Aiming for 3 points with consecutive wins!

　The J1 League Sec. 2 match is an away game against Hiroshima. In the previous match, the attacking line exploded with performance, leading to a satisfying victory that has boosted the team's morale. However, as Doi said, "If we lose this match, the victory in the opening match will be ruined," it is also an important match that requires us to stay focused.

　Hiroshima drew against Shimizu in the last match after equalizing in the second half. This season, the focus is on the new foreign player, forward Gaubon, and defender Ikeda, who transferred from Shimizu. Based on the last match, Ikeda has already fit into the team and is functioning as a central figure in the defense. On the other hand, Gaubon is a left-footed technician with a solid track record, but he has not yet fully adapted to the team's tactics and still needs time. However, this match is also the season opener, and it is expected that they will come in with even more determination than usual.

　Tokyo will face the same starting lineup as in the previous match. Due to a left foot injury, Miura is replaced by Noriyuki SUZUKI in the substitute lineup, and he is expected to be a joker when a goal is needed in the final stages. The match began with Hiroshima's kickoff in freezing cold, with a temperature of 0.6°C and powdery snow swirling around.

TOKYO Aim For Consecutive Wins Against Sanfrecce

With their spirits lifted by the commanding win in the opening game F.C.TOKYO traveled south to Hiroshima to take on Sanfrecce in the second game of the 2005 season. The team braced themselves for this important match fully aware that, as goalkeeper Doi commented, "If we lose this one the win last week has no meaning."
Sanfrecce earned a point in an away draw with S-Pulse in their first game. Two new signings were the men to watch: Brazilian striker Galvao and defender Ikeda who was lured from S-Pulse in the off season. On the limited evidence of the first game Ikeda seemed to have comfortably fitted into central defence whereas Galvao seemed off the pace on the left side of the attack. However, players always raise their games for the opening home match and TOKYO could expect a stern test.
TOKYO fielded the same line-up that started the previous game with the only change being on the bench where Suzuki replaced the injured Miura. If the game turned out to be close a late appearance from Suzuki was a distinct possibility. Sanfrecce kicked off on a bitterly cold afternoon amid snow flurries.

Unable to convert the decisive chance...

　From the start of the match, both teams struggled to maintain possession in the midfield due to the slippery pitch conditions. Additionally, both sides applied intense pressure on the ball in midfield, leading to a pattern of playing the ball into space, competing for it, and then picking up the loose ball to launch attacks. In this situation, Hiroshima took the initiative in the match. As expected, forwards Oki, Gaubon, and Sato positioned themselves centrally, repeatedly sending the ball into that area, picking up loose balls, and attacking from the left and right flanks. Left-side DF Hattori and right-side DF Komano made several attacking runs until the 20th minute, but the Tokyo defense, led by Dohi, managed to hold firm. During this time, Tokyo's only attack came from a shot by Lucas in the 11th minute, making it a challenging period for them.

　As they endured such a difficult period, Tokyo's ball possession gradually increased, and smooth attacks began to unfold. In the 27th minute, Toda persisted on the left side, and Kurizawa picked up the loose ball and shot from outside the penalty area. In the 28th minute, Miyazawa played a one-two with Lucas in the center and moved to the right side. Ishikawa then dribbled past the defense and delivered a cross, which was cleared by the opposing defender, but Konno picked up the loose ball and sent in a cross, creating a wave of attacks. In the 32nd minute, Miyazawa sent a long pass to Kurizawa, who had run into the left side, and he returned it with a direct header in front of the goal, but Lucas's attempt was caught by the opposing GK by a narrow margin. Once they completely seized control, they would face decisive chances multiple times.

　First, in the 35th minute, Kanazawa made a cross from the left side after exchanging passes with Kurizawa. The ball spilled after a challenge between Lucas and the opposing defender, reaching Ishikawa, who took a shot after a one-touch but was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 38th minute, a quick restart by Miyazawa led to a connection from Kaji to Ishikawa, who dribbled through and made a cross from the edge of the end line. Lucas attempted to score with his right foot but was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 39th minute, Ishikawa delivered a corner kick into the goal area, where Konno headed the ball, but it hit the opposing defender and spilled right in front of Jean. He took a shot with his right foot, but unfortunately, it went over the bar, and they could not break through the goal line. After that, they allowed Hiroshima to counterattack but did not concede a goal, ending the first half at 0-0.

