A match aiming for 4 consecutive victories with attractive soccer against Hiroshima, who has not won since 2007.

　The 4th round of the league will be held. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will face off against them at their home stadium, Ajinomoto. In the previous round against Kobe, they scored 2 goals from sharp counterattacks and achieved their 3rd consecutive win. While no one is completely satisfied with their performance, they have been able to stubbornly secure points away from home and aim to win with attractive football at home. In that sense, this round will be a focus on how they can win with their own style of football for the full 90 minutes at home.

　However, Hasegawa will be suspended for this match. Kajiyama is also nursing a calf injury and will be absent. As a result, Tanabe, who will make his first start of the season, will play as a defensive midfielder, with Hanyu taking his place as an attacking midfielder.

　Hiroshima, on the other hand, currently has 2 wins and 1 loss in the league. Although they have welcomed Hajime MORIYASU as their new coach this season, they have maintained their good form by utilizing the team's strengths from last year. In particular, special attention must be paid to the quick movements and fluidity of FW Sato, who is able to exploit spaces. MF Osaki and Nozuta, young and fresh players, can also be a scary presence when they gain momentum. Therefore, it will be important to press and be aware of the source of their passes in order to prevent Hiroshima from making good passes in the front line.

　Kajiyama and the two main players, Masaru HASEGAWA and Hayato HASEGAWA, have been absent so far, and it can be said that this is a crucial moment. Under the goal of "playing the same soccer no matter who is on the field (Coach POPOVIC)," each player will use their strengths and aim for victory with coordinated soccer. The game started at 2:03 PM with a strong wind and stormy weather, with Hiroshima kicking off.

Quickly switch between each other's strengths in attack and defense. However, unable to create scoring opportunities.

　Tokyo started the game with an aggressive attitude, and in the 2nd minute, they took their first shot of the day with a middle shot by Tokunaga. However, Hiroshima also had a strong defense, quickly closing the spaces and focusing on counterattacks by stealing the ball from the midfield. Tokyo struggled with this and had difficulty switching to effective vertical passes.

　In defense, they did not lose focus and did not allow Hiroshima to move freely, but in the 20th minute, Hiroshima's shadow MF Osaki moved to the right. He received a cross from right MF Mikic and was jumped on by central FW Sato. The Tokyo DF did not let them shoot and the shot missed the frame, but they were still able to create a form. On the other hand, in the 23rd minute, midfielder Tanabe intercepted. He quickly connected and Hayashi dribbled up and took a shot... but was unable to hit the frame.

　In the 26th minute, Hiroshima aimed for FW Sato from a left CK, circling around from the far side. Although they didn't stop it, they skillfully connected the loose ball and created a decisive opportunity for MF Osaki in the center of the area, but the ball grazed the Tokyo DF and went out of bounds. In the 38th minute, MoriShige stole the ball to the front line of Hiroshima, and Kaga, Hayashi, and Lucas skillfully kept the ball, and Tanizawa and Takahashi were involved, leading to Tokunaga on the right. They continuously moved out from fluid positions and carried the ball forward, but they couldn't create any chances. In the midst of a fast-paced back and forth, neither team could create any clear opportunities, and the first half ended with both teams having only 3 shots each.

FW Sato allowed another goal... first scoreless game of the season, league loss

　Tokyo tried to find their rhythm from the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Takahashi switched to the side and Ishikawa → Ota crossed from the left. Lucas headed the ball but it went wide. Shortly after, Hayashi → Lucas dropped the ball in the center and Hayashi made a through pass to Ishikawa who ran behind the defense. It was a good opportunity, but it was called offside... In the 54th minute, Takahashi tried to pull back the Hiroshima defenders and took a shot, but it lacked power.

　In the 56th minute, Hiroshima DF's Aoyama passed to the right and MF Mikic dribbled up the side, but they couldn't control it and a precise cross was put in early. FW Sato, who had timed his run perfectly behind Tokyo DF, couldn't be caught. Hiroshima's first shot of the second half was beautifully scored... They conceded the first goal from a situation they were wary of.

　In the 65th minute, Tanizawa and Hanyu were replaced by Watanabe in the front line, and Otake, who made his first appearance of the season, was brought in as the left MF. Two players were quickly substituted in an attempt to revitalize the attack. In the 73rd minute, the ball was moved at a fast pace, with side changes and advances, and Otake on the left side crossed between the GK and DF. The GK's punch was almost picked up by Tabata in the right area, but was held back by the Hiroshima DF.

　In the 74th minute, Ishikawa stuck to the left side line and brought it in, making a speedy move. He put a wedge in Lucas in the central area, and Watanabe flew out to the dropped ball, but was stopped by the defender and only got a corner kick. In the 85th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Kaga. The height of the front line increased, but there were few scenes of crossing, including the 4 minutes of stoppage time... Despite pushing into the Hiroshima camp, they were unable to break through the defensive block until the end and suffered their first defeat in the league with no goals scored this season.

　【Player Comments】《Tanabe》"First of all, I was instructed to focus on defense and also be conscious of balance. However, we were unable to create a fluid shape as a team, and both of our central midfielders dropped back to pass the ball... which resulted in Hiroshima quickly taking the lead. In the second half, we wanted to move the ball with one touch, but they were completely focused on intercepting our vertical passes. We couldn't create opportunities by drawing in their midfielders or pulling them out, and we kept giving away passes to their waiting players... It was difficult to make effective vertical passes. But I don't think we should dwell on this loss. We want to use today's reflection to improve in practice."

　"Ota" "I couldn't bring it to the shot. Especially in the first half, there were no passing routes and the opponent's return was fast, so they immediately became a 5-back and there was no space. I couldn't face forward and could only lower it. Maybe we needed a little more boldness. In the second half, I think we were able to connect to some extent... The problem is how to break down this kind of opponent in the future. I want to take the things that came out as challenges today and look at them positively."

　[Coach Popovic's Press Conference Summary] "Of course, I am not satisfied with the result, but I don't think the performance was bad. We continued to try to control the game by moving the ball, while the opponent defended well and played for counterattacks. Even against such an opponent, I can appreciate that we were trying to do what we needed to do. Congratulations to Hiroshima for defending well with 10 players and having a strong counterattack. We didn't get the result we wanted, but we want to find areas to improve from this game and use them to achieve good football and results."

　(What is the impact of not having Hasegawa and Kajiyama?) I think we were able to show that even without those two, our tasks remain the same. In that aspect, I am satisfied. We kicked the ball in the last period, but that is not our power play. Our power play is about connecting until the end, doing what we have been doing, and doing what we should do. I want to use today's experience for that part in the future."

　[Hiroshima Moriho coach's press conference summary] "I think the reason for the victory was that the players ran for 90 minutes with the desire to win and fought with discipline to do what the team should do. In the away Shimizu match two rounds ago, we disappointed many supporters in the rain. Today, in this rain, it was good that the players ran for the supporters who came to support and were able to present a victory."

　When holding the ball during an attack, the concept is for MF Mikić and MF Yamagishi to take high positions, which led to scoring scenes. The goal itself was to take the ball out from our own half and have FW Sato enter the center with a cross. At halftime, we had a few crosses in the first half, but there weren't enough players in the center, so I told them to focus on entering the crosses. (Tokyo had a lot of possession time?) We tried to switch quickly and create a compact block to respond. We told the players to stay close to each other and respond firmly when the opponent enters the block."