The 2007 season is finally starting!

　The 2007 season finally kicks off. Hosting Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home Ajinomoto, we begin the year from here. This season, Tokyo, under the new manager Hiromi HARA, has been preparing for about a month and a half, aiming for "dynamic and large-scale soccer." In this opening match, we hope to showcase the new Tokyo while also looking forward to continuing the streak of opening match victories that has been ongoing since 1999 in the J2 era.

　Hiroshima, under the guidance of coach Zoran PETROVIC, who took charge midway through last season, has not made significant changes to their lineup and will approach the game by enhancing their existing tactics. Among them, the most concerning are the powerful two-top forwards, Sato and Weslley. When the ball reaches them, they have the ability to break through with individual skill. Against Hiroshima's attack, which connects from the defensive line and launches attacks from the flanks with midfielders Komano and Hattori, we want to press forward and turn the tables by chasing the ball from the front.

　This week, Konno had a fever, and Fukushi, who joined the team this season, also injured his left ankle, raising concerns, but both have recovered. Hirayama, Inoha, and Kajiyama, who fought in the Olympic qualifiers as part of the U-22 Japan national team on Feb 28 (Wed), maintained their condition and were named in the starting lineup. On the other hand, Shigeno dislocated his shoulder shortly after the start of training in January, leading to a long-term absence from the team. Evaldo's injury has also lingered, resulting in rookies Yoshimoto and Tokunaga pairing up as center-backs. Left-back Kanazawa returned from a long injury and made his appearance for the first time since May 21 last year (Nabisco Cup match against Fukuoka). With Hirayama at the forefront, Lucas and Ishikawa on the left and right flanks, and Konno and Fukushi serving as double defensive midfielders, the team will adopt a 4-3-3 system.

　The climate at Ajinomoto evokes a calm spring. Before kickoff, the majestic performance by Nobuyasu Okabayashi united the stands, making everyone feel that "the season has finally begun," and the match started at 14:03 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Just as they were starting to find their rhythm, they were sunk by Hiroshima's counterattack...

Shibu attacked aggressively. In the 3rd minute, after earning a right free kick, Konno headed Ishikawa's kick but it went to the goalkeeper. Shortly after, Inoha, who advanced, took a shot, showing a proactive attitude in the battle. In the 8th minute, from a pass by Hiroshima FW Weizley, FW Sato broke free in front of the goal. However, Inoha sprinted to chase him down and skillfully slid to prevent the danger. In a fast-paced game with quick transitions between offense and defense, in the 10th minute, Hirayama headed Inoha's early cross in front of the goal, but it just missed the target.

　In the 12th minute, Ishikawa passed to Hirayama, who made a physical play to drop the ball, and Kajiyama received it, sending a through pass into the right area. Ishikawa broke free and took a shot, but hit the post. Although they were starting to find their rhythm, they missed a big chance to take the lead. Just after that, in the 13th minute, they lost the ball in midfield, and Hiroshima made a big switch from left to right. Then, from right midfielder Komano, an early cross was sent to the front line on the opposite side. FW Sato, who ran into that space, scored decisively, allowing the first goal. However, they showed good attacking shape multiple times, and in the 15th minute, Ishikawa's right cross was met by Hirayama, who jumped and headed the ball, but it went just slightly to the left.

　Conversely, in the 18th minute, after a goal kick from Hiroshima, a pass was connected, and a long ball was sent to the front line, where FW Sato broke through behind Tokyo's DF again to score. After conceding the second goal, the gap between the DF line gradually widened, allowing the midfield space to be exploited. In the 27th minute, Hiroshima MF Kashiwagi cut into the area, and although Doih was able to save the shot, the rebound was picked up by FW Weslley, who scored from a tight angle, leading to an early third goal conceded.

　Hiroshima thoroughly aimed to quickly deliver the ball to the two forwards without taking too many touches, starting from the sides. They struggled with FW Sato's exquisite timing of runs, and in the 29th minute, Fujiyama came on for Yoshimoto. It was a bitter debut match for Yoshimoto, but he gradually regained composure from that point on. In the 38th minute, Kajiyama drew the defense in the opponent's half and passed to Hirayama just before the area. However, he was surrounded by the opposing defense and fell, resulting in a handball foul that awarded the ball to Hiroshima. In the 41st minute, Kajiyama, who had moved up in front of the goal, headed the early cross from Inoha, but the ball went over, and they went into halftime still trailing by three goals.

