GAME RESULTMatch Results

Sec. 10 2017/5/07 (Sun)
Audience 17,281 people 
Weather: sunny, with a low temperature of 21.5 degrees and humidity of 28%. 
Referee: Minoru TOJO Assistant Referees: Hiroyuki IGARASHI / Kentaro MATSUI Fourth Official: Shoji AKISAWA

J1 Sec. 10

Yurtec.S

HOME

Vegalta Sendai

0-2

Match ended

First Half0-1

Second half0-1

AWAY

FC Tokyo

Vegalta Sendai FC Tokyo
Scorer 21' Yoshito OKUBO
57' Yoshito OKUBO
60' Naoki SUGAI → Koji HACHISUKA
73' Yong Gi RYANG → Hiroaki OKUNO
84' Tatsuya MASUSHIMA → Naohiro ISHIKAWA
Player substitution 56' Hiroki KAWANO → Kensuke NAGAI
64' Ryoichi MAEDA → Peter UTAKA
87' Yoshito OKUBO → Takuma ABE
12 Shoot 7
9 CK 1
17 FK 12
Warning 24' Yoshito OKUBO
36' Keigo HIGASHI
Expulsion
Vegalta Sendai starting lineup
GK 1 Schmidt Daniel
DF 25 Naoaki Sugai
DF 27 Kazuki OIWA
DF 13 Yasuhiro HIRAOKA
DF 50 Tatsuya MASUSHIMA
MF 17 Shingo Tomita
MF 18 Hirotaka MITA
MF 10 Yong Gi RYANG
MF 2 Katsuya NAGATO
FW 20 Chrislan
FW 11 Naoki Ishihara
Vegalta Sendai Substitute
GK 21 Kentaro SEKI
DF 4 Koji HACHISUKA
DF 5 Naoki ISHIKAWA
MF 7 Hiroaki OKUNO
MF 28 Takumi SASAKI
MF 34 Keiya SHIIHASHI
FW 30 Takuma Nishimura
FC Tokyo Starting
GK 33 Akihiro HAYASHI
DF 22 Yuhei TOKUNAGA
DF 3 Masato MORISHIGE
DF 5 Yuichi MARUYAMA
DF 6 Kosuke OTA
MF 10 Yohei KAJIYAMA
MF 8 Yojiro TAKAHAGI
MF 17 Hiroki KAWANO
MF 13 Yoshito OKUBO
MF 38 Keigo HIGASHI
FW 20 Ryoichi MAEDA
FC Tokyo Substitute
GK 1 Takuo OKUBO
DF 2 Sei MUROYA
MF 15 Kensuke NAGAI
MF 23 Shoya NAKAJIMA
MF 27 Sotan TANABE
MF 44 Takuma ABE
FW 9 Peter UTAKA

[Highlight Video]

[Player and Coach Comments]

《Akihiro HAYASHI Player》
(Regarding the fact that we were able to finish today's match without conceding a goal)
"I think we were also lucky to keep a clean sheet. If the ball had hit the post a little more on the inside, it would have been a goal. Throughout the match, there were many points to reflect on, so I am not satisfied. I felt that just because it was my birthday, it doesn't mean everything will go smoothly, so I want to tighten up and keep going."

(Did anyone celebrate your birthday?)
"I was happy because I was celebrated by the fans and supporters, both in the locker room after the match and by the fans."

(After the match, a birthday song was sung from the stands. Has something like this ever happened before?)
"No, it hasn't. It was the first time. I really wanted to win today, so I'm really glad we were able to win convincingly."

《Keigo HIGASHI Player》
(It was a victory away from home, but what are your thoughts on today's match?)
"I knew it would be a difficult match away from home, but our mission today was to win solidly, and we were able to achieve that. I think it was tough for the opponents to concede two goals from set plays, and I think Ota's kick was tough for them as well, so it was good that we were able to capitalize on that. I think it would have been even better if we could have scored from the flow of the game, but we are creating chances and playing the way we want, so we want to continue that in the future."

(Is it getting tougher with consecutive games and also in terms of condition?)
"Today was hot, and I got a little tired towards the end. Some players didn't play, while others played continuously, but the coach and staff are controlling it well, so even though we have a two-day break, we want to focus on the next Levain Cup and fight in the upcoming match. It won't be a team improvement if we can't play the same soccer regardless of which player is on the field. We want to fight together as a team."

"Summary of Yoshiyuki SHINODA's press conference"
"Above all, it was good that everyone worked hard for the full 90 minutes and earned 3 points. We would like to prepare positively for the next game."
The match was played with Sendai using the field widely and employing a system that involved hitting long balls to Chrislan and having Ishihara (Naoki) take up a troublesome position. However, we managed to finish without allowing them to score in the final moments. However, we lost the ball many times after winning it in both the first and second halves. That is an issue, and I felt that we need to push the opponent a little more and move the ball.
The goal from the set piece was as intended, and Yoshito OKUBO was able to fill in the gaps in the second ball without any loopholes. Our biggest goal is to score goals, even if it's a dirty fight, so I think it was good anyway.
"We have identified various challenges, so we want to prepare together, focusing on each one for the next step."

《Q&A》
Q=What kind of words did player Hikaru Mita say to the Tokyo bench after the game ended?
"Tama (Mita) and I have been together for a long time since he joined as a coach, and I was very happy to see him fighting on the pitch. When he came, I said, "Congratulations on 100 matches." I told him, "I will continue to watch you as a reliable center."
Just talking about how "today was our win" made me really happy, and at the same time, I thought again that I want to continue to strive and support each other positively as soccer teammates.

Q=The winning streak without conceding a goal continues, but what are the points that are not going well and the points that are going well, even though the opponents are different?
"There is also the fact that Hayashi (Akihiro) has been able to dig it out at the end, but the players in the defensive line are the ones who limit the course at the end. However, I was nervous when I was shot in the middle of the ball, but I won't let them shoot there, I will block the shot. Also, set plays and long throws. We have to make sure that we don't create such dangerous scenes. Especially today, there were many scenes like that at the end."
I think the reason for not conceding a goal is because Lin or the defensive line, and if we go further, the defense of the front line is solid.

"Press Conference Summary by Manager Susumu WATANABE of Sendai"
"Thank you very much. On the last Sunday of Golden Week, we are grateful to have gathered many supporters. Regarding the league matches, we have been unable to win at home since the opening match, and we ourselves are very frustrated and sorry to have made the supporters feel the same way.
Before today's game, we talked about bringing the momentum of our winning streak in official matches, including the Levain Cup, and giving it our all. As expected, FC Tokyo came out aggressively pressing from the start, but I feel like we could have kept it simpler there.
Only two goals were conceded since the restart. I can't remember if there were any major threats in the flow of the game, so I feel it was a missed opportunity.
However, once we managed to break FC Tokyo's press, we were able to move the ball well and effectively enter their half intentionally. In fact, we created numerous chances and took many shots. Although the score was 0-2, I believe we were able to compete confidently against FC Tokyo. I don't think it was a game to be pessimistic about, and I told the players to lift their heads and stand up.
I think that this game, this content, this frustrating result, it is our mission to firmly connect them to the next match and beyond, so I want to continue to work hard from training with a positive mindset.