With aggressiveness and fighting spirit, aim to defeat the top team!

In the 20th round of the league, the match against Sagan Tosu was once again an away game following the previous round. The match against Cerezo Osaka was also affected by bad weather, resulting in only 1 point. However, the team showed a united front and displayed resilience at crucial moments, resulting in 4 consecutive clean sheets. In the 7 matches since the 13th round, they have only conceded 1 goal, showing outstanding stability.

On the other hand, in terms of attacking, they ended up with no goals and Muto reflects, "There were still challenges in changing the decision from fast attack to slow attack." However, coach Massimo commented, "As a team, we did not retreat at all. I am satisfied with the players' desire to score goals," and emphasized the importance of gradually building up while working on improving the challenges.

Tokyo made changes to their starting lineup, with FW Muto and Watanabe starting for the first time since Sec. 13 against Tokushima, and MF Hirayama starting for the first time since Sec. 17 against Sendai. Hayabusa, who missed the previous match, also returned to the starting lineup. On the other hand, Higashi and Edu were left out of the squad due to injuries.

Even with a new coach, Tosu has played with the same starting lineup for two consecutive games. Currently, they are tied for first place with Urawa in points, total goals scored, and total goals conceded (12 wins, the most in the league). Despite losing to Hiroshima in the previous match, they have maintained their good form by relying on a solid defense led by GK Hayashi and utilizing the attacking prowess and scoring ability of FW Toyota.

After a sudden change in coach, this match will be the second game under new coach Megumu YOSHIDA. The team is expected to come out with a strong attitude to improve team unity and motivation, and prevent a home losing streak. It will be a match to watch for both teams' strong defense. Although it is an away game for Tokyo, they will aim to defeat the top team with their aggressiveness and fighting spirit that surpasses Tosu.

Yurtec.S, covered in clouds, Sagan Tosu. Despite the humidity, the temperature is not high, and the game will start at 7:04 PM in Tokyo.

Solid defense holds off and leads by one point into the second half

The match started with 5 minutes. From the flow of a left throw-in, Hayashi, who was slightly to the right in the midfield, connected with a vertical pass to Watanabe in the right area. Watanabe made a move forward and crossed the ball with a minus. Yonemoto, who had escaped the center space, closed in on the ball in front of the area and scored a precise shot to the bottom left, GOAL!! A good start with the opening goal.

In the following 7 minutes, Tosu left SB Yasuda advanced to a high position and crossed. FW Toyota jumped into the goal, but Gonda jumped first and caught it. They collided and Gonda fell to the pitch and sat down. After that, Gonda stood up without any problems and the game resumed.
　
In the midst of a back-and-forth battle, Tokyo launched an attack in the 17th minute. Mutoh broke through on the left side and boldly made his way into the area. Utilizing his ball control, he tenaciously evaded two opposing DF players and broke free, but his shot attempt was unsuccessful as he lost his balance and hit the ball. It ended up hitting the GK at close range.

At 22 minutes, Tosu left MF Kan was released behind the left area by a pass. Yoshimoto stretched his leg to cut it off, but it spilled into the left area and Tosu FW Ikeda took a decisive shot. However, it was saved by a splendid save from Gonda and went out for a corner kick!

At the 35-minute mark, Tokyo had been holding onto the ball for a while. However, they did not panic and instead raised their line, with Hayashi, Yonemoto, and Takahashi working together in the midfield. They stayed focused and effectively suppressed Tosu's counterattacks.

Yoneyama scores the first goal from a quick combination between Hanyu and Watanabe! However, after that, they were often pushed back by Tosu's strong attacks.
However, do not panic and defend with concentration and unity to maintain the one-point lead into the second half. In the second half, we want to score additional points through effective counterattacks.

Grab the victory with skillful game management!

In the second half, in the early 52 minutes. Ota takes a sharp cross from the left side and distance. This flies just past the bar, but GK Hayashi manages to scrape it out. However, Watanabe quickly reacts to the loose ball in front of the goal and calmly pushes it in for an additional point. This marks Watanabe's first goal in the league in about a year (since August 31, 2013).

