Aiming for the first 6 consecutive wins after avenging the first half of the season

　The league Sec. 19 is held, facing Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home. After a convincing victory against Omiya in the previous match, the team achieved five consecutive league wins. This match is crucial for the team's first six consecutive wins. While that record may be important, they cannot afford to lose to the same opponent twice, especially since they lost away to Hiroshima. This match is essential to secure three points at home for revenge in the first half of the season.

　Hiroshima is currently in 6th place. With a 5-point difference from Tokyo, this match is a turning point for Hiroshima, as they can either keep up with the top teams or see the gap widen. Both Tokyo and Hiroshima are focused on breaking through with their passing work and aim for a similar style, but Coach Jofuku stated, "Hiroshima is a team that can possess the ball in tight areas, spread out wide, and execute counterattacks." Ishikawa also humbly mentioned, "There are aspects of their game that we should learn from," while increasing their caution.

　Both teams advocate for attacking football, and in past encounters, there have often been matches with a lot of goals exchanged. Additionally, it draws attention as it features a showdown between Ishikawa, who is currently ranked high in the top scorers, and Hiroshima's forward Sato. However, Coach Jofuku stated, "Just because we are on a winning streak, it doesn't mean we can easily surpass our opponents. It's not that simple, and this will likely be a close battle as well. Within that, we want to show the results of what we have built up so far," emphasizing a grounded approach towards victory.

　Hiroshima replaced the suspended DF Makino and MF Mikic with DF Morita in the defensive line and started MF Lee in the midfield. Sato Hisashi was positioned as the lone forward, with MF Kashiwagi and MF Takayanagi as the two shadows in a 3-6-1 formation. Tokyo will approach the match with the same starting lineup for the seventh consecutive game since Sec. 14 against Kashiwa. On a bright summer day at Ajinomoto, the match started at 18:03 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Unable to capitalize on chances, ending the first half scoreless

　From the beginning of the first half, both teams tried to implement their own style of football. Tokyo, just 2 minutes in, saw Yonemoto pass to Hanyu in the center, who sent a floated ball into the right area. Ishikawa made a run but collided with the opposing GK who came out to clear, preventing a shot. In the 6th minute, with quick passing, they advanced to the front line, and Tokunaga's right cross threatened the Hiroshima goal. Ishikawa then took a powerful shot from distance, but the ball fell towards the goal only to be saved well by the Hiroshima GK, resulting in a corner kick. In the 10th minute, Bruno QUADROS showcased a powerful attack following an interception in his own half, launching a quick counter with Cabore, but Hiroshima's defense was quick to recover, preventing any chances from developing.

　In the 16th minute, Tokunaga's cross was cleared by Nagatomo, and Hirayama passed it back to Nagatomo, who shot but missed the target. In the 17th minute, Kajiyama received a horizontal pass from Ishikawa and took a shot from around the penalty circle, but the goalkeeper caught it. Tokyo's Tokunaga and Nagatomo frequently advanced and created opportunities to bring the ball into the area, but they couldn't break through Hiroshima's solid defense. Hiroshima also launched quick counterattacks, and in the 24th minute, forward Sato Hisashi cut in from the right side and made a backward pass. In the 26th minute, Hiroshima defender Morita overlapped on the left side and delivered a cross, but both Bruno QUADROS and Konno calmly cleared it.

　In the 31st minute, Bruno QUADROS headed the ball from Ishikawa's right corner kick. In the 36th minute, Stoyanov aimed directly at the goal from a free kick in front of the goal for Hiroshima. The shot bounced and flew to the lower left corner of the goal, but Gonda deflected it with one hand, escaping to a corner kick. As the game progressed back and forth, in the 39th minute, a pass from Hirayama reached Ishikawa, who broke into the right area, presenting a great opportunity, but he was offside... Following that, Hirayama dropped a vertical pass from Nagatomo to Kajiyama, and Bruno QUADROS boldly took a shot, earning a corner kick. From this corner kick, Hirayama headed the ball but could not score. The first half ended without any goals.

