A battle to aim for 3 consecutive victories as a team

In the previous match, we scored 4 goals in 2 consecutive games and achieved victory without conceding any goals. This round, we will face Vegalta Sendai away.
Manager Massimo said, "In the J-League, even the top-ranked Urawa can lose to the lower-ranked C Osaka, so the competition is truly fierce. Sendai is also a good team, and we must not underestimate them just because they are lower-ranked. That's why we must make maximum effort and focus on the upcoming match in order to aim for a third consecutive victory."

Muto was injured in this week's practice. Along with Yoshimoto, who injured his knee in the Kashiwa game, there was also time to adjust with a separate menu, but there is no problem with playing in the game. On the other hand, U-21 Japan national team members Nozawa and Nakajima have returned to the team. Manager Massimo said, "Not only them, but Kajiyama's playing time is also increasing, and Higashi should be able to join next week. We will overcome this difficult period and increase our options, making the team even more reliable," and turn competition into a positive factor. In addition, Hanyu will play his 300th J1 game.

Tokyo, currently in 15th place with 26 points, will face Sendai in the 21st round. They have suffered 5 consecutive losses since the 21st round, but in the previous round, they made adjustments to their defense and managed to draw against Kawasaki. Although they were unable to secure a victory, they were able to stop their losing streak and their form is improving. Moreover, in the 17th round on July 23rd at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo won 3-0 against Sendai, but since then, MF Nozawa has joined the team. In particular, FW Wilson and Akamine, who are part of the FW line, have their own strengths and attacking abilities, so it will be important to prevent them from playing to their strengths.

In the past, Tokyo has ended up with 1 draw and 4 losses in the league Sendai match at Away Yurtec.S. Only by accumulating 3 points can we achieve something and have the potential to do so. The league match will be temporarily suspended after this round, and the activities of the Japan national team will be carried out. Yoshimoto also hopes to send Morishige, Ota, Muto, and Gonda players to the national team with a good feeling, and also hopes that they will contribute to Tokyo's victory with a "Tokyo-like" play before the national team. With expectations, this is a match where the team will aim for 3 consecutive wins together.

It started at 15:34 with a kickoff in Sendai, while it was chilly and temporarily mixed with light rain.

Both teams lack a decisive factor, and it's scoreless heading into the second half.

The match started with Sendai connecting from the kickoff, and FW Wilson on the left front making a big side change.
DF Sugai, who advanced forward, aimed for a bold shot. He escaped with a save from Gonda and was also attacked from the left corner kick, but he concentrated and overcame the early danger.

14 minutes into the game, Tokyo passes the ball around and Hanyu passes it to Kono in the center, who tries to drop it to Muto who is trying to support him nearby. However, they are targeted and Sendai counterattacks. Tokyo holds off Sendai's speedy attack in their own half and quickly moves up to the front line. In the open space, Muto advances. He draws the opponent's DF into a 1-on-1 situation, but instead of shooting, he chooses to make a final pass to Edu in the center. However, he is surrounded and loses the ball. In the 18th minute, Ota's early cross is cleared by Sendai's DF Uemoto, but the ball falls in front of Muto in the right area. Muto takes a step forward and takes a decisive shot, but it is saved by Sendai's GK and goes out for a corner kick...

After 20 minutes, both teams pushed their fighting spirit to the forefront and engaged in a fierce and speedy battle. Sendai has the upper hand in terms of momentum, but Tokyo calmly defended and tried to bring the game to their own style from the build-up. In the 23rd minute, Yoshimoto fed the ball to the front line. However, it was cut off and Sendai launched a counterattack. MF Nozawa dribbled up and left DF Ishikawa crossed. However, Sendai's MF Ota couldn't finish it off. This loose ball was connected and once again targeted by MF Nozawa, but it missed widely.

At the 35-minute mark, Tokyo is struggling to contain Sendai's strong attacks and trying to counter, but they are unable to create space even when they have possession of the ball. They are unable to exploit the gaps in Sendai's defense.

40 minutes, from Sendai's FK, connected with precise passing on the left front line, and MF Yanagi was released to the left area. From the cross, Sendai MF Ota entered the heading shot position, but Ota closed in and the ball was caught by Gonda. Furthermore, in the 44th minute, from Sendai MF Nozawa's side change, DF Suga went up on the right and crossed. This was cleared by Tokunaga, but the loose ball was quickly sent forward, and FW Wilson, just in front of the left area, turned and shot. However, Gonda caught it in front.

