2nd stage begins. Sec. 1 away game!

The 2nd stage has begun, and in the 1st section, Sagan Tosu will face off against the away team.
Yokohama FM won the final match of the 1st stage with Hirayama's goal, finishing with a record of 6 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses, placing 9th.

The 2nd stage is coming without any break, but coach Shirofuku says, "Our main focus is to continue growing throughout the 34 games of the year, but we haven't been able to earn as many points as we wanted so far. We want to approach the future with a fresh mindset, taking this opportunity to reset as a big motivation."

Tokyo's first stage against Tosu was 15th with 17 points. The number of goals scored was only 10, the worst in the league, and it left an impression that they couldn't connect to points, but on the other hand, the number of goals conceded was 15, which is less than Tokyo, and they are truly proud of their solid defense. It is important to not give any openings to Tosu's attacking line, centered around FW Toyota and MF Kamata, throughout the 90 minutes.

Tokyo has had Muriqui and Nathan BURNS as their top two for three consecutive games, with Tokunaga returning to the starting lineup from the previous match against Yokohama FM.
It will be necessary to show patience, but in order to get 3 points, it will also be necessary to aggressively go after the ball and take risks in attacking. This will be a match where we want to show more growth as a team than in our previous match against Tosu and surpass them. Furthermore, at Away Best Amenity Stadium, we have won every time in the past 3 seasons.

Started at 19:04 with a kickoff by Tosu at the very humid (89%) Tosu Best Amenity Stadium.

First goal by Muriqui! Leading 1-0 at halftime.

A fast-paced game with constant changes in offense and defense from the beginning.
6 minutes: Cut the ball in the middle, Muriqui → Hashimoto connects, Hashimoto dribbles through the center. The ground shot is caught by GK Hayashi.
10 minutes: Barnes crosses from the right side with a ground pass. Muriqui runs into the center of the area and slots it into the right side of the goal, GOAL! Tokyo takes the lead.

23 minutes: Tosu gradually approaches the goal while passing the ball, but the Tokyo DF line firmly deals with the ball behind the DF line and does not allow a shot.
26 minutes: Tokyo has the ball and is attacking from the side, with Barnes making aggressive runs behind the defense.
28 minutes: Tokyo earned a free kick after Yonemoto was fouled about 20 meters from the goal. Kicker Morishige aimed directly but missed to the right of the goal.

35 minutes: Muriqui passes to Higashi, and Hasegawa attempts a right-footed shot from the edge of the area, but the ball goes over the frame.
46 minutes: Tosu MF Kin relentlessly targets the right side behind the Tokyo DF line, but the Tokyo DF line strongly repels it in front of the goal.
Tokyo took the lead with Muriqui's goal. Both teams came close to scoring, but no goals were born, and they went into halftime with a score of 1-0.

Lost in the second half with 2 additional time goals

The second half begins with Tokyo's kickoff.
54 minutes: Yonemoto, who received Kono's pass, turns around and shoots with his right foot, but misses the frame by a wide margin.
56 minutes: Tosu FK scene. Cross ball sent from the right side, MF Takahashi on the far side crosses it back. This is cleared by Maruyama and goes to Tosu's FK.
58 minutes: Left CK kicker is MF Toyama. The low trajectory cross ball is sucked into the goal net and allows a goal, making it 1-1 tie.

62 minutes: Tokyo attacks from the left side. Barnes supplies a ball in front of the goal with a ground cross. Kono scores with a direct shot, making it 2-1 and taking the lead again.
64 minutes: Takahashi is substituted for Higashi. Due to the player substitution, Takahashi moves to the center midfield and Hashimoto moves to the left side.
69 minutes: Tosu substitutes FW Toyama for FW Ikeda.

74 minutes: Tosu makes their second substitution. Early substitution of Hayasaka for Kamata.
75 minutes: Both teams compete for the floating ball, vying for control of the midfield.
79 minutes: Tosu makes their final substitution. Okamoto is brought on to replace Fukuda.

80 minutes: As Sagan Tosu intensifies their attack, they put pressure on the Tokyo DF line and aim to steal the ball.
83 minutes: Replaced Kono with Mizunuma.
87 minutes: Tokyo took the ball from the opposing DF. Mizunuma had a chance in front of the area, but GK Hayashi came out and blocked it with one hand, preventing a goal.
89 minutes: Nathan BURNS is replaced by HIRAYAMA!

The second half additional time is 4 minutes.
90 minutes + 4: Tosu, right side, MF Kin breaks through. FK Ikeda follows up with a ground cross from inside the area, equalizing the score.
90 minutes + 5: Tosu MF Kan's vertical pass to MF Takahashi Yoshi who breaks through and crosses to the center. FW Toyota heads the cross and scores... allowing an unexpected comeback.
Suffered a devastating comeback loss with 2 goals in stoppage time of the second half.

[Player Comments]
"Muriqui"
"It's a situation where I don't really understand what happened, as we were caught up and turned around when victory was right in front of us. In the first half, we were able to score while connecting the ball with our rhythm, and we were able to turn it around with a 1-0 lead. In the second half, the opponent came out and we were able to withstand their attacks... There's no point in complaining about what's already happened, and there are still more games to come, so we want to focus on our goal and avoid making mistakes."

"Nathan BURNS"
"We lost a game that we had to win. I think we made it difficult for ourselves in the last 5 minutes. Other than that, everyone fulfilled their roles and tactics for the team, but the last 5 minutes determined the result. However, the 2nd stage has just begun, so we need to switch our mindset and focus on the next game."

[Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference Summary]
"I am truly disappointed that we were unable to earn 3 points and that we made our fans and supporters who came from far away feel frustrated. There must be a reason for ending with 0 points. We must reflect as a team and individually accept our mistakes. As professionals, we are expected to produce results. While I take responsibility for the team's performance, the players must also take responsibility for their play and the outcome of the game. We must use this as a lesson and strive to improve as a team and move forward."

[Sagan Tosu - Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference Summary]
"When I look at only the last three minutes, it was a condensed game, but when I look at the way we fought for the previous 90 minutes, I was satisfied with the content. In that, we were able to achieve such a great result. In order to move on, I want to calmly analyze the good and bad parts of the 90 minutes. In terms of tactics, while fighting, I was telling the players where to change based on the situation, but when Hirayama came on, the chances of being targeted behind Tosu's defensive line decreased. So, we were able to push up all at once and enter the final attacking formation. We changed to 4-3-3 and then to 4-4-2, and the players understood it well. It was a game where we fought well against the wonderful Tokyo players I have coached for two years, and I could feel the greatness of the Tosu players even more deeply. I think today was a victory of the heart. They showed us the best way to get three points against Tokyo."