Match against Tosu, who wants to overcome the wall

Ahead of the ACL Round 16, J1 Sec. 12 was held on Friday before the other matches. Sagan Tosu welcomed the match at home.
In the previous match against Shonan, we successfully defended the goal scored by Kawano and achieved a two-game winning streak in official matches. We want to continue this momentum and turn it into a winning streak in the league.

Sagan Tosu is currently in 16th place with 8 points after 10 matches. Although they have welcomed Massimo FICCADENTI as their manager this season, they have not had a winning streak so far, making this match a "must-win game" for them. Tokyo has never lost to Tosu in the past two seasons, but they ended in a draw in the final match of last season, which prevented them from participating in the championship. Therefore, it is also a hurdle that they must overcome. They aim to surpass Tosu in terms of attitude and perseverance in the game and strive to earn 3 points together.

Tokyo will face the same starting lineup as the previous match, using a 4-1-4-1 system. Sagan Tosu's MF Kamada, who has recovered from injury, will start. He will play as an attacking midfielder, with FW Toyoda and FW Okada as the two forwards. In the midfield, MF Takahashi will anchor, and the team will start with a 4-3-1-2 formation with MF Choi and Kim on the sides.

Clear skies from morning to afternoon, and the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 19:04, amidst weather that is typical of May.

Both teams play a solid game and create a big chance towards the end of the first half

1 minute: Immediately after the start, Tosu was aggressively attacked. Starting from the right side of Tosu, the ball was played to MF Kamada outside the area, who then sent a ground cross in front of the goal. FW Toyoda made a run into the box, but just before that, Tokunaga made a sliding tackle and escaped with a corner kick. From the right corner kick taken by MF Kane, DF Taniguchi headed the ball near the goal, but it floated and was caught by Akimoto. Although it led to a finish, ultimately Tosu only had this one shot in the first half.

5 minutes: Tokyo also looked for opportunities from a calm game play, and Maeda, who received a pass in the left area, aimed for the goal. However, the ball went over the bar, and afterwards, both teams pressed each other with compact formations, preventing the opponent from playing freely.

12 minutes: Tanabe and Kawano make a move from the right side, Maeda passes through the center. Yamamoto then enters the area from behind, but is blocked by the Tosu DF. Kawano follows up on the loose ball, but the attack to the right is also contained by Tosu.

22 minutes: Yonemoto on the left side changes the side. Tokunaga, who has advanced outside the area, receives it and earns a right corner kick from a direct cross. However, unable to bring it to a finish.
28 minutes: A right-side FK is given to Tosu, and DF Kim Min Hyok, who was left free from the outside, is jumped out by a sharp kick from MF Kim. It was a tense moment, but the timing was off and it did not result in a shot.

Despite that, Tokyo DOROMPA calmly responded to Tosu's long balls. Tokyo gradually took control of the ball, created opportunities from the sides, and pushed Tosu back.
　
44 minutes: Tokunaga goes up from the right, Ogawa is in a high position via Tanabe and Yonemoto in the center. The pass to the center was cut off, but he picked up the loose ball and found space in the center. Takahashi, who ran in, aimed for a powerful middle shot, but hit the bar... Then Tokunaga and Tanabe connected with the second ball, and Maeda in front of the left area passed vertically to Kono in the area. Abe pressed the opponent DF who tried to clear in the center and took the ball, but once again, it was blocked by the bar from a close distance... Tokyo continues to connect the loose ball, and from Maeda's left cross, Tokunaga, who was free in the right area, hit a low-headed shot... but it was blocked by the good save of the Tosu GK.

In the first half, we created a series of big chances, but we couldn't score a goal, and both teams went into the second half with a scoreless draw.

Although they did not allow Tosu to play freely, they couldn't capitalize on their chances and scored no goals.

Connect the momentum from the end of the first half to the second half and create opportunities at the beginning.
47 minutes: Kono, who attempted a dribble breakthrough, was fouled and won a free kick from the right corner of the area. Ogawa aimed directly at it and his powerful shot hit the target, but it slipped from the hands of the Tosu goalkeeper and... there was a foul by Tokyo in front of the goal, resulting in a free kick for Tosu.

