2nd stage begins. Sec. 1 away game!

The 2nd stage has begun, and in the 1st section, Sagan Tosu will compete against and visit the away team.
In the final match of the 1st stage, Shun Hirayama's goal led us to victory over Yokohama FM, resulting in a record of 6 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses, finishing in 9th place.

The 2nd stage is welcomed without delay from there, but coach Hiroshi JOFUKU said, "We are most conscious of growing throughout the 34 matches in a year, but we couldn't extend the points as we wanted until now. Taking the opportunity to reset is a big motivation, and we want to face the future with renewed feelings."

Tosu's 1st stage is in 15th place with 17 points. They scored only 10 goals, which is the worst in the league, and couldn't convert it into points. On the other hand, they conceded 15 goals, which is fewer than Tokyo, and they are known for their solid defense. It is important to not give any opportunities to Tosu's attacking lineup, centered around FW Toyoda and MF Kamada, throughout the 90 minutes.

Tokyo has listed Muriqui and Nathan BURNS in the top two for three consecutive matches, and Tokunaga returned to the starting lineup from the previous Yokohama FM match.
It will be necessary to show patience, but in order to earn 3 points, it will also be necessary to aggressively go after the ball and take risks in attacking. This match is one where we want to surpass Tosu by showing our growth as a team compared to when we faced them in the 1st stage. Furthermore, we have achieved victory in all three seasons at Away Best Amenity Stadium.

The match started at 19:04 with a kickoff from Tosu at the very humid (89%) Tosu Best Amenity Stadium.

First goal by Muriqui! Leading 1-0 at halftime

A game development where offense and defense rapidly change from the beginning.
6 minutes: Cut the ball in the midfield, Muriqui -> Hashimoto connects, Hashimoto dribbles through the center. The ground shot is caught by GK Hayashi.
10 minutes: Barnes crosses from the right side with a ground pass. Muriqui, who ran into the center of the area, slides the ball into the right side of the goal, and it's a goal! Tokyo takes the lead.

23 minutes: Tosu gradually approaches the goal while passing the ball, but Tokyo's defense line handles the ball behind the line and prevents them from taking a shot.
26 minutes: Tokyo has the ball and is passing it around. They launch an attack from the side, and Nathan Burns shows an aggressive movement towards the back.
28 minutes: Tokyo earned a free kick after Yonemoto was fouled about 20 meters away from the goal. Kicker Morishige aimed directly but missed to the right of the goal.

35 minutes: Muriqui passes to Higashi, and Hashimoto attempts a right-footed middle shot from the edge of the area, but the ball goes over the frame.
46 minutes: Tosu MF Kin relentlessly targets the space behind the right side, with Tokyo DF firmly clearing the ball in front of the goal.
Tokyo took the lead with Muriqui's goal. Both teams came close to scoring, but no goals were produced, and the first half ended with a score of 1-0.

Defeated by a comeback with 2 goals conceded in the second half injury time

The second half starts with Tokyo's kickoff.
54 minutes: Yonemoto, who received a pass from Kawano, turns around and shoots with his right foot, but misses the target by a wide margin.
56 minutes: Tosu FK scene. The cross ball sent from the right side is crossed back by MF Takahashi on the far side. Maruyama clears it widely, leading to Tosu's FK.
58 minutes: The left corner kick is taken by MF Toyama. The low trajectory cross ball is sucked into the goal net, resulting in a goal and making it 1-1.

62 minutes: Tokyo attacks from the left side. Burns supplies a ground cross to the goal area. Kono directly connects and scores a goal. Tokyo leads again with a score of 2-1.
64 minutes: Takahashi is substituted for Higashi. With this player change, Takahashi enters the midfield center position and Hashimoto moves to the left side.
69 minutes: Tosu substitutes FW Toyama with FW Ikeda.

74 minutes: Tosu makes their second substitution. Kamada is replaced by Hayasaka.
75 minutes: Both teams are competing for the loose ball and vying for control of the midfield.
79 minutes: Tosu makes their final substitution. Hiroshi FUKUDA is replaced by Okamoto.

80 minutes: Tosu, who are increasing their offensive pressure, put pressure on the Tokyo DF line and aim to steal the ball.
83 minutes: Satoru KAWANO is substituted for Mizunuma.
87 minutes: Tokyo stole the ball from the opponent's DF. Mizunuma had a free chance in front of the area, but GK Hayashi jumped out and prevented the goal with one hand.
89 minutes: Nathan BURNS is replaced by Hirayama!

The second half additional time is 4 minutes.
90 minutes + 4: Tosu, right side, MF Kinda breaks through. FK Ikeda finishes the ground cross from inside the area, equalizing the score.
90 minutes + 5: Tosu MF Kin's vertical pass, MF Takahashi Yoshi breaks through and crosses to the center. FW Toyota heads the ball from this cross and scores... allowing an unexpected turnaround.
Suffered a devastating comeback loss with 2 goals in the second half stoppage time.

[Player Comments]
"Muriqui"
"I don't really understand what happened in the situation where we were caught up and even turned around just as victory was within reach. In the first half, we were able to score while connecting the ball with our rhythm and were able to turn around with a score of 1-0. In the second half, the opponent came forward, so we were able to withstand the attacks to some extent... There's no point in complaining about what has already happened, and there are still remaining matches, so we want to aim for our goal from now on and avoid making mistakes."

"Nathan Burns"
"We lost a game that we had to win. I think we made it difficult for ourselves in the last 5 minutes. Other than that, everyone fulfilled their roles and tactics for the team, but the last 5 minutes determined the result. However, the 2nd stage has just begun, so we need to switch our mindset and focus on the next game."

[Summary of Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference]
"I am truly sorry that we couldn't earn 3 points and made our fans and supporters who came from far away feel frustrated. There must be a reason why we ended up with 0 points. There are things that the team should reflect on and things that individuals should take responsibility for. As professionals, we are expected to deliver results. I take responsibility for the team's results, but the players must take responsibility for their performance and the outcome of the game. As the next point of improvement, we want to level up as a team and move forward."

[Sagan Tosu - Coach Massimo FICCADENTI Press Conference Summary]
"Looking at only the last 3 minutes, it was a game that seemed to be condensed here, but when I look at the way we fought for the previous 90 minutes, I thought it was a satisfying performance. In that, we were able to achieve such a great result. In order to connect to the next game, I want to calmly analyze the good and bad points within the 90 minutes. In terms of tactics, while fighting, I was telling the players where to make changes based on the situation, but when Hirayama came on, the opportunities for Tosu to target the Tokyo defense line from behind decreased. So, we were able to push up all at once and enter the formation for the final attack. The players also understood well the changes to 4-3-3 and further to 4-4-2 that I had made, and it was a game where they fought well against the wonderful Tokyo players that I have been coaching for 2 years, and I could feel the greatness of the Tosu players even more deeply. I think today was a victory of the heart. They showed a way of fighting against Tokyo that couldn't be better to take 3 points."