Final League Match Welcomed at Home Ajinomoto

Sec. 16 of the 2nd stage is held. As the final home game, Vegalta Sendai will be welcomed and confronted at Ajinomoto Stadium.

In the previous match against Kashima, we displayed our quick switching and strength in ball contests, overwhelming both in attack and defense to secure a victory. Manager Shinoda said, "I feel that we played a good game, but the opponent's playing style and situation may be different, so what we achieved in the Kashima match may not necessarily be replicated in the next Sendai match." He emphasized the importance of whether we can express what we have accumulated in this match throughout the 90 minutes on the pitch.

Especially in the final home game, there may be people who have supported us throughout the year and watched the Kashima game thinking "Let's go again". In order to express our gratitude to those people, we want to play dynamic soccer and share the joy of victory with everyone. With that in mind, we will approach the game with a strong determination to show our fighting spirit.

This week, Kono, who injured his ankle in the previous match, will be absent. As a result, Mizunuma will be starting on the right side. For him, it will be his first start since the June 11th 1st Sec. 15 match against Iwata. In addition, Hashimoto will continue as the right back, while Muroya will move to the left. On the bench, Yoshimoto and Insoo YU have been included in the squad, following the previous match.

S-Pulse's opponent, Sendai, is currently in 12th place in the 2nd stage with 20 points. They are 3 points behind Tokyo in the annual standings and are in 11th place. They should also be aiming to accumulate as many points as possible and go all out for victory. Above all, FW Anderson Lopes has scored 4 goals in the last 2 matches, and caution is needed against their attacking power centered around him. In this match, MF Mita, who is on loan from Tokyo, cannot play, so MF Fujimura will be used in midfield along with MF Tomita. Sendai can be expected to launch an aggressive fight, but we want to take the initiative in both offense and defense and seize victory.

Despite the cloudy sky, occasional rays of sunshine shine through, and under the weather that doesn't feel as cold as yesterday, the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo at 14:04.

Takashi MIZUNUMA shows a performance that meets expectations and takes the lead with the first goal of the season in J1

They displayed a sense of dynamism right from the start and launched quick attacks with swift transitions.
2 minutes: Tanabe -> Higashi breaks through on the left side and sends a low cross to the center. Mizunuma, who ran into the penalty area at the perfect timing, created a scoring opportunity and took a shot with his right foot... but it was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, resulting in a corner kick.

4 minutes: Sendai also attacked the Tokyo defense with numbers, and in the 5th minute, DF Oiwa scored a header from FW Nozawa's corner kick. There were also moments when they were attacked with momentum, but they calmly defended and turned it into an attack.
8 minutes: Nakajima, who went up the left side line, sends a cross, and Mizunuma rushes into the goal area. However, a foul against the opponent's defender is called here, and Sendai gets the ball.

13 minutes: Maruyama, who intercepted the ball, moved forward and made a vertical pass into the penalty area. Mizunuma tried to break through the defense, but couldn't connect with Higashi. The opponent cleared the ball, and we got a left throw-in.
14 minutes: Nakajima receives Muraya's throw-in, Muraya passes to Tanabe again on the side line, who breaks through on the left front line. Nakajima receives the pass and turns around. With a strong dribble, he brings the ball into the center and then passes to Maeda in the middle. From there, he breaks through to the left area and calmly sends a lofted pass to the front of the goal.
Quick combination play broke down the left side, and Mizunuma in the center headed the ball into the goal. It was his first J1 goal in Tokyo, and he scored the opening goal in response to the expectations of being selected as a starter.

19 minutes: Mizunuma breaks through the opponent's defense and crosses from the goal line to the center. Higashi in front of the goal tries to volley, but it is cleared by the opponent and only earns a right corner kick. After that, the game gradually settles down and becomes a tight battle with compact lines. Among them, Nakajima becomes the focal point when holding the ball in the opponent's territory, continuously switching the attack.

30 minutes: Sendai is given a free kick on the left side. MF Yanagida sends it to the far post, and DF Watanabe, who has come out from the right area, unleashes a high header, but it goes wide of the goal.
33 minutes: Sendai Central's MF Tomita -> MF Fujimura, a vertical pass with a wedge is inserted to MF Yanagi around the central area, but Morishige, who tried to advance and steal it, couldn't steal it completely. It was replaced by MF Yanagi and brought to a shot, but it was in front of Akimoto.

36 minutes: Maeda, who received a vertical pass, was fouled from behind and won a free kick in the opponent's central area, about 23-4m from the goal. Mizunuma played a short pass from this, Morishige aimed but couldn't finish the shot, and the ball went wide of the goal.
42 minutes: Hashimoto, Mizunuma, Tanabe, and others pass the ball on the right front line, but Sendai also takes care of it and cannot penetrate the space. However, Morishige pushes up the line and floats a pass to the right front line. Higashi catches up and crosses from near the goal line, but it goes wide.

Although we couldn't score any additional points, we managed to maintain a one-point lead and ended the first half.

Calmly withstand Sendai's counterattack and achieve 3 consecutive wins in the league

47 minutes: Shortly after the start of the second half, a chance was created. From a free kick on the left side line, Mizunuma's kick was cleared, but Tanabe followed up near the penalty area and sent a lofted pass to the left area. East received the ball with the opponent's defender on his back, but his direct shot from a right-footed trap was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.
50 minutes: A free kick is given to Sendai from the left area near the goal, and FW Nozawa's kick is cleared by the defense. Then a counterattack is launched, and the left cross from there is somehow cleared, but during this period Sendai maintains possession of the ball and is being attacked.

