A battle aiming for the first J1 victory at Yurtec.S

As we enter the second half of the 1st stage, we welcome Vegalta Sendai for the 10th match. In the previous match, we achieved a dramatic comeback victory in the Tama River Clasico, securing our 3rd consecutive win and rising to 2nd place in the league. Even when conceding the first goal, we did not crumble and instead changed the flow of the game, showing our never-give-up attitude and strength in winning. This should have also given us confidence. However, Ota says, "No one is satisfied with the current situation," and Kanda continues, "At this stage, we are not concerned about our ranking or points." And he emphasizes the importance of reviewing and making corrections not only when we lose, but also when we win. He also stresses the importance of focusing on each match and aiming for victory, saying, "We are only thinking about winning the next match while continuing to do so." Let's show this attitude on the pitch and aim for Massimo Tokyo's first 4 consecutive wins.

Sendai, who finished 13th in the 9th round. In the early stages of the season, they had a good start with 2 wins and 3 draws, but they suffered their first loss in the 6th round against Kawasaki, and have been on a 4-game losing streak since then. However, they have all been close matches and they have not been able to come out on top. Manager Massimo also commented, "Sendai is an aggressive team. They can play with long balls and also attack quickly." Since they only conceded a goal from a free kick in the Kawasaki match, they should also pay close attention to set plays utilizing the kicks of Sendai's MF Yan and MF Nozawa. In J1 matches at Yurtec Stadium Sendai, they have 3 draws and 3 losses. Not only have they not been able to win in the league, but they have also never finished a match without conceding a goal.

Tokyo started with Maeda and Higashi, who were brought in during the second half of the previous match. They had Muto and Maeda as their two top players, with Higashi playing behind them. On the other hand, Sendai started with FW Okuno and FW Wilson as their two top players. They had DF Tadara and Ishikawa as their center backs, with DF Sugai and Futami as their side backs. In the midfield, MF Mogi and Nozawa played on both sides in a 4-4-2 formation. Yurtec.S, who has yet to win a single game in the J1 league, aims to overcome their past poor performance and secure 3 points in this match.

The match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

First goal by Morishige! Calmly proceed with the game and go into halftime with a one-point lead.

The match started in the 9th minute. Sendai's FW Okuno was immediately robbed of the ball in the right area and quickly moved forward, with the ball being played out to the right front line. FW Wilson's sharp cross was cut off by Tokunaga in the area with a heel, but Sendai's left MF Nozawa reacted to the floating ball. He was fiercely pressed and a powerful shot was taken directly, but it hit the bar and was saved.

At the 15-minute mark, Sendai had been aggressively attacking from the beginning. In response, Tokyo also tried to press, but there were many fouls that interrupted the play, making it difficult to find a rhythm.

At the 20-minute mark, Tokyo switched their left MF to the east and placed Hayabusa on the right. They also formed a double pivot with Yonemoto and Kajiyama in a 4-4-2 formation to counter Sendai's momentum. In the 24th minute, Sendai's FW Wilson entered the box and although the long ball did not reach him, Yoshimoto was called for a foul, resulting in a penalty kick... In the 25th minute, Sendai's FW Wilson took the penalty kick, but Gonda made a crucial save in the bottom right corner.

33 minutes, the opponent's CK was bounced back, and Higashi tried to launch a counter, but couldn't move forward in one go. However, they persistently regained possession and from Maeda's pass to the front line, Mutoh broke through and drew a foul, resulting in a FK from the left area. Then, in the 34th minute, Ota took the FK. On the far side, Morishige from the outside right scored a spectacular goal with his right foot!! Once again, they take the lead from a set piece on this day!

In the early stages, Sendai was able to attack with momentum due to their quick start and intense ball play. In response, Tokyo switched to a 4-4-2 formation. In the 24th minute, Yoshimoto was called for a foul and a PK was awarded, but Gonda made a stop!! He defended the goal and in the 34th minute, from a FK won by Muto, Ota → Morishige scored a spectacular GOAL with his right foot!! After taking the lead, players like Hanyu took care of the midfield and the defense calmly passed the ball around, maintaining their one-point lead and ending the first half.

