Sec. 17, aiming for consecutive victories in the league's halfway point

Facing Vegalta Sendai at home in the 17th section, as the third match of consecutive games within three days since the previous section. The J1 League will complete the first round of matches with this section and enter the second half of the season from the next section. In the previous section against Niigata, we managed to secure a victory by overcoming a difficult period, but we want to further accumulate points and conclude the first half of the season.

The players also discussed "These three consecutive games are very important" during the break. They vowed to fight with determination to achieve at least the minimum result of winning two games and drawing one. They also pledged to continue the momentum gained from the previous away game and turn it into a victory. However, Edu will be suspended for this match due to accumulated warnings. Therefore, Hirayama will be used as a forward. In addition, Hayu will start for the first time since the Nabisco G Osaka match on May 24th (the first league match of the season) in the midfield.

Sendai, on the other hand, is currently in 12th place with 20 points. They have been struggling in the early stages of the season, but in April, they appointed Susumu WATANABE as the new head coach and started to rebuild. They are trying to regain the "Sendai style" of solid defense and fast counterattacks that they have cultivated so far and aim to rise up in the standings. Despite the ongoing injuries, they have positive factors such as the return of midfielder Liang in the previous match, Prifoods.S.

Tokyo wants to thoroughly manage the risk of Sendai's counterattacks and score the first goal by connecting their good defense to their offense. This match will also be a direct confrontation that will determine the rankings again, but it will be a home game. They aim to take the lead in the game and achieve consecutive victories.

The match started at 18:34 in Tokyo, amidst a temporary heavy rain and increasing humidity.

Hirayama scores the opening goal! Kawano and Takahashi extend the lead with their goals

In the early stages, both teams fiercely clashed with each other, resulting in a back-and-forth battle. In the 18th minute, Sendai FW Wilson's ball was pressed back by Kono and cut by Takahashi, who passed it to the left side to Yonemoto. Yonemoto carried the ball forward, and from there, Ota overlapped and sent in an early cross. In response to this, Hirayama in the right area scored a high header from above the opponent's DF and GOAL!! Hirayama's goal in response to the expectations of being selected as a starter gave the team the lead.

Grabbing the pace from the tough defense, Hayabusa, Kawano, and Mutoh demonstrated their coordination. In the 33rd minute, they pressed Sendai FW Wilson on the right side, stole the ball, and Mutoh on the right center dribbled up the space, passing it to Hirayama in the center. Despite losing his balance, Hirayama stretched his right foot persistently and dropped the ball into the left area. Kawano, who had run in at full speed, competed with the defender but managed to control the shot with his left foot and scored in the far corner. The quick combination play and Kawano's bold attitude paid off, resulting in an additional goal.

In the 38th minute, Yu and Kono exchanged quick direct passes from Muto in the right area. With this, Kono created rhythm and ran through near the penalty arc, passing to the left area from the shooting motion. Ota, who was advancing, tried to aim for the goal with a fake shot. This was blocked, but in the 42nd minute, they earned a corner kick from Tokunaga's right cross.

In the 43rd minute, after a right corner kick by Kono was cleared by the defender in the center, the ball fell into the left area. Takahashi controlled the ball with a trap and shot with his right foot. The ball grazed the far post and went in! Takahashi's goal, his first in the league in about a year (16th round against Niigata on July 13, 2013), extended the lead and ended the first half.

2 consecutive wins with no goals conceded! Mid-season turnaround in 7th place

In the second half, Sendai launched a counterattack. However, in the 48th minute, from Sendai's corner kick, Kono initiated a counterattack, dribbled and sprinted towards the right area. Furthermore, Hayu, who provided support from the outside, crossed the ball in front of the goal. However, the ball grazed the left post and bounced back... Sendai continued to send crosses from both sides into the goal area, but Tokyo remained focused and continued to repel them.

In the 60th minute, a free kick is awarded to Sendai from outside the left area and near the goal line. MF Yamada sends a kick to the front of the goal, which is then returned by MF Muto. They face a wave of attacks inside the area. They are shaken left and right and are hit with four decisive shots, but goalkeeper Kanda saves two in a row. The defenders also put their bodies on the line, blocking two shots and not allowing a goal.

In the 62nd minute, 東 was substituted for 河野. After that, 東 and 羽生 took on both sides in a 4-4-2 formation, solidifying the defensive block and trying to suppress Sendai's counterattack. At the same time, they launched effective counterattacks, and in the 75th minute, 東 broke through the opponent's defense line, and a pass came from 平山, but it was slightly offside. In the 78th minute, this time a through pass was sent to 平山 who was trying to break into the area from the left side by 東, but the opponent's goalkeeper came out a step ahead and cleared it.

In the 86th minute, Mita was substituted for Muto and was inserted as one of the two top players. They tried to shut out Sendai's counterattack by pressing from the front line. In the final stages, both teams showed signs of fatigue, but in additional time, Watanabe was substituted for Hanyu. Everyone ran until the end and the time was up. They achieved consecutive victories without conceding a goal in two matches, bringing their points to 25. They also rose to 7th place for the first time this season and reached the halfway point of the season.

[Player Comment]
《Hirayama》
"Regarding the goal, a good cross came in from player Ota. The crosses have been coming in consistently, but I haven't been able to score in many matches. I'm glad I was able to score here today. The competition for positions is intense, but I think each time a player comes on, they contribute to the team's victory by producing results. I always prepare myself to be ready to play, no matter when I get the opportunity, and I think it's important to continue doing so."

"As for the development, I think Tokyo had the easiest situation. We were able to show what the team is working on, which is to always aim for a counterattack while not letting the opponent control the ball. Personally, I was thinking about calming the team down and creating a rhythm. I was also conscious of moving my feet to take a good position, pulling out the ball to maintain a good distance with the front line. Both individually and as a team, I want to play higher quality soccer and have everyone come to Ajinomoto Stadium. In order to continue this momentum and move up in the rankings, I want the team to fight together as one."

[Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"The players showed a strong motivation, a strong desire not to lose, and great attention and concentration, allowing us to start the game in an excellent way in every aspect. We didn't give the opponent any freedom throughout the 90 minutes, and even when they attacked in the second half, they only managed to shoot from outside the penalty area 2-3 times. We were able to defend properly. We also achieved good results in the attacking phase, so I am satisfied with the performance of the players, and such results will further boost our confidence. We should be able to continue in a good form from now on. However, I also told the players that this result should not lead to arrogance. I think it is most important to continue with humility."

[Press Conference Summary of Manager Susumu WATANABE from Sendai]
"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the many fans and supporters who came to Tokyo. We were unable to deliver the 3 points to them, and I feel sorry about that. As a reflection from the previous match, it became a rough development, so today I wanted to control the game from the beginning. Our intention was to avoid Tokyo's high press, keep possession of the ball, and move the opponent. We couldn't create opportunities for shots, but there were scenes where we were able to express our intention of moving the opponent. However, we lost the ball and ended up in a situation where our challenges and covers were not clear. On the contrary, it remains as a reflection point that we brought out Tokyo's combination. While chasing a 3-goal deficit, there were some moments where the players showed their attitude of going forward with power and trying to regain the points in the second half. However, we need to reexamine our ability to take control and not be outrun throughout the 90 minutes, and we want to fight in the second half of the season with our feet on the ground."