A battle aiming for the first victory in J1 at Yurtec.S

Entering the 10th round of the 1st stage, we are now heading into the second half of the season. We will face Vegalta Sendai away. In the previous round, we achieved a dramatic comeback victory in the Tama River Clasico, securing our 3rd consecutive league win and moving up to 2nd place. Even if we concede the first goal, we will not crumble, but instead change the flow of the game and show our unwavering attitude and competitiveness, gaining confidence in the process. However, Ota says, "No one is satisfied with the current situation," and Gonda continues, "At this stage, we are not concerned about our ranking or points." And he adds, "We need to review and make adjustments not only when we lose, but also when we win. While continuing to do so, everyone is focused on the upcoming match and only thinking about winning." They emphasize the importance of each match. They will demonstrate this attitude on the pitch and strive for Massimo Tokyo's first 4 consecutive wins.

Sendai, on the other hand, is currently in 13th place after finishing the 9th round. They had a good start to the season with 2 wins and 3 draws in the early stages, but suffered their first loss in the 6th round against Kawasaki and have been on a losing streak of 4 games since then. However, they have been narrowly defeated in all of these matches. Coach Massimo also commented, "Sendai is an aggressive team. They can play a game that utilizes long balls and also attack quickly." Considering that they conceded a goal from a free kick in the Kawasaki match, we should also pay close attention to set plays that utilize the kicks of Sendai's midfielders, Yanagida and Nozawa. Sendai's record against J1 teams at Yurtec Stadium Sendai is 3 draws and 3 losses. Not only have they never achieved a victory in league matches, but they have also never finished a game without conceding a goal.

Tokyo started with Maeda and Higashi, who were brought in during the second half of the previous match, as starters. Muto and Maeda formed the top two, with Higashi playing behind them. On the other hand, Sendai used FW Okuno and FW Wilson as the top two. In the center back position, there were DF Tadara and Ishikawa. DF Sugai and Nimmi were the side backs. In the midfield, MF Mogi and Nozawa played on both sides, forming a 4-4-2 formation. Yurtec.S, who has not been able to secure a victory in the J1 League, aims to erase the past unfavorable data and seize 3 points in this match.

The match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:04.

Take the lead with Morishige's goal! Proceed with the game calmly and go into halftime with a one-point lead

The game started in the 9th minute. Sendai FW Okuno was immediately robbed of the ball in the right area and quickly moved forward, expanding to the right front line. FW Wilson's sharp cross was cut by Tokunaga in the area with a heel, but Sendai left MF Nozawa reacted to the floating ball. He was fiercely pressed and a powerful shot was taken directly, but it hit the bar and nothing happened.

At the 15-minute mark, Sendai had been aggressively attacking from the beginning. Tokyo also tried to press, but there were many fouls that interrupted the play, and they couldn't find their rhythm.

20 minutes have passed, and in response to Sendai's momentum, Tokyo has moved East to left MF and Hayabusa to the right. Yonemoto and Kajiyama form a double pivot in a 4-4-2 formation. In the 24th minute, a long ball was not reached by Sendai FW Wilson who entered the area, but Yoshimoto committed a foul and a penalty kick was awarded... In the 25th minute, Sendai FW Wilson took the penalty kick. Kanda made a crucial save in the bottom right corner!!! It was a priceless play.

At the 33rd minute, the opponent's corner kick was repelled, and Higashi tried to launch a counterattack, but couldn't move forward in one go. However, persistently regaining possession, Mutoh broke free from Maeda's pass on the front line and was fouled, resulting in a free kick from the left area near the sideline. Then, at the 34th minute, Ota took the free kick. Morishige, on the far side, struck a powerful shot with his right foot and GOAL!! Once again, they score the opening goal from a set piece on this day!

In the early stages, Sendai attacked with speed and intensity, putting pressure on Tokyo. In response, Tokyo switched to a 4-4-2 formation. In the 24th minute, Yoshimoto committed a foul and a penalty kick was awarded, but Konda made a stop!! He defended the goal, and in the 34th minute, from a free kick won by Muto, Ota → Morishige scored a spectacular goal with his right foot!! After taking the lead, players like Hanyu took care of the midfield and the defense calmly passed the ball, maintaining the lead and ending the first half with a one-point advantage.