57 minutes: Abe received Tanabe's vertical pass just in front of the left area corner. He turned around and brought it inside, then unleashed a powerful mid-range shot, but it narrowly went over the frame.

67 minutes: A free kick is given to Tokyo Toshinai Chuo from inside the Tosu field, and MF Kaneto is targeted with a powerful low trajectory kick. Tosu's only shot in the second half was taken, but the ball that passed through the wall was calmly caught by Akimoto.

Even if Tosu had the ball, they were not allowed to advance towards the goal. Tokyo maintained a quick transition and attacked the goal. However, they were unable to convert it into a decisive chance.
68 minutes: Substituting Kawano with Mizunuma, and then substituting Tanabe with Hashimoto.
75 minutes: Hirayama replaces Maeda. Having already used up all three player substitution slots, they tried to turn the situation around.

83 minutes: Yonemoto → Ogawa overlapped and crossed. It was cleared, but the opponent missed the clearance and we got a left corner kick. From this left corner kick, Morishige tried to head the ball but failed to finish it. Hirayama chased after the ball that flowed to the far side and crossed from the right. Both crosses from both sides were cleared by Tosu.

In the final stage, Hirayama received the ball at the front line and continued to change sides and deliver crosses.
88th minute: Mizunuma runs into the right area to meet Yonemoto's lobbed pass and attempts a shot from the goal line, but it is blocked by the goalkeeper.
In the additional time, following Ogawa's side change, Tokunaga sent a vertical pass and Mizunuma, who ran to the front line, crossed. In response to this, Hasegawa from near the goal attempted a diving header, but... the close-range shot was saved by the goalkeeper, and the time was up.

Although they showed a solid game plan, they created big chances but were unable to capitalize on them. The match ended in a scoreless draw.

[Player Comments]
"Takahashi"
"The team is aiming to win while keeping the goals conceded to zero in the current difficult situation. Unfortunately, we couldn't score. Today, we started from the sides to widen Tosu's defense as part of our attacking strategy. Regarding the mid-range shots, we were aware of using the center if the opponent focused on the sides and also considered posing a threat from the mid-range. Not being able to convert those opportunities is a point of reflection. We had some good chances in the second half, but looking back, if we had converted at least one of those three chances towards the end of the first half... there is regret and reflection."

"Mizunuma"
"I expected the game to be a tight one with both teams cancelling each other out in terms of space. And that's exactly how it turned out. When I came on, the score was still 0-0, so I went onto the pitch to score. There were chances that I, including myself, should have converted. I have regrets about not taking those chances... and I also think it was a game we could have won comfortably. After the match today, I received support from Tosu supporters and it made me want to produce results in Tokyo once again. I want to work harder from training and play to my strengths."

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]
"Considering the current situation, it was a game that we really wanted to win. We couldn't get the 3 points and I feel frustrated. However, in a game like this, we were able to avoid losing by allowing the opponent only a few chances. Even in a tense situation, we were able to defend well. However, it's not enough to just limit the opponent to 2 shots. In the second half, we were able to create opportunities by pushing forward and increasing the number of players in the center. But we need to improve our communication and accuracy in the finishing part. Regardless of the opponent, this is a challenge that we need to solve. I think the fresh players who came on as substitutes need to elevate the quality of the team. Watching the support of the fans today, I felt the desire to meet their expectations. Together with the players, I want to progress and get the 3 points in the next match."
"It was a closely contested match where both teams fought for space. Towards the end of the first half, Tokyo's Takahashi's shot hit the crossbar, and there were moments where we were continuously attacked and made mistakes by dribbling inside the area, lacking a bit of concentration. However, apart from that scene, I don't think there were any clear-cut chances for either team. But that doesn't mean nothing happened; it was a match where both teams fought for space. Tokyo has many players who we competed against last season, and it is a team that I am familiar with. I knew how difficult it would be to break their solid defense. I told the players before the match to keep fighting until the end without losing their spirit. Although there were no goals, I think it was a match where both teams showed their determination."