Spurned Chances

The slippery pitch surface prevented either side from stringing passes together in the opening minutes. Both teams contested fiercely for possession in midfield and having won it then played the ball into space for the frontrunners to chase. Sanfrecce proved more adept than TOKYO, with Galvao, Oki and Sato picking up loose balls and playing them out to the wings where Hattori, on the right, and Komano, on the left, charged forward to join the attack. The pressure was intense but the TOKYO defense held firm; it took the visitors 11 minutes to launch their first attack and register the first shot, through Lucas.
TOKYO weathered the storm, slowly increased the amount of possession and began to threaten the home goal. In the 27th minute Toda battled gamely down the left; Kurisawa seized on the loose ball and shot from outside the area. In the 28th minute Miyazawa and Lucas played a neat one-two that allowed Ishikawa room to cross from the right. The home defense cleared the ball only as far as Konno who crossed it back into the danger area. In the 32nd minute Kurisawa headed a long ball from Miyazawa into the path of Lucas; Lucas shot first time but the Sanfrecce keeper held his effort. TOKYO were dominating the game and created a string of chances.
In the 35th minute Kanazawa and Kurisawa exchanged passes before the former crossed towards the penalty spot. The ball evaded Lucas and a defender but fell for Ishikawa, completely free on the right. Ishikawa took one touch and struck but the Sanfrecce keeper pulled off a fine save to deny TOKYO the lead. A minute later Ishikawa took the ball to the byline and crossed only for the onrushing Lucas to become entangled with the keeper at the near post. Konno then had a header from Ishikawa's corner blocked in front of goal and Jean thumped the loose ball over the bar. Sanfrecce fought back as the first half drew to a close but 0-0 was the score as the teams left the field.

Unable to maintain our pace until the end

　In the first minute of the second half, Tokyo suddenly gets a chance. Todai on the left side sends a cross to the goal, where a free Ishikawa is waiting on the right inside the area. He cuts back once and shoots with his left foot, but the opposing goalkeeper makes a save. It seemed like they would push through, but Hiroshima also managed to regroup in the second half. Just like at the start of the first half, they became able to win the ball in battles for loose balls, and a stalemate continued for the first ten minutes of the second half. Then, it was Hiroshima that took control of the pace.

　Especially using space effectively centered around MF BETO, there are continuous decisive scenes. In the 57th minute, from a counter, BETO passed to Shigehara, who was free on the right side. Although he was allowed to shoot freely, Doih was able to save it. In the 69th minute, BETO passed from MF Morisaki Kazu to Sato Hisashi on the right side, and crossed to Gaubon, who was free in front of the goal, but the header shot went to the left of the post. In the 71st minute, Tokyo substituted Asari for Miyazawa to contain the movements of the opponent's BETO. Additionally, Konno was slightly repositioned to increase the attacking depth, gradually taking control of the pace. In the 72nd minute, Konno crossed from the right side, and when Toda headed it back from the opposite side, Kurizawa shot directly, but although he couldn't hit the target, Tokyo regained their pace.

　In the 77th minute, Norio SUZUKI was brought on for Toda, making the team more aggressive. In the 79th minute, Norio SUZUKI aimed a shot from a free kick outside the right area, but it hit the opposing DF. In the 83rd minute, from a steal by Konno, the ball went to Ishikawa on the right side, but the cross did not reach Lucas. Then in the 84th minute, Kurizawa passed to Lucas in the center, who then passed to Kaji on the right side. Kaji dribbled and delivered a ground cross that was initially cleared by the opposing DF, but Lucas picked up the loose ball and shot, missing to the right of the post. In the end, they were unable to break through the defending Hiroshima DF, and the match ended in a scoreless draw, unfortunately only earning 1 point.

　【Player Comments】《Dohi》"The DF line was stable and we defended well. It was good to earn 1 point, but we found issues even in two matches without conceding, and I want to correct those and win the next match." 《Miyazawa》"In terms of defense and balance, I tried to communicate well with Konno and make adjustments during the match. Rather than connecting, we tried to consciously develop the play with long balls... I wanted to earn 3 points and I feel sorry for the supporters who have come this far." 《Konno》"We lost the battles for possession and couldn't establish Tokyo's pace. If we can't win in situations like this, we won't see the title. The pitch condition was poor, but we had chances within a safe style of play that matched that. We need to capitalize on those opportunities. I want to win away."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "It snowed, and the pitch became slipperier and colder than expected. Because of that, both teams avoided risks and played by kicking into space and retrieving the ball. Hiroshima played a simple game by launching balls to the front line, picking up the rebounds, and spreading to the sides for crosses. Even when we tried to press from the front, they kept launching balls forward. After about 30 minutes, we finally started creating chances, especially Ishikawa breaking through the sides. There were also clear scoring opportunities, and I wish we had scored then. When we couldn't finish our attacks, Hiroshima created dangerous counterattack situations. As I said before the season started, we need to improve our accuracy in the final finishing. Despite the cold, Hiroshima played with great spirit, and we really wanted to win, but the players stayed focused and did well. Conceding zero goals in two matches is something to be proud of. We want to practice finishing chances better and approach the next game with that in mind. So many fans came to support us, and we wanted to give them goals as a gift, but unfortunately, we couldn't. Considering the content, a draw was a fair result. Hiroshima is also a well-organized good team. We drew with them last year as well, so next time we face them, we want to settle the score. (What was the intention behind the Miyazawa → Asari substitution?) Miyazawa's strengths didn't show much on the slippery ground. He was getting tired, and BETO stayed up front, starting to use space effectively, so we brought in Asari to mark him closely. Then we pushed Konno forward to contest the loose balls. It wasn't that Miyazawa played badly and was replaced."

