Aiming for the first 6 consecutive wins, we will take revenge in the first half.

　The 19th round of the league will be held, facing Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home. They achieved a 5-game winning streak in the previous round against Omiya and are aiming for a 6-game winning streak in this round. While breaking this record is important, they cannot afford to lose to the same opponent twice as they were defeated away by Hiroshima. This will be a crucial match to take 3 points at home for revenge in the first half of the season.

　Hiroshima, on the other hand, is currently in 6th place. With a 5-point difference from Tokyo, this match will be a turning point for Hiroshima to either catch up to the top or fall behind... Both Tokyo and Hiroshima are focused on breaking through with their passing game and aiming for a similar style, but coach Jofuku says, "Hiroshima can possess the ball in tight areas, play wide, and also counter attack." Ishikawa also humbly acknowledges, "There are things we can learn from this team," while also increasing their vigilance.

　Both teams boast an attacking style of soccer, and in past matches, there have been many games where both teams scored. In addition, the match between Ishikawa, who is currently ranked high in the top scorer rankings, and Hiroshima FW Sato Hisashi is also attracting attention. However, Coach Shirofuku says, "Just because we are on a winning streak doesn't mean we can easily surpass our opponents. It won't be easy, and this match will also be a close battle. In that, we want to show the results of what we have built up and aim for victory with our feet firmly on the ground."

　Hiroshima started with DF Morishita and MF Lee in place of suspended DF Makino and MF Miki. Sato was the lone striker, with MF Kashiwagi and MF Takayanagi as the two shadows in a 3-6-1 formation. Tokyo will face the same starting lineup for the 7th consecutive game, starting from the 14th round against Kashiwa. The match kicked off at 6:03 PM at a sunny Ajinomoto Stadium in the midst of summer.

Unable to take advantage of the opportunity, the first half ends scoreless.

　From the first half, both teams tried to play their own soccer. In the 2nd minute of the game, Tokyo's Yonemoto passed the ball directly to the center of the field, and Hayabusa sent a high pass to the right area. Ishikawa jumped out, but collided with the opposing GK who came out to clear the ball, and was unable to take a shot. In the 6th minute, they quickly moved the ball forward and threatened Hiroshima's goal from Tokunaga's right cross. Then Ishikawa took a powerful shot, but the ball fell towards the goal and was saved by Hiroshima's GK, resulting in a corner kick. In the 10th minute, Bruno QUADROS showed a powerful attack from their own half after intercepting the ball, and together with Cabore, they tried to launch a quick counter, but Hiroshima's defense quickly returned and they were unable to create a chance.

　16 minutes, Nagatomo connected with a cross from Tokunaga and then shot again, but it went wide. In the 17th minute, Kajiyama received a pass from Ishikawa and took a shot from around the penalty circle, but the goalkeeper caught it. Tokyo has been repeatedly creating opportunities with Tokunaga and Nagatomo pushing forward and bringing the ball into the area, but they have been unable to break through Hiroshima's solid defense. Hiroshima has also been launching quick counterattacks, and in the 24th minute, FW Sato Kotobuki cut in from the right side and crossed it back. In the 26th minute, Hiroshima DF Morita overlapped on the left side and sent in a cross, but both times Bruno QUADROS and Imakawa calmly cleared it.

　At 31 minutes, Bruno QUADROS headed from Ishikawa's right CK. At 36 minutes, Hiroshima aimed directly at the goal from the FK in front of the goal, but DF Stoyanov saved it with one bounce and escaped to CK. In the back and forth development, at 39 minutes, a pass from Hirayama to Ishikawa who broke through the right area, but it was offside... Then Nagatomo → Kajiyama's vertical pass was dropped by Hirayama, and Bruno QUADROS took a daring shot, earning a CK. From this CK, Hirayama headed, but couldn't score. The first half ended with no goals.

Unable to break through the defense despite dominating the ball, resulting in a draw.