Yurtec.S grabs the first victory in J1 at Yurtec Stadium and achieves 4 consecutive wins in the league.

Tokyo changed their formation back to a 4-3-3 at the start of the second half. 47 minutes in, Maeda competes for Konda's kick and passes it to Hayabusa on the left, who then passes it to Muto. Muto crosses it into the area, where Yonemoto jumps out to receive it. Tokyo is awarded a penalty for a foul committed during this play. In the 48th minute, Muto calmly scores the penalty, GOAL!! GOAL!!

In the 52nd minute, Hayu passed the ball to the left front line, drawing out Ota's attacking run. Ota's cross was perfectly timed, and Mutoh scored a GOAL!!GOAL!!GOAL!! by slipping through the area between the defenders and the GK. And in the 60th minute, they added another goal from a PK at the start of the second half, followed by Mutoh's goal from Ota's cross! They quickly extended their lead. In order to secure the win, they want to create their own time and keep Sendai's counterattack from scoring.

69 minutes, Takahashi is substituted for Hanyu. Kajiyama and double volante, with Higashi and Yonemoto on both sides. In the 74th minute, Sendai's left cross flows to the opposite side, and it seems to be connected to Sendai again, but Muto returns from the front line at a fierce speed and holds it back. Literally, working hard on both offense and defense. In the 85th minute, Lin is substituted for Muto.

Substituted Maruyama for Maeda in the 87th minute and switched to a 3-back formation. In the 88th minute, Sendai's right cross was cut back in the left area and Sendai DF Ishikawa was pressed in the right area. Unable to block it, it was scored in the upper right corner of the net, conceding a goal... In the 90th minute, Gonda jumped out to face FW Kanazono who ran into the Sendai left area, but the shot ball grazed Gonda and spilled into the center... Directly stabbed by Sendai FW Hamon Lopez, who was free in the center of the area, conceding another goal... Despite maintaining a 3-point lead until the end, we conceded a goal in the form of taking advantage of the gap just after the player substitution. It's a shame that we allowed an additional goal in a hurry against Sendai, who increased their momentum, but we managed to hold on and the time was up. We grabbed our first J1 victory at Yurtec.S while leaving some tasks, and achieved a 4-game winning streak in the league with a 3-2 score.

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference]
"The first 20 minutes were unstable, but the game completely changed after the PK stop. After that, we were able to play our game until the end of the second half and we created many chances in addition to the 3 goals. As for the player substitutions, we took into consideration their physical condition. We were able to score 2 goals at the end of the game, but I believe it was a very positive experience for the team. We experienced the importance of staying focused until the final whistle, as we never know what can happen until the end. It was a good lesson for us. From the middle of the first half, the players were fantastic both tactically and in their performance throughout the game."

[Sendai - Coach Harasaki's Press Conference Summary]
※Coach Watanabe's absence resulted in Coach Harasaki attending the press conference.
"In the first half, we had a really good start, but not being able to score in the first half led to a difficult situation. I think the consecutive goals we conceded at the beginning of the second half were a weakness of the team."

[Player Comments]
"Gonda"
"Stopping PKs is my job. If there was a feeling that 'Gonda would stop it' or if there was an atmosphere of 'we can win with a score of 3-0', that would be the worst thing. Even if it was 3-0, we should have aimed for a 4th goal and in the end, it's something our team should never do. If we become complacent, our reaction to second balls will be delayed and we may concede when we really don't want to, or we may not be able to score when we really need to. Even if we lose 0-1, there may be more points to reflect on than in that game. However, we are a developing team. It's important to correct our reflections from today and not make the same mistakes again when we face a similar situation. We want to continue to grow and we are keenly aware that we need to push ourselves even further. Still, I am very grateful to everyone who cheered us on from the stands. We had away games during Golden Week, but so many of you came and even after conceding 2 goals, you continued to support us. It gave us twice the strength."

"Ota"
"(About the FK that led to the opening goal)
It was a perfect teamwork. Morishige player swung his leg and it felt good. The shot was good, but there were also players blocking nearby and players faking and drawing marks near the goal, it was a goal taken by everyone. We were able to take it with the pattern we practiced. However, we must not concede any goals. We want to review it together as a team."