Sendai's speedy development and attacks led by MF Nozawa were well suppressed, and they tried to counterattack. However, even if they controlled the ball, they were unable to create space. The first half ended scoreless without being able to break through Sendai's defense.

Conceded a goal in the 75th minute... Unable to grasp victory at away Yurtec.S once again

In the second half, in the 53rd minute, Sendai was unable to control the pass work on the left side and was pushed into the goal area, but managed to intercept and dribble from Mutoh! He carried the ball a long distance and aimed for a ground middle shot from just outside the area, but it went wide to the right. After the 60th minute, Sendai was pushed back by their speedy attacks and had to withstand wave after wave of attacks, but they are still trying to connect and create their own attacks.

64 minutes, Sendai's right cross is caught by Gonda as he jumps out. From here, they launch a counter attack, Gonda → Kono drops it, and Yonemoto makes a fierce run through the center with the ball... but is cut off by the opposing defender...

At the 75th minute, Sendai passed the ball to Tokyo in front of the goal, MF Liang sent it to the right, and FW Wilson received a vertical pass from here and shot from the front of the goal. This was saved by Kanda! However, Sendai FW Akamine quickly reacted to this loose ball. Pushed in... and conceded a goal, 0-1. In the 77th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack, with Kono in the center passing to Edu on the right. Edu tried to switch the opponent's DF in the right area, but couldn't get through and fell, and was instead fouled and received a warning. This is his 8th yellow card in total.

Scene of player substitution in the 78th minute. Tokyo brought in Kajiyama and Watanabe to replace Hanyu and Kono. Then in the 80th minute, in a fierce midfield battle, Edu received his second warning and was sent off. Tokyo was forced to play with 10 men. Later, in the 87th minute, they wanted to make a comeback by substituting Nakajima for Yoshimoto, but...

In the second half, Sendai gained even more momentum and launched speedy attacks from quick passing. While they were able to hold off the attacks well in their own half, they conceded a goal in the 75th minute. They tried to mount a comeback with attacking substitutions, but in the 80th minute, Edu received his second yellow card and was sent off. With 10 men, Tokyo couldn't stop Sendai's momentum. Once again, they were unable to secure a victory in the away match at Yurtec.S Sendai and suffered their first defeat since the 12th round on May 6th.

[Player Comments]
"Mori Shige"
"I expected it to be a difficult game, and it turned out to be just that. As for the content, I don't think it was that bad, but the opponent's strength also affects the result. It also made me realize the strength and pressure of the teams fighting for survival, but we need to make adjustments in the small details as our way of fighting. Once I go to the Japan national team, I want to review what we should do as a team."

"Hanyu"
"It was an away game, and I understood that Sendai was in a situation where they were fighting to avoid relegation, so I had prepared for that, but I don't think we were able to show anything that could surpass our opponents. It's very disappointing. Above all, it was a very hectic 90 minutes. I feel responsible for not being able to control the game. Even when we had possession of the ball, we were under pressure from Sendai and it was stressful to pass the ball. We lacked the judgment of whether to attack quickly or calm down and regain control. Personally and as a team, I don't think we were able to do things that would make our opponents uncomfortable."

(Achieved 300 J1 games?)
Although I achieved 300 games, I couldn't win my milestone game. It's a shame, but it's just like me... (bitter smile). I realized that I still have a lot to learn and reflect on, and I have to use it for the next game. It was a game that made me think I could have done more and should have done more. However, I was able to come this far with the support of everyone. I am happy and grateful that the coach and teammates have recognized me as a player and have been able to build up. I also have a strong desire to play for the people who have supported me, including the fans and supporters.
Although we lost today, both individually and as a team, I believe we could have done better. I have the desire to do more. I want to work harder and harder."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"I predicted it would be a difficult game, and it turned out to be just that. Sendai closed the spaces and aimed for counterattacks. However, we also had some chances. In particular, there was a chance for Muto in the first half. The opponent also had chances, but there were no decisive ones. In the second half, the opponent scored one chance while we were pushing forward. And then, Edu's red card was a big penalty for us. However, there was still time left, so I think we could have done something."

[Sendai - Manager Susumu WATANABE's Press Conference Summary]
"First of all, I am very happy to be able to deliver a win and 3 points to our supporters after a long time. We have been struggling to win, but we have received encouragement and strong support from our fans, even in the away game against Kawasaki in the last match. Finally, we were able to repay that support. I think it was the result of the players putting their hearts and souls into this game. This is our new start and we want to continue playing tight games like today and accumulate points in the remaining 7 matches."