Revenge Series Part 3, aiming for the first 4 consecutive wins

　Tokyo, riding high with three consecutive wins after defeating Sapporo, Kobe, and Kyoto. In this match, with one-third of the 2nd stage remaining, they will face Vegalta Sendai.

　Sendai has been promoted to the J1 League this season. Although they achieved a remarkable performance in the 1st stage, finishing in 9th place, they are currently in 15th place in the 2nd stage and are on a three-game losing streak. Having lost 1-3 in the away match against Sendai in the 1st stage, this is a crucial match for revenge, and they cannot afford to lose as they aim for their first four consecutive wins of the season and a rise in the rankings.

　However, Sendai's side attacks from left MF Iwamoto, who has returned from injury, and right MF Ando are powerful, and FW Marcos and Yamashita, who have height and finishing ability, should also be watched. Winning the battles on the sides will likely be a condition for victory.

　The starting members of Tokyo remain unchanged, following the principle of "WINNING TEAM NEVER CHANGE". MF Yukihiko SATO returns to the lineup for the first time in three matches, and is on the reserve. The home game at Tokyo Stadium, the first in three weeks, began under a gloomy sky with Tokyo's kickoff.

Revenge Part Three

After consecutive victories over Consadole, Vissel and Purple Sanga the opponents for the 11th game of the second stage were Vegalta Sendai.
Sendai, in their first season in the top flight, caused a minor sensation by posting some good results in the first stage but have since slumped badly and entered the game languishing in 15th place, currently on a three game losing streak.
Vegalta are not to be taken lightly, however, as TOKYO discovered when they visited Sendai in April and came away with a 1-3 defeat; with Iwamoto on the left of midfield, Ando on the right and a strike force of towering Brazilian Marcos and slippy, darting Yamashita they have sufficient attacking capability to upset any team.
With the old adage of "Never change a winning team" in mind, TOKYO manager Hara didn't, but his inclusion of flying right winger Sato on the bench indicated the importance he laid on gaining the upper hand along the flanks.
F.C.TOKYO kicked off in front of a raucous crowd of nearly 18,000 on a chilly, rainy evening.

Amaral opens the scoring with four consecutive goals

　The match was expected to be an attacking one for both sides, but it moved quickly. In the 3rd minute, a cross from Miyazawa on the left side was cleared by the opposing DF. Toda, who received it near the end line, connected again, but the opposing DF cleared it once more. From the scramble, Kelly headed the ball back to Toda, who, despite losing his balance, passed it to the front of the goal area. Amaral, who was free to pounce, struck with his right foot, scoring a goal! Taking advantage of the confusion between Sendai's DF and GK, Tokyo took the lead with the King's goal, marking his fourth consecutive match scoring.

　With this one goal, the Tokyo players were filled with confidence. The pressing from the front line, quick passing, and proactive attitude in switching between offense and defense shone through as they controlled the ball. However, in the 7th minute, Sendai seized a loose ball in midfield, and right back Suzuki made an overlapping run. Marcos received a through pass in the right penalty area and took a shot, but it went wide of the goal. In the 8th minute, Iwamoto aimed directly for the goal from a right corner kick, but Dohi made the save. In the 12th minute, Marcos aimed for the goal with a header from a cross from the right side, but Jean cleared it. In the 23rd minute, Marcos received a pass from the back off the post, quickly turned, and took a shot, but Shigeno effectively blocked the shooting lane, causing it to go off target. Tokyo's defense calmly dealt with Sendai's chances, preventing any decisive threats.

　Gradually gaining the upper hand in the side battles, Tokyo in the 26th minute saw Kelly advance through the midfield and pass to the space on the left side. Miyazawa, who ran in, received the ball and sent in a cross, but Toda was unfortunately offside in front of the goal. In the 27th minute, from a direct pass sequence of Kaji → Ishikawa → Kaji, Amaral competed for a header, and Ishikawa, who ran in from the center, shot and won a corner kick from the loose ball. In the 29th minute, Ishikawa made a through pass to the front line from a counterattack. Toda broke free behind the defense and shot from just outside the left penalty area, but it narrowly missed the goal. In the 30th minute, Kaji pressured the Sendai goalkeeper receiving a back pass, causing a mistake. In the 32nd minute, from a free kick outside the right penalty area, Miyazawa aimed directly at the goal, and the match progressed in Tokyo's rhythm.