　[Summary of Hiroshima Coach Ono's Press Conference] "The players fought hard to aim for 3 points until the very end, but the result ended in a draw. We wanted to somehow secure 3 points for the fans who supported us until the end in the cold weather, and the players' desire was strong, but unfortunately, we couldn't. The content of our play, especially the attack from defense, was not bad. We missed out on 3 points in two consecutive matches, but we want to continue believing in ourselves without losing the right path. If we start doubting what we have built up so far just because we can't win here, it would be pointless. We will focus on what we have done well and work on the areas that are lacking. Tokyo attacked from the right side, Ishikawa held the ball, Kaji came around. Lucas moved inside, Toda came from the left, and with Lucas moving inside, it was inevitable that the situation would become numerically balanced. That was acceptable. To launch a good attack, it was necessary. We defended by closely marking and blocking shots at the last moment. I believe good defense preceded good attacks."

TOKYO Lose The Initiative

TOKYO created the opening chance of the second half. Toda crossed from the left and found Ishikawa unmarked inside the area on the right. Ishikawa cut inside a defender and shot but again the Sanfrecce keeper denied TOKYO. Despite that early effort it was Sanfrecce who began the second period in the ascendancy, battling hard across the field and winning possession.
Midfielder Beto asserted himself and used space judiciously as Sanfrecce created several chances. In the 57th minute Beto found Shigehara on the right and Doi saved well to prevent the opening goal. In the 69th minute Koji Morisaki overlapped and crossed towards Galvao who put a free header wide. In the 71st minute Asari replaced Miyazawa with a brief to stifle Beto. Asari's introduction allowed Konno to play further forward and add his weight to the attack. The change lifted TOKYO and when Kurisawa fired Toda's knockdown from Konno's cross wide in the 72nd minute the momentum had swung back to the visitors.
Suzuki replaced Toda in the 77th minute as TOKYO went in search of the goal that would decide the contest. In the 79th minute Suzuki hammered a free kick against a defender, Lucas just failed to connect with Ishikawa's low cross in the 83rd, and Lucas shot narrowly wide in the 84th, pouncing on a poor clearance after Kaji's run and cross had ripped open the Sanfrecce defence. The home side clung on desperately until the final whistle blew and TOKYO had only a single point to show for all their endeavour.


Players' comments: 
Doi 
"The backline was stable and we defended well. It would have been nice to score but two consecutive clean sheets is a good start. There are things we have to work on though, but if we can fix them we should be able to go on and win the next game". 

Miyazawa
"Regarding defense and balance Konno and I talked during the game and tried to adjust as we went along. Rather than short passing we deliberately attempted to play a long ball game today. We really should have taken the three points and I'd like to apologize to all the fans who made the long trip down here to support us".

Konno
"We failed to win the fight for the 50-50 balls and didn't really find our rhythm. If we can't succeed in those areas it's going to be difficult to take the title. The pitch condition was poor and we took a conservative approach but still managed to create chances. It's vital we take those. We want to win away".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara 
"It was snowing, much colder than expected and the pitch was very slippery. The safety-first pattern of play meant the ball was played into space for the players to fight for. Sanfrecce played a simple style: long balls towards the front men, win the knockdowns and feed the wide attackers. The more we tried to press from the front the more they played the long ball. From around the 30 minute mark we began to get into the game, particularly through Ishikawa on the right, and started to create chances. We had some clear openings and really should have scored then. We have to improve the quality of our finishing. As we pushed forward that allowed Sanfrecce to counterattack. In the bitter cold and facing a highly motivated team we really wanted to win and the players performed very well in maintaining their concentration for the full 90 minutes. We haven't conceded a goal in two games now and that's a reflection of our play. We will have to work hard on our finishing in practice. It's a shame that we couldn't gift a goal to all the fans who travelled down to watch the game. I think a draw was a fair result, though. Sanfrecce are a good team. After playing two draws last year we hope to settle things next time we meet." 
Regarding Miyazawa's substitution: "The slippery conditions didn't suit him and he couldn't really perform to his best today. He was tiring so I sent on Asari to shut out Beto who was using the space well and looking dangerous. Also I wanted to push Konno a little further forward to pick up the loose balls. I didn't substitute him because he was playing badly." 

Sanfrecce manager Ono
"The team fought until the very end for the three points. It's disappointing for the players as they were highly motivated to win for all the fans who turned out in the terrible conditions. We didn't play badly at all today though; we've drawn twice but we're definitely on the right road. We just have to believe in ourselves. There are many reasons we failed to win today and we'll just have to analyse exactly what is lacking. When TOKYO attacked down the right and Ishikawa had the ball, he and Kaji exchanged positions. When Lucas moved forward Toda came in from the left and we had the same numbers back in defence. It couldn't be helped. The players threw themselves to block shots. There was a good defence in front of a good attack".