At 66 minutes, Muto pressed Tosu in their own half and successfully stole the ball, passing it to Hirayama. Hirayama took the ball up freely and took a decisive shot from the area, but was stopped by a quick sliding tackle from the Tosu defender and the ball went out for a corner... At 68 minutes, Tosu passed the ball around in Tokyo's half and right back Niwa took a shot that was saved by goalkeeper Gonda!

In the 72nd minute, Mita was substituted for Hayu, and Mita was put in. In the 75th minute, they were once connected to Tosu, but they took it back in their own zone and counterattacked. Mita advanced to the right area and sent a last pass to Muto in the center just in front of the area. Muto boldly aimed for the goal while losing his balance, but the ball grazed the opponent's defender and went out of bounds. Muto seemed to be injured for a moment after this play, but he quickly got up and was not seriously injured. In the 77th minute, Ishikawa came on as a substitute for Muto.

87 minutes, Ota from their own half passes to Ishikawa on the left front line. Ishikawa collects the ball near the touchline and passes it to Watanabe. In the next play, Watanabe on the left switches the ball to Mita on the right, who then passes it to Tokunaga. Although they were unable to finish, they patiently wait for opportunities and exploit gaps in Tosu's defense. In the 88th minute, Kono replaces Watanabe.

In the second half additional time, Tosu's FW Toyoda, who was in a high position on the right area, feeds the ball to the front line and crosses it with a header. From here, MF Okamoto, who was free in front of the goal, had a header shot, but it was caught by Gonda.

In the second half, in the early stages, Watanabe scored his first goal of the season to add to the score! As the lead widened, the defense quickly shut down Tosu's attacks, and crosses were continuously repelled by Morishige at the center. In the final stages, Ishikawa returned to the pitch for the first time since April 2nd! While aiming for Tosu's weaknesses, the counterattack was shut down. They also showed skillful game management and secured the victory.

[Player Comments]
《Yonemoto》
"I've been thinking that I need to score soon... and today, I was able to make it happen. I think it's because of the running and training we did during the break and the efforts we've been putting in. We didn't do well in the practice matches, but we've been discussing it with the coach and the players. I think it's now heading in a good direction."

"Watanabe"
"(It's been about a year since I scored in the league?)
It was a long time... I haven't been able to contribute to the team for a long time, so I'm glad I was able to contribute in this way today. But one goal is not enough. I want to work harder to score more. Everyone said, 'Watanabe's goal was important,' but in such a tough situation, the players behind me worked hard and we could have scored more goals earlier or even scored a third goal. There were other chances today too. I want to take advantage of those chances and score more goals to help the team."

"Ishikawa"
"(Before the game)
Apart from my own emotions, I was able to organize what I needed to do for the team and what I needed to do. There should be space at that time, but first I pressed from the front line and then tried to take advantage of Tosu's weaknesses. Of course, it would be easier if we could score a third goal, but if we concede one goal, it will be difficult. That's why we started from defense. I have the desire to play in the game and it is important for me to play, but I understand that there are individual roles in the team, such as starting roles, deciding the game, changing the flow, and closing the game. I want to play my strengths while fighting for the team by doing what is required of me. I was really happy to hear the cheers from the stands after the game. We will continue to build on this one by one!"

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We were able to play very aggressively from the start of the match. By having our three forwards press from the front, we aimed to prevent the opponent from easily passing the ball from behind. After scoring the first goal, there were also chances for Mutoh twice and Hirayama twice, and even after adding a goal in the second half, there were three or four decisive chances. Although there were some dangerous situations created from crosses, I think that is a characteristic of Tosu and there are some unavoidable parts. However, I think the players read the situation well and responded accordingly. I think winning 3 points away against the top team Tosu has twice the weight. I think the players played a fantastic game."

[Post-match Interview with Manager Megumu YOSHIDA from Tosu]
"First of all, I am filled with regret for losing the game despite having so many fans and supporters come to cheer us on and give us their full support for 90 minutes. I am sorry to all the supporters. As for the game, I see it as a loss that will lead us to the next one. It's disappointing to lose, but we were able to make some adjustments from the previous game against Hiroshima to this match against FC Tokyo. We showed a lot of good things in our attack, so I am taking this loss in a positive light."