A match aiming for three consecutive wins as a united team

In the previous match, they scored 4 goals in 2 consecutive games and achieved victory without conceding any goals. This week, they will face Vegalta Sendai away.
Coach Massimo said, "The J-League is truly competitive, as evidenced by the fact that the top-ranked Urawa can lose to the lower-ranked Cerezo Osaka. Sendai is still a good team, and we must not underestimate them just because they are at the bottom. That is why we must put in our utmost effort and focus on the upcoming match to aim for our third consecutive victory."

This week's practice saw Muto suffer a facial injury. Along with Yoshimoto, who injured his knee in the match against Kashiwa, there was time to adjust with a separate menu for precaution, but there are no issues regarding participation in the match. On the other hand, U-21 Japan national team members Nozawa and Nakajima have returned to the team. Coach Massimo stated, "Not only them, but Kajiyama's playing time is also increasing, and Higashi should be able to join next week. We have overcome a tough period, and from here, our options will increase, making the team even more reliable," and he aims to turn competition into a positive factor. Additionally, Hanyu will mark his 300th J1 match.

Sendai is currently in 15th place with 26 points. They suffered five consecutive losses since Sec. 21, but in the last match, they made adjustments to their defense and managed to draw with Kawasaki. Although they did not achieve victory, they stopped the losing streak, and it can be said that their form is improving. Most importantly, in the match on July 23, Sec. 17, at Ajinomoto, Tokyo won 3-0, but Sendai later added MF Nozawa. Among them, FW Wilson and Akamine, along with the other forwards, have their own strengths and abilities to break through, so we want to focus on not allowing them to get into their preferred 'shape' first.

In the past, Tokyo has ended with 1 draw and 4 losses in league matches against Sendai at the away Yurtec.S, remaining winless. Only by accumulating 3 points can the possibility of achieving something arise. This round will temporarily suspend the league matches for the activities of the Japan national team. Yoshimoto expressed his hopes, saying, "I want to win and send Morishige, Ota, Muto, and Gonda to the national team with a good feeling, and I hope they can contribute to Tokyo's victory with their 'typical' play before the national team." This is a match where the team aims for a third consecutive win, united as one.

It started at 15:34 with a kickoff from Sendai, in chilly weather with occasional light rain.

Both teams lack a decisive factor, heading into the second half scoreless

In the first minute of the match, Sendai connected from the kickoff, and FW Wilson made a big switch to the left front.
Defender Sugai, who advanced, aimed for a bold shot. Thanks to Gonda's save, they escaped to a corner kick, and although they were pressured from the left corner kick, they concentrated and survived the early crisis.

In the 14th minute, Tokyo passed the ball around, with Hanyu to Kono in the center, trying to drop it for Muto who was attempting to follow closely. However, they were targeted here and lost the ball, leading to a counterattack from Sendai. Tokyo managed to contain Sendai's speedy attack in their own half and quickly moved forward. Muto advanced into space, engaging the opposing DF in a one-on-one but chose not to shoot, opting instead for a final pass to Edu in the center. However, he was surrounded and lost the ball. In the 18th minute, Ota's early cross was attempted to be cleared by Sendai DF Uemoto, but the ball slipped through and fell in front of Muto in the right area. Muto, free, took a step forward and unleashed a decisive shot, but it was deflected for a corner by a great save from the Sendai GK...

20 minutes have passed, and both sides are fighting with determination, engaging in intense and speedy offense and defense. In terms of momentum, Sendai is ahead, but Tokyo is also defending calmly, trying to build up and bring the play into their shape. In the 23rd minute, Yoshimoto feeds the ball forward. However, this is cut off, and Sendai counterattacks. MF Nozawa advances with a dribble, and DF Ishikawa, who came up from the left, delivers a cross. However, Sendai MF Ota in front of the right area could not take the shot. The loose ball was connected again and targeted by MF Nozawa, but this also went wide.

After 35 minutes have passed, while effectively suppressing Sendai's vigorous attack and attempting to counterattack, Tokyo is unable to create space even while controlling the ball. They cannot exploit the gaps in Sendai's defense.

In the 40th minute, from Sendai's free kick, a series of precise passes on the left flank connected, allowing MF Liang to break into the left area. From the cross, Sendai's MF Ota positioned himself for a header in the right area, but Ota closed in and the ball was caught by Gonda. Furthermore, in the 44th minute, from Sendai's MF Nozawa's switch of play, DF Sugai advanced on the right and delivered a cross. This was cleared by Tokunaga, but the loose ball was quickly seized and sent forward, with FW Wilson turning and shooting just before the left area. However, this was caught directly by Gonda.