Lucas scored 2 goals, but the comeback fell short

　In the second half, Tokyo had no choice but to attack and brought in Baba. Lucas, Ishikawa, and Hirayama were positioned at the front line, creating an ultra-offensive formation with Baba involved to score a goal. In the 49th minute, Lucas received a pass from Baba in front of the goal. Facing the opposing defender, he feinted and cut inside, taking a well-aimed shot. This found the bottom right corner, bringing the score to 3-1! They wanted to seize the momentum with this goal, but in the 52nd minute, a rebound from a shot by Hiroshima's FW Sato was capitalized on by FW Weslley, resulting in a conceded goal. They just couldn't find their rhythm.

　Still, unlike the first half, they stretched Hiroshima's line and continued to take control. In the 61st minute, they earned a free kick from the left side of the area, and with Baba's kick, Lucas dove in at the far post and headed the ball into the goal! They scored the second goal. In the 70th minute, Noriyuki Suzuki came on for Kanazawa. Just before that, Fukunishi was fouled, and Suzuki aimed directly at the free kick earned right in front of the goal immediately after his substitution. This free kick was blocked by the wall, but Ishikawa connected with the rebound and broke through on the right side. Hirayama perfectly met the cross, but the shot just went slightly over the bar...

　They continued to control the ball, advancing the game in the opponent's territory and creating chances. In the 77th minute, Lucas became a pivot and delivered a floating pass to the front line. The shot taken by Hirayama was saved by the GK. In the 81st minute, after persistently connecting from a spilled FK, Tokunaga unleashed a powerful shot from the right side of the opponent's area. After a save by the GK, they earned a corner kick, and Lucas headed Baba's kick but narrowly missed to the right. In the end, they couldn't score an additional goal, and the match ended. Despite Tokyo taking 20 shots compared to Hiroshima's 13, they lost 2 to 4, failing to achieve consecutive victories in the opening match. However, along with the challenges, there were many positive aspects that gave a sense of progress for the future. We hope for improvements in the next match.

　【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》"We were able to attack in good form, but the way we lost the ball was not good. In the early stages, we were able to show what we practiced and I think we fought with a good rhythm. We planned to press from the front, but when that press didn’t work, the space gradually opened up and was exploited. Mr. Fukunishi and I discussed 'let’s be clear about when to press and when not to,' but that was after conceding two goals... In the second half, we had no choice but to go all out to score, so we pressed aggressively from the front. However, there was distance between me and Inoha, and there were times when I couldn’t take action. It’s disappointing about the opening winning streak, but there were many elements we can think positively about. We want to gradually become stronger and be a team that can get results even in tough times. How we switch gears during difficult moments is the challenge to reach the top." 《Yoshimoto》"It’s frustrating. Today, I was only thinking about doing my best. I think I did fairly well in heading, but we were caught behind and couldn’t respond to that. When we conceded the first goal, I wasn’t too pessimistic or panicked. But I had no sense that we could really do it... Especially Hiroshima FW Sato’s movements were skillful, and I realized that’s what a top-level Japanese player looks like. I want to practice more and more to be able to respond to such movements."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Both good and bad aspects appeared. In the early stages of the first half, we created several decisive chances but failed to score, and on the contrary, we were caught off guard by Hiroshima FW Sato and Weslley, whom we were most cautious about. The way we lost the ball when pushing forward was poor, resulting in conceding 2 and then 3 goals, which was painful. In the second half, we aimed to start well again and score one goal at a time. However, after scoring one goal, we were caught by a similar counterattack. This made things difficult, but the players never gave up until the end. Of course, conceding many goals is not good, but we also felt a sense of being able to create big chances and play a different style of football than before. The three Olympic representatives had been away from the team for a long time and seemed to have forgotten our way of playing. In the past week, Konno had a cold and Fukunishi had a sprain, so there was little time to coordinate. Amid that, in the second half, it felt like our original teamwork gradually emerged. I heard we have never lost at the season opener before, but even if we won the first game, there were times when we did not improve in the second half. This season, from here on, we want to play better and better football and raise our level even more."

　[Summary of Hiroshima Coach PETROVIC's Press Conference] "As it was the first match, we approached it after a long preparation period. We were able to launch good attacks from solid defense in the first half. That said, Tokyo had two or three very good chances early on. Also, in the second half, they took risks and went on the offensive. They took control, leading to a 3-1 situation. Shortly after, they scored an additional goal to make it 4-1, but Tokyo continued to play aggressively without collapsing, making it 4-2 and creating more good chances. We also created good opportunities, but I am not satisfied with our performance in the second half. Winning an away game at Tokyo is not easy, so I am satisfied with the victory, but we couldn’t execute the style we practiced during camp. Personally, I hope many fans will come to Hiroshima’s home games. I watched the practice match between Tokyo and Verdy, which drew 18,000 spectators. We can also play good, fast football. I believe it’s worth watching. Although Tokyo lost today, the atmosphere with 25,000 fans in the stadium was great. I think that is very good for Japanese football."