　In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball. In the 51st minute, Hiroshima quickly restarted and substitute MF Takahagi sent a cross, but Gonda caught it. From here, they launched a counterattack and Ishikawa dribbled powerfully between two DFs on the right side, entering the right area. He took a shot, but it hit a DF and was caught by the GK. In the 56th minute, Cabore → Nagatomo ran a long distance and Ishikawa volleyed a cross from the left front line, but it was saved by the GK.

　Hiroshima also sends a long ball to top FW Sato and tries to attack by picking up the second ball, but Tokyo DF calmly defends and starts attacking by connecting passes. Hiroshima gradually drops their line and strengthens their defense. Tokyo completely dominates the ball and the game mostly takes place in Hiroshima's half, but in the 65th minute, Kajiyama's shot from a right corner kick is blocked by Hiroshima DF. The ball falls into the area and there is a scramble between Hirayama, Cabore, and the opposing DF, but it results in a foul in front of the goal, giving the ball to Hiroshima. In the 69th minute, Hiroshima's counter is intercepted by Hiroshima MF Kashiwagi and taken out behind the DF line for a shot, but Gonda makes the save.

　After successfully defending against Hiroshima's counterattack, in the 77th minute, a chance was created from Tokunaga's cross, but Hirayama couldn't quite reach it... After that, Tanabe, Akamine, and Suzuki were brought on in an attempt to break through, but lacked the finishing touch. In the end, despite attacking, they were unable to break through Hiroshima's solid defense until the end. They ended up with a draw, their first scoreless game since the 11th round against Kyoto on May 9th, and were unable to achieve their 6th consecutive win in the league.

　【Player Comments】《Hirayama》"It's really disappointing. We were able to create some chances from crosses and our attacks were going as planned, but we couldn't finish them off in the end. We knew Hiroshima would sit back and defend, so we tried to mix up our crosses and attack with more players on the wings... However, we were able to build up from the back. We know that there will always be at least one chance in the 90 minutes, so I want to become a player who can score in those moments."《Imano》"Even though we were facing a team that was sitting back, we were able to find gaps and make vertical runs, and we also had some clever shots. It went as planned, but our finishing wasn't precise enough. Of course, it's frustrating, but we have no choice but to keep going. We're not worried about the gap with the top teams, we're not going to dwell on it, and we're only focused on accumulating points ourselves. We know that if we do what we need to do and win, that's our true ability. That's why we want to win the next game."

　[Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference] "We have lost in the 10th round of matches, and the players fought with the desire to move on to the next stage as a team and not give up. However, to be honest about the result, we are feeling the loss of 2 points. The players also feel the same way and are very disappointed. However, I believe that by continuing to play games where we want to play again, we can improve our ranking and achieve results. In the league, it is not possible to continue picking up 3 points with just 1-2 shots, and I think chances are proportional to the number of shots. Of course, we are not satisfied with the 1 point we earned today, and there were issues with our finishing, but we want to continue building on what we have without wavering. I keep saying this, but I believe that by repeating games where we can be proud of ourselves, it will lead to results. Even though it ended in a 0-0 draw, the fans sang "Yuruneva" for us at the end. The players also feel that sentiment, and we have not given up on moving on to the next stage. While listening to that song, we have renewed our determination to not give up and keep moving forward."

　[Hiroshima Petrovic Coach's Press Conference Summary] "It was a tough battle. Tokyo was in great form and I think they were aiming to take advantage of our mistakes and launch quick attacks, but we were able to endure the fight like we did in the previous match. Our defense was solid and we were able to launch a few quick attacks from there. However, with the heat of summer and the league season reaching its halfway point, signs of fatigue were seen in MF Kashiwagi and FW Sato. If we had players on the bench with the same level of strength as them, we might have been able to win this game. Nevertheless, the players fought with all their might until the end and were able to secure a draw. I want to praise the players for giving their all in every match. Despite having many injured players and DF Makino and MF Mikić being suspended, I think it was good that the team was able to come together and achieve a draw. Both teams may not have had any truly decisive moments, but I think we had more chances to score. However, I am satisfied with the fact that we were able to secure 1 point."