Four Games Four Goals

Given both teams' commitment to attacking football, an open, exciting game was anticipated, but the speed with which TOKYO took the lead surprised everyone in the stadium. With only three minutes on the clock, Miyazawa crossed from the left; a defender headed clear but only as far as Toda, standing right on the byline to the left of the goal. Toda headed the ball back into the danger area where a game of head tennis ensued until Toda again squirted the ball into the path of Amaral who, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, gleefully blasted it into the net from close range.
The Vegalta defense's inability to clear the ball cost them dearly and gifted Amaral a fourth goal in consecutive games.
The early lead invigorated TOKYO and forced Vegalta into a more aggressive approach. Both teams played the ball around in exemplary fashion with Suzuki overlapping down the left in the 7th minute before pulling the ball back to Marcos who shot wide. Iwamoto attempted to curl a corner under the bar soon after but TOKYO keeper Doi was alert to the danger and made a fine fingertip save. Jean cleared a Marcos header in the 12th minute and Moniwa blocked the same player's drive in the 23rd. The TOKYO defense, steadied by the early goal, dealt comfortably with Vegalta's best efforts and, having weathered the nascent fight back, pushed forward in search of a second.
With Kelly orchestrating the midfield, TOKYO began to find space on the flanks. Toda was given offside in a marginal decision after a cross from Miyazawa in the 26th minute, a slick move resulted in a well-struck effort from Ishikawa being turned around the post for a corner soon after and Toda fired fractionally wide following a defense-splitting pass from Ishikawa in the 30th minute. The Vegalta defense wobbled mightily and keeper Takahashi nearly gifted Kaji another goal as he fumbled with a short back pass. A minute later Ishikawa tried his luck from a free kick and a second goal seemed a certainty for TOKYO.

Amaral is strong in chances! Seizing opportunities to score additional points

　Then, in the 36th minute, Tokyo stole the ball in midfield, and Kaji delivered a cross from the right side. Amaral, who picked up the cleared ball from the opposing DF and kept it on the left side, saw that there was no pressure from the opponent and took a shot from outside the penalty area that crossed the goal. The ball was sucked into the far side of the goal, mocking the Sendai DF who let it pass, securing an additional point! The in-form Amaral's performance puts him in 4th place in the top scorer race with this goal. His bold attitude of not missing chances led to the additional point, giving Tokyo an advantage in the match.

　In the 38th minute, Ishikawa made a breakthrough towards the goal from the midfield, and in the 40th minute, Kaji attempted to break through into the penalty area from the right side. Immediately after, Kelly received the ball from a right short corner, executed a wonderful technique to turn, and evaded the opponent who marked him from behind in an instant. He delivered a cross from the end line, where Jean jumped in and headed the ball, but it went just slightly to the left of the goal. Tokyo, having the upper hand in the situation, turned back to the second half with a comfortable two-goal lead.

　In the second half, Sendai substituted MF Murakami for Ando. From a single defensive midfielder, Murakami formed a double pivot with MF Chiba. Sendai attempted to counterattack, but in the 51st minute, Marcos received two consecutive yellow cards for rough play and dissent, resulting in his expulsion. Losing a key player early in the second half put them in an increasingly difficult situation.

　Tokyo thoroughly executed Coach Hara's aim for "simple play." In the 53rd minute, Ishikawa received a pass from Amaral and shot from the left corner of the penalty area. In the 54th minute, after Fujiyama's interception, Kaji connected directly to Kelly, and Miyazawa delivered a perfectly timed through pass to the front line. Kelly's shot was cut off by the defender, but with fast passing and clear intent, they overwhelmed Sendai. In the 56th minute, Fujiyama surged up the left side, cut inside, and took a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. It narrowly missed the top right corner of the goal, but it was a good attempt.

　Today's Tokyo had a stable defense, cutting off Sendai's counterattacks at the defensive line. It was reassuring to watch.

Amaral Seizes The Moment!

It came in the 36th minute. TOKYO won the ball in midfield and fed Kaji whose cross from the right was cleared out to Amaral on the left. Expecting another centre the Vegalta defence backed off, allowing Amaral time and space on the ball. He took one touch and fired in a low shot that evaded the mass of players in the area and skated inside the far post. The goal, his fifth in four games, boosted Amaral to fourth place on the list of leading scorers.
Searching for a third goal to kill off the game before the break, TOKYO poured forward. Kelly produced a dazzling turn to throw off a couple of defenders and reach the byline; Jean directed his cross just the wrong side of the post. Vegalta somehow hung on and a thoroughly satisfying first half finished 2-0.
Sendai shuffled their formation for the second half, replacing Ando with midfielder Murakami and moving to a double defensive half system. Any thoughts of a comeback were effectively dashed, however, when leading scorer Marcos was dismissed in the 51st minute after some foul play and dissent earned him two yellow cards.
With their danger man taking an early bath Vegalta's already fragile confidence collapsed completely and TOKYO totally dominated the game.
Comfortably maintaining possession, TOKYO passed the ball around searching for an opening: Kelly had a shot blocked in the 54th minute, Fujiyama blasted inches wide a couple of minutes later.