Yurtec.S grabs the first victory in J1 at Yurtec Stadium and achieves a four-game winning streak in the league

Tokyo changed their formation again from the start of the second half, to a 4-3-3 shape. In the 47th minute, Maeda competed for Konda's kick and passed it to Hayabusa on the left, then to Muto. In response to the cross from here, Yonemoto jumped out into the area. It was judged that he was fouled here, and this time Tokyo won a penalty kick. In the 48th minute, Muto calmly scored this penalty and GOAL!! GOAL!!

In the 52nd minute, Hayu passed to Ota, who made an attacking run on the left side. Ota's cross was perfectly timed, and Muto in the center of the area scored a goal with a shot that slipped through the defenders and goalkeeper! GOAL!! GOAL!! GOAL!! The score is now 3-0. And after 60 minutes, they scored an additional goal from a penalty kick at the start of the second half, followed by Muto scoring the third goal from Ota's cross! They quickly extended their lead. In order to secure the victory, they want to create their own time and prevent Sendai from scoring.

69 minutes, Takahashi was substituted for Hanyu. Kajiyama and Double Volante, with Higashi and Yonemoto on both sides. In the 74th minute, Sendai's left cross flowed to the opposite side, almost connecting again to Sendai, but Muto returned from the front line at full speed and held it back. Literally, working hard in both offense and defense. In the 85th minute, Lin was substituted for Muto.

In the 87th minute, Maruyama was substituted for Maeda to form a back three. In the 88th minute, Sendai's right cross was cut back in the left area and pressed by Sendai DF Ishikawa in the immediate right area. Unable to block this, it was scored in the top right corner of the net, conceding a goal... In the 90th minute, when FW Kanazono ran into the Sendai left area, Kanda came out but the ball with shooting potential grazed Kanda and spilled into the center... Directly pierced by Sendai FW Hamon Lopes who was free in the center of the area, conceding a goal again... We entered the final stage while maintaining a 3-point lead, but conceded a goal by taking advantage of the gap immediately after the player substitution. It is regrettable that we allowed an additional goal in a hurry against Sendai, who further increased their momentum, but we managed to hold on and the time was up. While leaving some challenges, we seized the first victory in J1 at Yurtec.S and achieved a 3-2 league winning streak.

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"The first 20 minutes were unstable, but the game completely changed after the penalty kick stop. After that, we were able to play our game until late in the second half and I think we created many chances in addition to the three goals. The player substitutions were made considering the physical condition. We conceded two goals at the end of the game, but I consider it a very positive experience for the team. We experienced the importance of staying focused until the referee blows the final whistle and it was a good lesson. From midway through the first half until the end of the game, the players were fantastic both tactically and in terms of their performance."

[Sendai Hara Saki Coach Press Conference Summary]
※Due to the suspension of Coach Watanabe, Coach Harasaki attended the press conference.
"The first half was really good, so not being able to score during the first half led to a difficult situation. I think the team's weakness was conceding goals at the beginning of the second half."

[Player Comments]
《Gonda》
"Stopping penalties is my job. If there was a feeling that 'Gonda will stop it' or if there was an atmosphere that 'we can win with a score of 3-0', that would be the worst. Even if it was 3-0, we should have taken advantage of the opportunity and aimed for the fourth goal, and it is something that our team should not have conceded two goals in the final stages. If there is any complacency, our reaction to second balls will be delayed, and we may concede when we really don't want to, and we may not be able to score when we really need one. Even if we lose 0-1, there may be more points to reflect on than in that game. However, we are a developing team. It is important to correct the reflection of today's game and not make the same mistakes again when a similar situation arises next time. I want to continue to grow even more, and I am keenly aware that I need to push myself further. Nevertheless, I am very grateful to everyone who cheered for us from the stands. We had away games during Golden Week, but we are grateful that so many people came and supported us even after conceding two goals. It has given us even more strength."

《Ota》
"(Regarding the free kick that led to the opening goal), it was a perfect coordination. Morishige swung his leg and it felt great. The shot was good, but there were also players blocking nearby and players drawing marks with fakes near the goal, so it was a goal taken by everyone. We were able to score using the pattern we practiced. However, we must not concede any goals. We want to review it together."