A battle to fight without losing in order to achieve a 3-game winning streak in the league

After a two-week interval, the league match resumes as Sagan Tosu faces off against Sec. 16. They will face their last game of the 1st stage away. In the Matsumoto match, they covered for the absence of Mori Shige, who was suspended, and newcomer Hashimoto scored his first goal in J1, leading to a total team effort and a victory. They have temporarily risen to 3rd place in the rankings. Although their chances of winning the 1st stage have completely disappeared, Manager Massimo stated, "Our goal is to perform in all 34 matches of the season and fight with all our might in each game to achieve results."

During the break, Gonda, Morishige, Ota, and Muto focused on activities with the Japan national team. As a result, the time for the entire team to gather for the Tosu match was short. However, recently in Tokyo, regardless of who is playing, the team understands their goals and individual roles, expresses them on the pitch, and the team's unity has also increased. For this match, there may be variations in each player's sense of the game, including the national team members, but we want to work hard and defend as a team, and fully demonstrate the "Tokyo style" to aim for victory together once again.

Tokushima, on the other hand, is currently in 11th place with 19 points. They have scored 19 goals so far, the same as Tokyo, but have conceded 28 goals. In their last 3 games alone, they have conceded a total of 14 goals. However, Kanda analyzes, "During the 2-week interval, they should thoroughly correct their defense." It is not difficult to imagine that they will regain their running ability and quick start, and try to turn things around.

Tokyo, with Mori Shige's suspension lifted, returns to the starting lineup. Maeda also joins the starting lineup, forming a two-top with Muto. In the midfield, Takahashi and Kajiyama form a double pivot, with Mita and Higashi on the wings in a 4-4-2 formation. Additionally, Ishikawa, who has recovered from injury, has made the squad for the first time since the April 22nd Nabisco Tosu match.

Tosu will deploy FW Toyoda at the forefront, with FW Shirogane as the attacking midfielder. MF Mizunuma and MF Kan will be placed on both sides in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Tokyo will also aim to match Tosu's hard work and strong defense with their own energy and quick start, in order to connect good defense to good offense.

The match started at 4:04pm at the hot and humid Tosu Yurtec.S with Tosu's kickoff.

Conceded the first goal from a set piece, and entered the second half trailing by one point.

In the early stages, there was a period of being pushed back, but in the 11th minute, Mita intercepted Tosu's right throw-in in the opponent's territory.
Connected to the previous Maeda, Muto advances to the right area, but there was not enough support in the center. Unable to finish. In the following 14 minutes, East Takahashi pressed on the left side of the midfield, trying to get the ball, but was taken away by Tosu MF Mizunuma, and received a counterattack. MF Kin ran to the right front line → MF Mizunuma in the right area, but the shot was taken. It was a dangerous scene, but it missed the frame.

At 16 minutes, Tosu's MF Pirom Un-Prasert made a long feed from the midfield, and FW Erik broke through the left area. Yoshimoto, who tried to respond, was cut back and a shot was taken, but Tokyo barely touched it and escaped with a CK. However, at 17 minutes, Tosu's MF Fujita's kick from this right CK was perfectly headed in by MF Kim, giving up the first goal. The start of the game was not bad, but Tokyo couldn't keep the ball in the front line. Gradually, Tosu created a rhythm from their quick attacks and conceded the first goal from a set piece...

24 minutes, Takahashi on the left in the middle advances to the front line. Mita, who broke through at the right time, carries the ball forward and sends a low cross to the front of the goal. Maeda traps the ball and takes a shot, creating a decisive opportunity, but the ball misses the target...

Tokyo has started to create chances by being aware of the quick change in defense by Tosu, after 35 minutes have passed.
However, the trend of losing the second half continues for Tosu. In the 38th minute, Higashi receives a foul and a FK is given from a position slightly to the right of Tosu's goal, 26-7m away. Ota takes the shot, which grazes the opposing DF but flies just barely over the bar, but the GK jumps and catches it.

Carefully stood up, but was caught in the rhythm from Tosu's counter and conceded the first goal from a set piece. Tokyo also tried to counterattack without panicking, but had few chances. They were unable to take advantage of them. They ended the first half with a one-point deficit.

It was a tough game, but we managed to secure our third consecutive win in the league with a comeback victory!

In the second half, Mita was replaced by Nakajima in the 51st minute. Nakajima stayed on as the left MF. In the 54th minute, Ota followed up on a ball dropped by Muto, and Nakajima boldly aimed for the goal with a ground shot from the left area, but it missed to the left.

Afterwards, in the 68th minute, Erik was substituted for Higashi. In the immediate 69th minute, Muto headed away Tokunaga's right cross. Nakajima chased after the ball that had escaped to the far side, and boldly aimed from the left area. Swinging his right foot, his sharp shot beautifully found the top right corner of the goal. Nakajima scored his first J1 goal, equalizing the score.

In the 74th minute, Muto was free to fill the ball that fell in the right area, but the GK who came out saved it. However, Maeda quickly reacted to this loose ball. He was knocked down by the GK as he ran into the area, and a PK was awarded. In the 75th minute, the PK kicker was Morishige. Morishige calmly kicked it into the upper right corner and scored a goal. They successfully turned the game around to 2-1.

78 minutes, Hasegawa was substituted for Maeda and changed the formation to a 2-top with Ishikawa and Muto. Despite being under pressure for a while, the second half saw a change in momentum with Ishikawa's appearance, giving the team a boost. Nakajima took a bold shot and scored his first J1 goal, equalizing the score. Then, Maeda earned a penalty kick. Morishige calmly converted it, leading to a successful comeback. In the final minutes, we were pushed back by Sagan's powerful counterattacks. Despite struggling to clear the ball and prevent a counter, we managed to hold on until the final whistle. With this comeback win, we have now won 3 consecutive league matches.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"I'm really happy with the goal. I was able to receive Muto's header in a good position. I saw the situation and there was space, so I was able to bring it into the center freely. I made a split-second decision that if I could get past the previous defense, I could take a shot."
I had confidence because it was a shape that I often decided in practice. However, after the reversal, I tried to move forward if there was a chance, but it didn't go well. The number itself is also small. Looking back now, I think there may have been more things I could have done...

《MoriShige》
"Tosu thoroughly sent the ball to the back and had players who ran in there firmly. In the first half, we were pushed back by that and struggled."
However, that style is not expected to last for 90 minutes. I expected the opponent's physical strength and momentum to decrease in the second half. I think it was good that we were able to fight as a team without panicking and were able to turn the game around. I was able to take the penalty kick calmly."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a game where we were able to achieve what we aimed for. Tosu is a good team, although they haven't been getting results recently. Their performance in the first half was fantastic, and we ended up being too passive, struggling to deal with set pieces and long balls. There were also some close chances for us in the first half, such as Maeda's shot and Ota's free kick, and it was a closely contested game. In the second half, I think our strategy of changing formations and making substitutions to prevent the opponent from targeting us worked well against a team that was building a strong defense. Nakajima's goal was amazing. Even after equalizing, our players had the determination to score a second goal. I think our performance gradually improved in the second half. Tosu was a tough opponent."

[Summary of Tosu Hitoshi Morishita's Press Conference]
"Today, many supporters came to the venue and created a wonderful atmosphere. The players played with all their might, but it was my responsibility that it did not result in a victory. I am sorry that I could not deliver a win. However, I also saw good signs as a team, so I want to carry it over to the next game."