GAME RESULTGame Result

Sec. 3 2018/4/04 (Wed)
Audience 7,068 people 
Weather cloudy, low temperature 11.7 degrees, humidity 57% 
Referee: Yudai YAMAMOTO Assistant Referees: Shinji OCHI / Haruhiro OTSUKA Fourth Official: Masashige ABE

YLC Group Stage Group A Sec. 3

Yurtec.S

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Vegalta Sendai

3-0

Match Finished

First Half2-0

Second half1-0

AWAY

FC Tokyo

Vegalta Sendai FC Tokyo
28' Ryo GERMAIN
42' Koji HACHISUKA
68' Koji HACHISUKA
Scorer
22' Yoshihiro SHOJI → Yong Gi RYANG
60' Shingo TOMITA → Kazuki OIWA
73' Koji HACHISUKA → Shota KOBAYASHI
Player Substitution 46' Kazunori YOSHIMOTO → Makoto OKAZAKI
46' Yojiro TAKAHAGI → Kento HASHIMOTO
62' Takuya UCHIDA → Keigo HIGASHI
16 Shoot 8
6 CK 7
19 FK 17
34' Masato TOKIDA
Warning 37' Takuya UCHIDA
48' Takuji YONEMOTO
89' Takefusa KUBO
Ejected
Vegalta SendaiStarting Lineup
GK 22 Goro KAWANAMI
DF 25 Naoki SUGAI
DF 33 Masato TOKIDA
DF 34 Keiya SHIIHASHI
MF 17 Shingo Tomita
MF 8 Yoshihiro SHOJI
MF 4 Takaji Hachisuka
MF 31 Shunsuke MOTEGI
FW 20 Takuma ABE
FW 23 Yoshihiro NAKANO
FW 19 Ryo GERMAIN
Vegalta Sendai substitute
GK 1 Schmidt Daniel
DF 27 Kazuki OIWA
MF 10 Yong Gi RYANG
MF 16 Taketo Notuda
MF 29 Shota KOBAYASHI
FW 30 Takuma NISHIMURA
FW 40 Ryunosuke Sugawara
FC Tokyo Starting Lineup
GK 33 Akihiro HAYASHI
DF 2 Sei MUROYA
DF 4 Kazunori YOSHIMOTO
DF 5 Yuichi MARUYAMA
DF 6 Kosuke OTA
MF 15 Takefusa KUBO
MF 7 Takuji YONEMOTO
MF 8 Yojiro Takahagi
MF 28 Takuya UCHIDA
FW 20 Ryoichi MAEDA
FW 17 Cayman TOGASHI
FC Tokyo Substitutes
GK 1 Yu OKUBO
DF 29 Makoto OKAZAKI
DF 35 Yoshitake SUZUKI
MF 18 Kento HASHIMOTO
MF 38 Keigo HIGASHI
FW 11 Kensuke NAGAI
FW 24 Taichi HARA

[Highlight Video]

【Player/Coach Comments】

"Sei MUROYA"

(The result was 0-3. Looking back on the game)
"We need to reflect on the part where we conceded goals consecutively in the first half."
I think we cannot become a strong team unless we become a team that can quickly switch and regain points after conceding. I want everyone to work together to improve in that area."

(Against Sendai's organized defense, we tried to break through with individual strength)
"We were in a losing situation, so we were conscious of playing more aggressively. I tried to break through and become a starting point in my own way, but I couldn't score and ended up losing 0-3, so I'm personally very frustrated."

(Player Muroya himself thinks that he was able to play well by organizing what he should do by taking a little break from the official game)
"Honestly, I wanted to score in the attacking part. I want to increase the number of plays where I can shake off the opponent and break through."

What was the momentum and challenges of the attack?
"Since we were in a behind situation, I played with the intention of breaking the opponent from the right side where I was. However, I have to reflect on the fact that I couldn't score and I felt the need to improve the quality of my play personally."
There are times when we concede goals in any match. Among them, the entire team must have a mentality to turn the game around, and we cannot win a match like today without showing more determination and fighting spirit.
Since the match is still ongoing, I want to reflect on it thoroughly and prepare for the next match.

"Takuya UCHIDA"

(Looking back on today's match)
"I think it was good that I was able to participate in the attack several times in the first half. However, not being able to score there is my own challenge. I believe that I cannot play in the game unless I aggressively attack with my dribbling, which is my strength, and increase the number of times I take the ball to the shot."
Instead of looking down after conceding a goal, we need to switch and go all out to recover. We won't get results unless we improve in that aspect and train for the next game.

