Continuing the momentum of consecutive wins, a match aiming for 3 points away

In Sec. 9 of the league, we will face Sagan Tosu away. In the previous match against Kawasaki, we demonstrated speed and coordination in both offense and defense, with Lucas scoring in two consecutive matches and Higashi marking his first goal in league play, all while achieving a victory without conceding a goal. We have secured consecutive wins and risen to 6th place in the rankings. Higashi stated, "I scored my first goal in league play, but I feel that we all defended together and scored together. That’s why it’s important to continue doing what we need to do from now on."

In contrast, Tosu currently has 1 win, 4 draws, and 3 losses, placing them 13th. Their only victory was in Sec. 3 (against Kawasaki). They suffered three consecutive losses in Sec. 5 to 7, but they are starting to regain momentum with speedy attacks initiated by FW Toyota.S, who has scored 6 goals himself. Additionally, the bold runs of FW Ikeda and side MF Noda and Okada, along with set plays utilizing MF Fujita's long throws and accurate kicks, are also things to be wary of. Maintaining concentration and enduring the full 90 minutes will be the key to victory.

Tokyo has no changes in the lineup from the previous match. The key point in attack is how to convert opportunities against the opponent's solid defense into goals. Similar to the last match, we want to utilize the fluidity in the front line, with Lucas and Hasegawa creating opportunities on the sides to connect to goals. Additionally, it is important to apply pressure from the front line in a coordinated manner to prevent the opponent from playing freely. By assessing the flow and situation of the match, we aim for a third consecutive victory through a unified effort from everyone. The match started at 18:04 with Tokyo's kickoff at BEST DENKI STADIUM.

Higashi scores the opening goal from a set piece! Leading into halftime.

Tokyo launches an aggressive attack from the start. Connecting the ball from the kickoff, Tokunaga advances on the right side and makes a cross. Hasegawa drops it off to Higashi in the center, who moves into the right area. Watanabe runs in there and takes a shot in a coordinated move, but it goes wide. In the 8th minute, Hasegawa persistently picks up the second ball and passes it to Yonemoto, who advances on the left side. He sends a low cross in front of the goal, and Watanabe connects with it directly, but it goes over the bar.

In the 23rd minute, Mori's long pass was perfectly controlled by Higashi, putting him one-on-one with the opposing DF in the left area. However, the pass aimed at the goal was cut off at close range and did not get through. They tried to create chances by utilizing ball possession and quick transitions between offense and defense, but they couldn't create any clear opportunities. Conversely, Tosu launched a counterattack, closing in on Tokyo's goal. Furthermore, from there, MF Fujita's long throw-in and a corner kick aimed at FW Toyota were attempted, but the DF line remained focused and defended well.

Then, in the 28th minute, Watanabe dribbled through the center. From there, Higashi, trying to break through on the left side, was fouled outside the area, earning a free kick. Hasegawa sent a grounded ball to the center, and when Higashi took a controlled shot from the middle, it went through the players of both teams and found the bottom left corner, scoring the opening goal. However, the momentum remained with Tosu. They continued to penetrate the area, but solid coverage prevented any goals. The first half ended with a one-goal lead.

Watanabe's two goals pulled ahead, and although they faced a late challenge from Tosu, they secured the victory! They celebrated their third consecutive win.

The match starts to move from the beginning of the second half. In the 46th minute, a cleared ball led to a contest between the opponent and Watanabe, but HASEGAWA, who followed up, took the ball and quickly switched to attack. He connected with Higashi in the midfield, and Higashi made a through pass to the left front line. Watanabe broke free in response, calmly evaded the advancing GK in the left area, and slotted the ball into the empty goal. Furthermore, in the 49th minute, from Gonda's long feed to the front line, Watanabe, while entangled with the opposing defender, executed a looping shot. This deflected off the GK's hand and went into the goal.

At the beginning, it seemed like Tokyo was completely in control with a 3-goal lead, but from there, they faced a fierce counterattack from Tosu. In the 57th minute, Tosu's left back Kan delivered an early cross, which was headed in by FW Toyota at the far post, but Gonda caught it. In the 62nd minute, Lee was brought on for Lucas. Watanabe moved to the attacking midfield position, and Higashi went to the right side. Furthermore, in the 74th minute, Ishikawa was brought on for Watanabe. However, Tosu's momentum did not change. In the 77th minute, Kaga committed a foul in the penalty area, conceding a penalty kick. FW Toyota converted it, resulting in a goal against.

In the 78th minute, Ishikawa entered the right area and cut back past the opposing defender to shoot. This hit the crossbar, but Lee reacted with a header to the rebound, sending it off target. In the 79th minute, a right cross from Toyota.S resulted in a header that hit the crossbar. In the 80th minute, to strengthen the defense, Hyun Soo JANG was brought in to replace Higashi. However, Tosu, who did not give up until the end, scored in stoppage time through midfielder Mizunuma, narrowing the gap to one goal. They launched further wave attacks, but somehow managed to hold on for the victory, marking their third consecutive win.

[Player Comments]
《Watanabe》
"For the first goal, Keigo made a timely pass, allowing me to break away from the opponent. Just as I aimed. For the second goal, my teammates teased me, asking 'Wasn't that offside!?' but I managed to evade the GK well. I wanted to score a third goal, but I was substituted, and more importantly, we were under pressure from Tosu for a long time today. That leaves us with reflections as a team.

(Did you jump to the top of the scoring rankings?) Not yet. The season is long. There are still many matches to come, and I want to keep working hard to continue scoring.

East
"Personally, I was able to score, but as a team, we ended up in a chaotic situation at the end, and there was an unpleasant atmosphere that we might end up drawing. That's something we need to correct, and I want us to communicate and improve. We have achieved three consecutive wins, but I haven't forgotten the pain of losing streaks, and we need to fight with a greater sense of urgency. Including our fighting spirit and mental aspect, I want to prepare even better."

(After scoring, did you run to the bench?) We are fighting as a team. Even with players who can't play and those who are not on the roster, we still came together as one to face Tosu. With that feeling in mind, I ran to the bench. Of course, I also respect the coach.


【Summary of the Coach's Press Conference】
《Ranko POPOVIC》
"I think it was an interesting match for everyone. It wasn't for me. Since it was during Golden Week, many people came to watch, and I believe they enjoyed it. I do think that finishing with a score of 3-0 is the best outcome, but it was a tense match that kept everyone on the edge of their seats until the end."

It was good to have secured all three points, but as a point of reflection, we should have finished the game properly before it got to this point. We allowed the opponent to create chances in the last 10 to 15 minutes, and there were times when we let them do that. However, I believe we played well enough to deserve the win in today's match.


《Tosu - YOON Jong Hwan Coach》
"I am very sorry that we ended up with a disappointing result amidst so many cheers. Although we lost the game, we were able to discover some positive aspects. The game continues, so I believe what comes next is important. (You allowed two goals in a similar manner, didn't you?) I think it's something that can happen during a match. I believe it was a coordination mistake, but allowing it to happen twice in a row was indeed fatal for the team."