Dominated the ball but couldn't break through the defense, ending in a draw

　In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball. In the 51st minute, Hiroshima quickly restarted, and substitute MF Takahagi sent in a cross, but Gonda caught it. From there, they launched a counterattack, with Ishikawa powerfully dribbling past two defenders on the right side and entering the right area. He took a shot, but it hit a defender and was caught by the GK. In the 56th minute, Cabore passed to Nagatomo, who ran a long distance, and Ishikawa volleyed a cross from the left flank in the right area, but it was blocked by the GK's save.

　Hiroshima sent a long ball to top forward Sato Hisashi and tried to launch an attack by picking up the second ball, but the Tokyo DF line defended without any trouble and connected passes to go on the offensive. Then, Hiroshima gradually dropped their line and prepared to solidify their defense. Tokyo completely dominated the ball, and the match progressed almost entirely within Hiroshima's half, but in the 65th minute, a clearance from a right corner kick led to a shot from Kajiyama that was blocked by Hiroshima DF. The ball spilled into the area, and there was a scramble between Hirayama, Cabore, and the opposing DF, but a foul in front of the goal resulted in a Hiroshima ball. In the 69th minute, a clearance from Hiroshima's counter was intercepted by Hiroshima MF Kashiwagi, who took it behind the DF line and took a shot, but Gonda made the save.

　After withstanding Hiroshima's counterattack, a chance was created from Tokunaga's cross in the 77th minute, but Hirayama couldn't make contact at the near post... After that, Tanabe, Akamine, and Suzuki were brought on in an attempt to break through, but they lacked a decisive touch. In the end, despite pressing forward, they were unable to break down Hiroshima's solid defense until the very end. The match ended in a goalless draw, marking their first scoreless game since the match against Kyoto in Sec. 11 on May 9, and they could not achieve six consecutive league wins.

　【Player Comments】<Hirayama> "Very disappointing. We were able to execute attacks as planned to some extent, such as chances from crosses, but we couldn't finish at the crucial moment. We knew Hiroshima would pull back. We should have created a situation to break them down by mixing crosses and involving more players on the sides... However, we were able to build up play from the back. There is always at least one chance in 90 minutes, and I want to become a player who can finish in those moments." <Konno> "Even against a defensive setup, we tried to exploit the opponent's gaps by playing vertical wedges and taking shots from distance. It went as planned, but the finishing lacked precision. Naturally, it's frustrating, but we have no choice but to keep going. We don't worry about the gap with the top teams or get discouraged; we only focus on accumulating points ourselves. We have the mindset that winning by doing what we must is our true strength. That's why we want to win properly next time."

　[Coach Shirofuku's Press Conference Summary] "Since we lost in the Sec. 10 match, the players fought with the strong desire as a team to definitely advance to the next stage and not stop moving forward. However, to be honest about the result, I feel like we lost 2 points. The players share this feeling and are very frustrated. But I believe that continuing to play matches that make us want to face the opponent again is what will improve our ranking and produce results. It is impossible to keep earning 3 points in the league with only 1 or 2 shots, and I think chances are proportional to the number of shots. Of course, today's 1 point is unsatisfactory and revealed finishing issues, but we want to continue steadily building on what we have been working on without wavering. I have said many times that repeatedly playing matches we can be proud of will lead to results. The match ended 0-0, but even so, the fans sang Yuruneba at the end. The players felt that spirit, and we have not given up on advancing to the next stage. Listening to that song, we renewed our determination not to stop moving forward."

　[Summary of Hiroshima Coach Petrovic's Press Conference] "It was a tough battle. Tokyo was in very good form and I think they aimed to provoke our mistakes and launch quick attacks today as well, but we managed to endure the fight just like in the previous match. Our defense was solid, and from there we were able to launch several quick attacks. However, with the summer heat and the league season halfway through, fatigue was visible in MF Kashiwagi and FW Sato Hisashi. If we had players on the bench with similar strength to them who could be substituted in, I think we might have been able to secure this game. Nevertheless, the players fought with full effort until the end and secured a draw. I want to praise the players for giving their all in every match. Despite many injuries and the suspension of DF Makino and MF Mikic, the team worked together and achieved a draw, which I think was good. Neither team may have had truly decisive chances, but I believe the scenes where a goal seemed imminent were on our side. Although there may have been moments where we could have scored and won, I am satisfied with earning one point."