A shutout victory, achieving four consecutive wins for the first time in two years!!

　In the 65th minute, Sato was brought on for Toda, positioning Sato on the right and Ishikawa on the left as midfielders. The expectations from the stands were high. In the 68th minute, Kaji received a pass from Sato, running along the end line while overtaking Sato, and sent in a low cross. Amarao got a foot to it but just missed. In the following 69th minute, Sato cut in from the right side, passing to Kaji on the outside. Kaji's cross went wide of the goal, but Ishikawa, who picked it up at the far post, sent another cross back into the goal area, overwhelming Sendai with a big play. On the left side, Miyazawa ran into the space created by Ishikawa, creating chances one after another.

　However, although Tokyo has been attacking, their shots have decreased. In the 82nd minute, Sato boldly attempts a long-range shot. In the 84th minute, Nakahira is brought in to replace Miyazawa. Immediately after, Amaral takes a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper makes a save. In the 86th minute, Kelli is replaced by Kina.

　In defense, Jean and Shigenobu showed stable defense, repeatedly putting Yamashita in an offside trap without taking any damage. In the 89th minute, from Fujiyama's interception, Jean attempted to overlap and receive a cross, but unfortunately was offside. In stoppage time, Sato was brought down inside the penalty area, but no whistle was blown.

　Although they were unable to score additional points, the match ended with a dominant performance. They achieved revenge for the 1st stage and celebrated their fourth consecutive victory with two straight shutouts. Additionally, due to the results of other matches, Tokyo has moved away from the relegation line and is set to continue their path of revenge against Nagoya and Shimizu in the next matches, aiming for a higher ranking as they face the remaining four matches.

[Head Coach Hara's Press Conference Summary] "I was prepared to face the fact that we would not win easily. I was also wary of Iwamoto's attacking power, but since the focus was on the attack, I thought we could create chances from the right side if Kaji and Ishikawa followed up well. With our first three consecutive wins this season, we aimed to fight with concentration, and Amaral was very lively, holding the ball well. Recently, we have been talking about playing simply, and I believe we created rhythm by easily spreading the ball from Amaral to Kaji, Kelly, and Ishikawa, with Toda getting involved. However, when Marcos was sent off, we dropped a bit from that moment. We wanted to score one or two more goals from there, but our desire to win may have made us play too safely. With this four-game winning streak, we can aim for the top. There are four matches left, and we have strong opponents remaining, but we want to treat each match seriously and raise our team strength as much as possible."

[Summary of the press conference by Sendai and Shimizu's coach] "As was the case in the previous match, we conceded a goal early on due to a mistake, which unsettled us. After that, we managed to stabilize a bit, but we fell behind by two goals again, and in the second half, we changed our system. However, we ended up with a red card due to unnecessary play, which ultimately led to a regrettable outcome where we tightened the noose around our own necks."

Four Out Of Four

Sato replaced Toda in the 65th minute and moved to the right wing while Ishikawa shifted to the left midfield. His appearance thrilled the crowd who were delighted to see both players on the field at the same time.
Barring the most bizarre of occurrences, the points were clearly secured and the TOKYO faithful roared their team on in search of more goals. In the 68th minute, Sato fed Kaji whose near-post cross Amaral just failed to convert, and in the 69th minute, a double side change confused the Vegalta defense but failed to produce another goal. As the game wore on, the number of chances decreased and manager Hara replaced Miyazawa with Shimotaira and Kelly with Kina.
Vegalta produced nothing of note in attack, allowing Jean the freedom to get forward and join the attack on occasion. He even overlapped and crossed but was ruled offside. In injury time, Sato was brought down inside the area but the referee chose not to award a penalty and soon after the final whistle blew on a comfortable 2-0 victory. The win was TOKYO's fourth in a row and second consecutive clean sheet.
Next up on the revenge trail are Grampus.

F.C. TOKYO manager Hara:
" 'Keep it simple' was the approach for today's game. Iwamoto is a danger for Sendai but we knew Ishikawa and Kaji could handle him. Amaral is in fine form and scored a couple of real poacher's goals today. We found our rhythm and played well early on. When Marcos got sent off I think we relaxed a little and I would have liked to have seen a couple more goals but ensuring the win was the most important thing. We have four games left, all against strong opposition, but we're going to give it our best and hopefully finish higher up the table ".

Vegalta manager Shimizu:
" Well, today's game followed the same pattern as last week's. We gave away a soft goal early on, then began to make inroads only to concede again. We changed the system for the second half but shot ourselves in the foot with the sending off. It's disappointing but that's the way it went ".