However, Tokyo also seizes the opportunity to take possession of the ball at a high position without giving the opponent the initiative, aiming for a counterattack.
58 minutes: Muroya makes a vertical run and crosses from the left. Although he couldn't finish from here, he wins the second ball and passes it to Tanabe in front of the right area. This time, Mizunuma crosses from the right. However, Nakajima, who was competing with the opponent in front of the goal, couldn't reach the header.
68 minutes: Even though Sendai dominated the ball, they were able to create a solid block and defend. Muroya ran up the left side, skillfully cutting back inside despite being marked by two defenders, and sent a cross, but it was blocked. However, they were able to regain possession and make it their own, with a decisive minus pass from the goal line to the front. Unfortunately, it did not reach Nakajima... Shortly after, Nakajima himself attempted a shot from his favorite angle, but his foot got caught and he was unable to find the target.

73 minutes: Sendai brought in MF Kanekubo, and in the 75th minute, MF Pablo Jogo was also brought to the front line. The time continued to be carried to the Tokyo goal with the driving force of FW Hamon Lopes and MF Pablo Jogo.
80 minutes: Tokyo also substitutes Nathan BURNS for Maeda. They defend their own goal without losing focus and try to counterattack from there.
83 minutes: Takahashi replaces Tanabe.
86 minutes: Starting a counterattack from their own half, Nathan Burns carried the ball up the right side, but his cross was blocked by Sendai defenders and did not reach Mizunuma in the center or Nakajima on the far side.
89 minutes: Nathan Burns in the center quickly counterattacks again. Higashi is running alongside him, Mizunuma is on the right side, and Nakajima is advancing on the left. Burns tried to connect with Nakajima, but the pass was weak and easily defended by the opponent.

In the final stages, there were moments when Sendai was pushed back by the opponent's momentum, but they managed to keep a clean sheet without losing concentration and launched counterattacks at key moments. They were unable to score additional goals, but they successfully defended the opening goal scored by Mizunuma, decorated their final home game with a victory, and achieved a three-game winning streak in the league.

[Player Comments]
"Mizunuma"
"Before starting, I was conscious of doing what the team should do while expressing my own strengths. I think I was able to express my own style and color, including plays that energize the team. Sendai was in good shape and I expected them to aggressively counterattack, but we were able to withstand their momentum and fight patiently. Winning is the most important thing, whether it's 1-0 or any other score. This season may not have been what I envisioned, but even when I didn't have the opportunity to play, I felt that something was missing and I prepared with the feeling of wanting to do my best when the chance came. None of it became a negative, everything became a positive for me. I was able to demonstrate that in today's result."

《MoriShige》
"In the Kashima game, we were able to press from the front and defend positively, but today we were able to create a block and repel their attacks. I'm sure the opponents didn't like that. Compared to the past two games, Sendai had more possession of the ball today, but I think we just passed it around in the back. In the first half, Sendai FW Nozawa got the ball and was able to face forward, but we were able to fix that in the second half. We maintained compactness, prevented him from facing forward, and kept a clean sheet. This season, we had a change in coach midway, but now under Coach Shinoda, we have been training diligently and are able to demonstrate that in matches. We are grateful for the support of the fans throughout the year."

[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"We were able to earn 3 points for the fans and supporters who came to Ajinomoto Stadium. Thanks to the efforts of the players and staff, as well as their support, we were able to win and it was genuinely good. In terms of the game, we couldn't grasp the rhythm as we kept losing the ball after taking it back from the opponent for a long time since the start. However, we were able to advance the game advantageously by scoring the opening goal. The opponent had a long time in possession of the ball, but they only managed to do it once in the first half. We were able to create a block and defend. There were still challenges in terms of taking back the ball, but I think it was a first half where we could control the team well in a balanced manner. In the second half, we continued to go for the second goal, but we couldn't find the rhythm and it reached the end without being able to grasp it. So we decided to bring in Anton BURNS to launch a counterattack, bring in Kaua to stabilize the midfield, and bring in Robert to finish the game. I think the whole team worked hard to earn 3 points."
I have always sought a sense of dynamism from the players since I took office, believing that without it, the spectators would not feel anything. Regarding that attitude, I think I was able to show it. We cannot achieve perfect football, but I believe we were able to clearly demonstrate the direction we aim for. From here, I want to aim for football that continues to accumulate points.

[Sendai - Coach Susumu WATANABE's Press Conference Summary]
"I heard that over 2,000 Sendai supporters gathered. Ajinomoto Stadium has always been a place where Sendai has struggled to win. We knew that data, but we sent the players out to build a new history somehow. We couldn't celebrate the 3 points with the fans and supporters, and I feel frustrated and disappointed. As for the game, the start was everything. We conceded an early goal, but there was also a scene where the opponent easily entered the box before that. We managed to survive thanks to a big save from GK Seki, but we stumbled a bit there. If that didn't happen, I think the game would have been more tightly contested. In the past few matches, even if we couldn't play the way we wanted, I told the players to focus on the competition and be determined. However, it becomes difficult if we fall behind. However, I think we were able to demonstrate the power to recover from there and the ability to build attacks, which we have accumulated this season. However, we couldn't break through Tokyo's final line, which seemed to have two national team defenders, and we had few shots. I feel that we need to come up with ideas to break through as a group if we can't break through individually, and we need to increase the number of such plays. With only one match left in the 2016 season, I want to leave the frustration of today at Ajinomoto Stadium and end the final home game with a victory."