Stick to our style and unite to aim for victory to break the losing streak

In Sec. 6 of the league, we will face Vegalta Sendai away. In the Nabisco Cup match against C Osaka, we equalized with a goal from Lee, but conceded two goals due to the opponent's effective attacks and lost the match. We have not won in the last four official matches, and we are on a three-game losing streak in the league. Although it will be a back-to-back match with only two days in between, it is necessary to stay focused until the end and fight tenaciously, even while fatigued. We want to stick to our style, unite as one, and seize three points away to break through this difficult situation.

Sendai currently sits in 11th place in the league with 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses. They are also participating in the ACL this season, but the team is struggling due to the long-term absence of DF Uemoto and ongoing injuries after the season started. However, on April 10 (Wednesday), DF Kakuta made his return in the ACL, and with a goal from FW Yanagisawa in his first appearance of the season, they achieved victory and are starting to find their footing. Coach Ranko POPOVIC commented on Sendai, saying, "They are a team that is well-disciplined and organized."

Tokyo will deploy Takahashi and Yonemoto as double defensive midfielders, with Hasegawa and Lucas on the left and right midfield, Higashi as the attacking midfielder, and Watanabe as the lone striker. In particular, they want to enhance their awareness of covering against Sendai's attacks that exploit the gaps behind the defenders. They also need to be cautious of set pieces centered around Sendai MF Yang's kicks. Furthermore, in attack, they aim to utilize the movements of Watanabe and Higashi to break through Sendai's goal with quick passing plays.

The match started at 14:04 with a kickoff from Tokyo at Yurtec Stadium Sendai.

Dominated throughout, but ended the first half scoreless

From the start of the match, Tokyo launched a quick attack from a concentrated defense to create chances. In the 9th minute, after clearing a left cross from Sendai, Yonemoto initiated a counterattack. He attempted to pass to Hasegawa, who was running on the left flank, but the play was deemed a foul as he tried to outrun the Sendai DF with speed. In the 11th minute, Hasegawa quickly advanced through the center and passed to Lucas, who was moving up on the right. Despite being surrounded by the opposing DF at the right corner of the area, he tried to connect with Higashi, who was running forward, but the timing was off.

Gradually, Sendai also sent long balls to the front line, trying to launch an attack from there, but they were firmly dealt with in the competition, preventing any real chances from being created. In the 25th minute, Yonemoto stole the ball in the opponent's territory and immediately took a shot from distance, but it went just to the left. In the 28th minute, they launched a quick attack, with Takahashi delivering a middle pass from the right side. The ball went over Higashi, who was advancing in the center, and reached the free Hasegawa, but his trap was too long, and he couldn't capitalize on the scoring opportunity.

Although they repeatedly created opportunities in front of the goal, they lacked precision in the final play and could not take a shot. In the 34th minute, Watanabe advanced, passed over Higashi who moved up the center, connected with Hasegawa on the left, and sent a final pass to Higashi who broke through the center, but it was ruled offside in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. In the 42nd minute, Ota was fouled, earning a free kick from just outside the area, centrally. Morishige aimed for a quick shot, but it hit the wall and resulted in a corner kick. Ultimately, they maintained control throughout but ended the first half scoreless.

After changing the system, we mounted a furious comeback to close the gap to one point, but we couldn't score an additional goal and lost the match.

Despite being cautious at the start of the second half after reflecting on the match against C Osaka in the Nabisco Cup, we conceded a goal just 2 minutes in when the ball was easily passed from the right side to midfielder Kakuta in the center, who took a shot from distance. The ball was out of reach of Gonda's extended hand. Tokyo, looking to counterattack, had a chance in the 55th minute when Takahashi aimed for a shot from the center after keeping the ball at the corner of the right area, but it narrowly went to the left. In the 56th minute, Lee was brought on to replace Watanabe.

In the 58th minute, Yonemoto stole the ball in midfield and made a vertical pass into the area. Lucas skillfully controlled it, turned, and shot. It was a decisive chance but just missed to the right of the goal. However, in the 60th minute, the ball was stolen due to a mistake and passed to Sendai's forward Wilson on the left flank. Kaga was dealing with him one-on-one, but he dribbled into the area and unleashed a powerful shot that pierced the net, resulting in the second goal conceded.

In the 68th minute, Tokyo substituted Heiyama for Lucas. Heiyama played as the lone striker, with Lee and Higashi in the second line. The formation changed to a double pivot with Yonemoto and Aria, and Takahashi moved into a three-back setup. From here, a fierce counterattack began. In the 79th minute, Kaga, who surged up the right side, earned a right corner kick from his cross, which Higashi directed to Heiyama at the near post. Lee then struck the ball with his head into the left area, narrowing the deficit by one goal.