(Today I played on the side. As for the points I was conscious of in the attack)
"The coach instructed me to be aware of positioning. I tried to receive the ball on the side and become a starting point, and create a situation where Ota can easily move forward."
"I feel like I need to increase my physical activity and quality in order to produce results such as goals and assists. There are also parts that have gone well, so I want to continue with those."

"Summary of Tokyo - Kenta HASEGAWA Coach's Press Conference"

"Today was a complete defeat. In terms of our performance and approach in the first half, we were very passive. Our pressing was weak, our reaction to second balls after long passes was slow, and we conceded the first goal and lost our momentum. I think our mental strength was lacking when we conceded that goal. As for our performance in the second half, I think we showed a lot of courage, pushed forward, and fought with determination. In that sense, I think Sendai was more focused and aggressive from the start. I believe that's what led to the result. In the first three matches of the Levain Cup, we played two away games and one home game, which we won. In the remaining three matches, we have two home games, so we will do our best to secure points at home and advance to the final round and playoffs. We will continue to prepare diligently for that."

"Q&A"
Q: In the first half, Kubo was stopped many times when he tried to dribble, but in the second half, he also made good passes. What is your evaluation of Kubo's performance today?
"I think it was very good. Although the point difference was wide, they showed a fighting spirit until the end. They were challenging the ball properly and showing an attitude towards the goal until the end. Of course, they couldn't produce results such as assists or goals, but I think they showed a strong determination in today's match."

"Press Conference Summary of Sendai and Susumu WATANABE Coach"

"Thank you very much for coming to tonight's weekday night game. We had over 7,000 supporters gather, and we really appreciate it."
The league game has a slightly different atmosphere, and tends to be a little fluffy, but we sent them off saying, "First, let's sweep away that kind of atmosphere with our own power." Also, although we won the recent Nagasaki league game, it was far from our ideal performance, so today, with a different lineup, we sent off the players with the intention of erasing the game content from the previous match as the same Vegalta Sendai team.
I think they played with great enthusiasm and demonstrated excellent tactics. However, since there is another game coming up soon, we must not let our guard down, be satisfied, and diligently prepare for the next Urawa game.

"Q&A"

Q=Please explain the reason why you chose to adopt the 3-5-2 formation from the start and maintained it even after the accident, despite having prepared multiple systems in advance.
"First of all, we were preparing with the assumption that FC Tokyo would come with a similar setup as they did last time at Ajinomoto, with a playmaker in the attacking midfield position. In that regard, we thought it would be more effective to have two forwards and an anchor."
However, in the midst of various preparations and simulations, last night, a thought came to my mind, "No, wouldn't it be better to go with a 3-5-2 formation even if the opponent has a double pivot?" So, in today's meeting, I discussed the idea of "let's go with a two-striker formation even if the opponent has a double pivot" and sent the team out. Although we didn't train specifically for that on the pitch, just explaining it on the board and being able to execute it to that extent shows that it's not just about adapting to the opponent, but also about how we can take control in both attack and defense by organizing ourselves.
Even after the accident, I had a vague idea of what I could do, so I thought it would be better to keep the system as it was. In the end, we went up to 3-0, so we went back to the original 3-4-3 to relieve the burden on the midfield and closed the game."

Q=I thought Kubo, the opponent's player, would be the key player, but in the first half, I matched up with Nakano a lot, and I thought Nakano and I were similar in terms of playing style, so I was able to take the ball a lot. In the second half, I felt like I was running away from Nakano quite a bit, but I think the plan to deal with Kubo was working well, don't you think?
"We didn't specifically prepare for him. It's not like we're playing against Kubo, but against FC Tokyo. Of course, I think he's a key player. In reality, when the ball comes to him, he has the power to push forward and can come up with various ideas. He has the ability to hold the ball in a way that is very troublesome for the opponent, and as a pure soccer player, I was surprised that he can do this at the age of 16.
But there were parts that we were able to defend as a team, and there were probably parts that we were actually beaten, so I think it would be good to watch the footage again and organize it."
However, I think if we could have erased him a little more even in the second half of the 45 minutes, we could have played a little more in the opponent's territory as a team, but I hope we can reflect on it as a whole.