who was injured in the Kawasaki match, will return and serve as a center back with Yoshimoto. In the midfield, Nozawa will be the anchor, with Yonemoto and Higashi as the inside halves. The front line will consist of Edu and Hirayama as the top two, with Kono playing as the attacking midfielder.

Tosu, the opponent, is currently in 4th place in the league with 3 wins and 2 losses.
Under the command of Coach Yoon in his fourth season, the team has been steadily growing and can be said to have made a good start this season. The team's organized style of play, utilizing the individual running ability, speed, and scoring power of FW Ayumu TOYODA, is thoroughly implemented, and the attacking style of collecting long balls in the front line is powerful. At the same time, FW Ayumu TOYODA, DF Yasuda, and GK Hayashi have been selected as members of the upcoming Japan national team training camp, making them one of the most attention-grabbing teams at the moment.

On the other hand, Tokyo aims to win by taking the second ball and prolonging "their own time" in order to compete for dominance.

Before the start, there were thunderstorms and the weather was rapidly changing, with a lingering chill in the air. However, just before the match, the rain stopped and the game kicked off in Tokyo at 16:04.

Although gradually regaining composure from a hectic development

Both teams launched quick attacks and the game started at a high pace. Among them, Tokyo took advantage of Tosu's vulnerability and created chances. In the 14th minute, Kono received the ball on the left front line and crossed it from the left area. The ball dropped by the near post was deflected by the opponent's defender, but Edu, who was right behind, reacted quickly. He took a direct shot from the center of the area, but it narrowly missed to the right. In the 15th minute, Kono entered the right area freely. He skillfully moved one step outside with a soft touch to evade the approaching goalkeeper and aimed for a shot, but couldn't hit the target.

At the 20th minute, they lost the ball in their own half and were hit by Tosu's counterattack. From the pass of left side midfielder Mizunuma, FW Ikeda and FW Toyoda successively ran into the area, but Tokyo's defense also held on tenaciously. After that, the game gradually settled down and Tokyo created a rhythm from their defense, but they often lost the ball in the front line due to Tosu's strong pressure and couldn't finish their attacks.

In the 36th minute, a long ball from the left side of Tosu's own field was met, and FW Ikeda broke through in front of the goal. The shot was saved by Gonda, but the rebound was targeted by MF Kane but missed the target, avoiding a crisis. Immediately after that, Nozawa suffered a leg injury. An accident occurred that prevented him from continuing to play. Therefore, it was decided to substitute Takahashi in the 42nd minute.

Nevertheless, without losing the flow, in the additional time of the first half, Edu dropped the ball and Kono from the left area got into a shooting position. However, it was blocked by the Tosu defender, and the first half ended scoreless.

Kawano scores consecutive goals, Hirayama marks his first goal of the season, and the team wins 2 consecutive league matches!

In the second half, when we really needed a goal, the game started moving early on. In the 50th minute, Yoshimoto bounced back Tosu's long ball and sent it forward. Kono then snatched the ball back from the opponent, and Yonemoto dribbled up the left side and passed it into the space on the left front line. East made a run here and put a ground cross in front of the goal. Kono and then Hirayama let it go through, and Edu, who had become free in the right area, took a step forward and took a shot, but... it grazed the goalkeeper's save and the near post and bounced back. However, Kono quickly closed in and pushed it in with his left foot, GOAL!!

Scored a goal following the Shimizu match to take the lead. However, Tosu also counterattacked with momentum.
From the cross of left back Yasuda and side change, we were threatened in front of the goal, but managed to escape with a corner kick in the end. In the 63rd minute, Muto came in. In the 70th minute, the opponent's defender cleared the ball to Muto on the left side. From there, he took it inside and took a powerful shot, but... it narrowly missed to the left. In the 73rd minute, Mita was substituted for Kono. We made the third substitution card and aimed for an additional goal.

In the 75th minute, Hirayama aggressively dribbled and earned a right corner kick. In the 76th minute, Takahashi near the goal dropped the ball with a header from Ota's right corner kick. The pass from Hirayama in the center did not reach his teammate, but in the midst of a scramble with the opponent's defenders, Tosu failed to clear the ball that Hirayama seized. Despite being surrounded by defenders, Hirayama turned around and shot with his left foot into the top left corner of the net! With Hirayama's first goal of the season, they scored an additional point and extended their lead.

Still, Sagan Tosu, who never gives up, launched a fierce counterattack, and in the 85th minute, right back Niwa made an early cross. However, they couldn't bounce it back. Tosu MF Kan was dropped to the left area, and Tosu MF Takahashi, who made a run, took a decisive shot. Gonda reached out his hand and saved it, but the ball flowed to the far side, and Tosu FW Toyoda slid in and conceded a goal...

After that, Tosu put a defender in the front line and launched a power play. However, Tokyo defended until the end without stopping their feet and the time was up. They grabbed their first victory in the league at Ajinomoto Stadium and achieved their first consecutive win of the season.

[Player Comments]
《Hirayama》
"Tosu plays a lot of long balls, so we had to be mindful of our defense. There was also some tension, and I think we may have adapted too much to their style of play. Still, it was good that we didn't lose to their intentions. The goal came from Ota's accurate kick, and Takahashi did a good job of bringing it down to me. The opponent's defenders were all there, so there was no other option, but I'm glad we were able to score. I want to win more and especially work hard to win at home."

《John HIGASHI》
"I think everyone really did their best and played a good game. Personally, today I focused on defense first. The flow of the game changes depending on whether we can win the second ball or not, so I paid attention to that. I think the three midfielders worked well together. Everyone had the desire to win, and I think my position is one that I have to fight in. There are still many things that I am not used to, but especially today, I stuck to the ball. I want to continue improving while always challenging myself."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We knew that Tosu would come in this style. They are a very physical team and played exactly as we expected. They put in many throw-ins and long balls, which made the game develop differently than usual. The defenders had to show their strength in aerial battles as the ball was constantly thrown into the center. There were also situations where we couldn't predict what would happen in the crowded goal area, but this was the first time we faced a team that plays this kind of soccer since I became the coach. However, the players responded well. We also have physically strong players like Edu and Hirayama, so we were able to use height just like Tosu. Most importantly, the players who haven't been able to play in the matches so far are now playing very well. I want to praise them."

[Summary of Tosu Coach Yin's Press Conference]
"There were many times today when our concentration was disrupted, despite the presence of many of you. I deeply apologize for that. However, even in such circumstances, we showed the potential for development as a team by not giving up and making efforts. As for the game content, we have been conceding goals repeatedly from set plays in the past few matches, which has exposed our weaknesses. Above all, today we were pushed by the opponent in the battle for dominance in the midfield. We couldn't take control and create the game as we wanted. We knew it would be a difficult match away from home, but we will forget about it and prepare for the next challenge."