In the 84th minute, Hirayama received a superb through pass from Higashi, carried the ball into the area while holding off a defender, and aimed for the goal but was stopped by the goalkeeper. The ball slipped from the goalkeeper's hands once, but he couldn't capitalize on it. In the 86th minute, Tokunaga's early cross was dropped by Hirayama in the area, and Aaria, who followed closely behind, took a shot. They created a decisive opportunity, but the ball went well wide of the target. They continued to launch fierce attacks, but were unable to break through for a goal, and the match ended. This marked their fourth consecutive loss in the league.


[Player Comments]
"Hirayama" "(Regarding the scoring scene) I was able to switch positions well with Tokunaga and get into the near post. I thought I had headed the ball towards the goal, but Chun-Sung was right there to finish it off. I have been focused on scoring goals and providing assists, so it was good to achieve one today, but there were more opportunities. I need to make sure I can produce not just one, but two or three results."

What we need to do will not change in the future, but I think that mistakes and carelessness are currently leading to goals conceded. I believe it is important to stay focused throughout both halves, and I want to express plays on the pitch that will lead to results.


"Yonehira" said, "I don't think we started the match poorly, and the first half wasn't bad either. However, conceding a goal at the start of the second half made us more aggressive, leading to a second goal against us... it became a vicious cycle. We are still not a strong team. It's true that we showed signs of impatience after allowing the first goal. We rushed forward. If we could have thought, 'We can equalize with just one goal,' and fought calmly even after conceding one, it would have been better."

Being negative here won't start anything, and changing our style doesn't make sense. We have to do it, and it's important to steer things in a good direction. Before today's match, the atmosphere was good, and we all talked about enjoying soccer without worrying about the three consecutive losses, so we were able to start well.


【Summary of the Coach's Press Conference】
Director Ranko POPOVIC: "I believe we were able to show what we needed to do and what we have been working on today, but we were indeed punished when our concentration dropped and we showed gaps. I remember that the shot the opponent scored was their first shot on target, but during that time, we were not fully focused and allowed them to take advantage. As a result, we conceded and allowed them to take the lead.

Before that, we had created decisive chances multiple times, so it is important to capitalize on those opportunities. When we are creating chances at our own pace, it is crucial to finish them off accurately, and we need to improve that precision. We are currently in a situation of consecutive losses, but we believe that we can definitely break free from this losing streak and start winning. I also believe in the strength of our players. It is precisely during times like this that the team must unite and quickly produce results to turn things around.

(Although it became a situation where we were pushing from midway through the second half, was it due to a system change?) It is also true that we were creating chances before switching to a three-back system. There was also a big chance for Lucas. If we only talk about chances, it might have been a more decisive opportunity than the opponent's two goals. It is simply a strategy to score goals and turn the game around. We imagined holding the ball closer to the opponent's goal and approaching the goal. At the same time, we were also considering pressing from the front to win the ball and induce mistakes from the opponent.


"Sendai - Coach Makoto TEGURAMORI" "We regained our identity and won in the ACL on Wednesday. In the following games, we want to show our attitude that this is the start of the league, and we will pour our determination and willingness towards our goals. If we can win today, it will be worth more than three points; no matter how difficult the schedule is, it will give us confidence to advance. I wanted to enter the game with momentum, but we ended up accepting Tokyo's possession football."

The players themselves did not force the issue during the consecutive matches, but first showed patience. I feel that this common understanding was correct when we played for 90 minutes. In the first half, we focused on withstanding the opponent's attacks and progressed the game steadily. When I saw Tokyo's attacking style in the fifth consecutive match, I was watching from the bench, wondering if they would tire from the offense. I told them to just come back at 0-0. In the second half, we managed to strike first with a well-timed attack. Up to 2-0, things were good. After the match, I apologized to the players. We couldn't turn 2-0 into 3-0. The reason for that was the substitution of midfielder Hebertsu.

In the match against Niigata, we lost the game after substituting MF Heberti. I wanted him to make a comeback in today's official match. Instead, we ended up having to substitute a player who came on as a substitute after conceding a goal, narrowing the score to a one-goal difference. However, this made everyone understand the importance of substitutions, and I believe we realized that in a match like today, we need to turn a 2-0 game into a 3-0 victory.

I felt that this team truly has a strong sense of unity, especially in how they managed to hold on to a solid 2-1 lead. We realized that we need to do even more. I want to use this as motivation to continue winning from here on out.