They effectively contained Sendai's speedy developments and attacks initiated by midfielder Nozawa, attempting to counterattack. However, even with ball possession, they struggled to create space. They ended the first half scoreless, unable to break through Sendai's defense.

Conceded a goal in the 75th minute... Once again, victory at the away Yurtec.S eludes us.

Entering the second half at the 53rd minute, they were unable to contain Sendai's passing play on the left side and were pushed into their own goal area, but somehow managed to hold on. From an interception, Muto dribbled the ball! He carried it a long distance and aimed for a ground shot from just outside the area, but it went wide to the right. After the 60th minute, they were pressed by Sendai's fast-paced attacks and faced a barrage of assaults, but they managed to withstand it and are trying to connect to their own attack.

In the 64th minute, Sendai's right cross was caught by Gonda who came out to intercept. From here, they launched a counterattack, Gonda passed to Kono, and Yonemoto made a fierce dribble towards the center, but... he was cut off by the opposing defender...

In the 75th minute, Sendai passed the ball in front of Tokyo's goal, and MF Ryo sent it to the right. From there, FW Wilson received a vertical pass and shot from directly in front of the goal. This was saved by Gonda! However, Sendai FW Akamine quickly reacted to the rebound. They pushed it in... conceding a goal, making it 0-1. In the 77th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, with Kono in the center passing to EDU on the right. EDU tried to cut past the opposing defender in the right area but fell without getting through, and instead, a foul was called against him, resulting in a warning. This was his eighth yellow card overall.

Substitution scene in the 78th minute. Tokyo brought in Kajiwara and Watanabe to replace Hanyu and Kono. Then, in the 80th minute, during a fierce battle in midfield, Edu received a second warning and was sent off. Tokyo was forced to fight with 10 men. After that, in the 87th minute, they wanted to bring in Nakajima to replace Yoshimoto and launch a counterattack, but…

In the second half, Sendai gained even more momentum and launched a speedy attack with quick passing. Although they managed to contain it well in their own territory, they conceded a goal in the 75th minute. After that, they attempted to fight back with offensive substitutions, but in the 80th minute, Edu received a second warning and was sent off. With 10 players, Tokyo could not stop Sendai's momentum. Once again, they could not secure a victory in the away match at Yurtec.S, marking their defeat since Sec. 12 on May 6.

[Player Comments]
《Morishige》
"I expected it to be a difficult match, and it turned out to be just that. I think the performance wasn't that bad, but the result is also influenced by the opponent's strength. We were reminded of the power and intensity of teams fighting for survival, but we need to make adjustments in the finer details of our own approach. I will be going to the Japan national team for a while, but I want to reassess what we need to do as a team."

Hanyu
"It was an away game, and I understood that Sendai is in a situation fighting for relegation, so I thought we had prepared for that, but I don't think we were able to show anything that surpassed our opponent. It's very disappointing. Above all, it turned into a hectic 90 minutes. I feel responsible for not being able to control the game. Even when we had possession of the ball, we felt some stress from Sendai's pressure while trying to move the ball around. I lacked the judgment to either attack quickly or to calm things down again. I don't think we were able to do what the opponent dislikes, both personally and as a team."

(Did you achieve a total of 300 matches in J1?)
I have been unbeaten for a long time, but I couldn't win in my milestone match. It's very disappointing, but if I were to say it's typical of me... (bitter smile). I realized that I still have a lot to learn, and I need to reflect and apply it to the next time. I felt that there were more things I could have done, things I should have done... It became a match that made me think that way. However, I have been able to come this far with everyone's support. I am happy and grateful that the coach and my teammates recognize a player like me, and I want to repay those who have supported me, including the fans and supporters, through my performance.
We lost today, but I believe that both personally and as a team, we can do more. I want to work even harder.

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"I anticipated that it would be a difficult match, and it turned out to be just that. Sendai eliminated the spaces and aimed for counterattacks. However, we also had several chances. Especially in the first half, there was a chance for Muto. The opponent had chances as well, but I have the impression that none were decisive. In the second half, during a period when we were pushing forward, the opponent managed to score from one chance. Additionally, Edu's red card became a significant penalty for us. However, since there was still time left, I think we could have done something."

【Sendai - Susumu WATANABE's Press Conference Summary】
"First of all, I am very happy to deliver our first victory in a while and three points to our supporters. During a time when we were struggling to win, we received encouragement and strong cheers from our supporters, and even in the away game against Kawasaki in the last match, we received a lot of support. Finally, we were able to repay that support. I believe the players played with their hearts and souls in this game. I want to continue to build on this as our fresh start in the remaining seven matches and keep playing tight games like today to accumulate points."