The "Tokyo!" call echoes through the stadium!

The away match against Sendai, which was the first of the season, kicked off in the harsh cold of 5 degrees at Sendai Stadium, which boasts top-class facilities in the country. Sendai gathered over 10,000 spectators in their opening match last week and was introduced in sports news as a region where 'Tohoku is hot right now!' On this day, nearly 5,000 spectators cheered loudly, filling the venue with the spirit of Sendai, but the approximately 50 supporters who rushed from Tokyo countered with their 'Tokyo! Tokyo!' chants, showing enough flair and creativity despite being only one-hundredth in number. It can only be said, 'As expected!' and there’s no way the players wouldn’t be inspired by this.

A back-and-forth evenly matched first half

In the first half, FC Tokyo built the game with Almir's long and short passes from deep in the midfield, creating chances from Sato's dribbles and Amaral's hold-up play. Following the previous match, Amaral's movements were good, and in the 30th minute of the first half, he hit the crossbar with a looping shot from a ball dropped by Okamoto, showcasing his proactive play. In defense, Sandro and Komine displayed an excellent combination, while Asari's tight checks and the calm judgments of Fujiyama and Umehara ensured stability without any signs of being broken down. However, the poor condition of the pitch and the opponent's tight marking made it difficult to create decisive moments. On the other hand, Sendai's new foreign player Nixon became a key figure with his dynamic movements, creating chances in combination with Abe up front. The back-and-forth battle gradually shifted to FC Tokyo's rhythm due to the difference in defensive strength.

Ride the wave with the new player's first goal!

In the second half, the opponent's stamina dropped, and the balls behind the defense that didn't get through in the first half gradually started to connect. Coach Okuma's strategy of "not losing in stamina" began to take effect. On the right side, a sharp overlap from Umeyama following Yuto Sato's dribble led to exquisite through passes, and the pattern of the "artisan" Umeyama delivering highly accurate crosses was seen repeatedly. On the left side, chances were created from wall passes between Fujiyama and Almir.At the 15th minute of the second half, Fujiyama persisted with a dribble on the left side and passed to Okamoto in the center. Okamoto, while shielding the opponent, took a powerful shot from a difficult position. The goalkeeper barely deflected it, but Yuto Sato, who had followed up, easily scored. Then at the 19th minute of the second half, from the right side, a direct pass from Yuto Sato reached Okamoto, who delivered an early cross. Almir, running in from the center, took a powerful shot. The goalkeeper again made a good save, but Almir pushed the ball in to score. With the first goals from these two new players, the team completely gained momentum. Although failing to add more goals and conceding an easy goal later are points to reflect on, this game confirmed FC Tokyo's ability to secure a solid away victory despite poor conditions.