Reborn Sendai

This will be the first match against Sendai since Shimizu became the new coach. Sendai, who has always been struggling in the lower ranks, had a reputation for their attacking power. With the addition of new coach Paulo Henrique (formerly of JEF) and two excellent foreign players, Maizumi (former Verdy) and Sung Yun GU (both MF), Sendai has undergone a transformation. In the past month and a half, they have earned 9 points out of a total of 18, with the two new players. The reinforcement of their squad has had a significant impact. In addition, with these reinforcements, Sendai has become a rare "multinational team" with three foreign players: MF Henrique from Brazil, midfielder Nixon from Colombia, and DF Dubaich from Yugoslavia, each representing a different nationality. Although they have won convincingly in the 1st and 2nd rounds, the "new Sendai" is not to be underestimated, and caution is necessary against their upgraded attacking power.

First half dominated by Sendai

On this day's match, which was the first match in about 4 months, Sendai faced Tokyo, who had almost their best lineup. Sendai had a difficult lineup due to the absence of key players such as FW Abe, MF Echigo, and Zaizen due to injuries. Substitute players Nixon, who was absent in the previous 2nd round, and new game maker Enrique joined the team, and they approached the match with a completely different team.

When the game started, Sendai took control of the ball first. New foreign player Henrique immediately showed his outstanding athleticism and ball control. Sendai's midfield press was strong, and defensive midfielder Nixon, with his unique persistent defense, stole the ball and passed it to the left side forward Enrique through the left-footed technician Chiba Yasushi. From there, Enrique became the focal point of the attack, either dribbling himself or creating opportunities with exquisite passes for his teammates.

On the other hand, Tokyo's Almir keeps the ball in the midfield and tries to distribute it to FW Amaral, but Sendai's press is strong and they struggle to find good timing for passes. Amaral fights alone to keep the ball and takes it to a shot with individual skills, but both left MF Okamoto and right MF Yukihiko tightly defend their sides, and when they can't smoothly circulate the ball in the high position (i.e. front line) in the midfield, they start relying on monotonous long balls aiming for Amaral's head from the defensive line. However, Amaral is closely marked by the 191cm Dubajic and is not easily allowed to win, and the ball is consistently bounced back.

The match progressed at Sendai's pace, dominating the midfield with intense pressing. In the 20th minute, Nixon, who stole the ball in the midfield, made a strong run and took a powerful shot after a forceful wall pass. The ball hit the right goalpost and did not result in a goal. In the 27th minute, a player who broke free was shot at without being marked after being shaken by a floating pass in front of the goal, but it was also saved by the crossbar. In the following 28th minute, Tokyo struggled to get the ball to the front line in the midfield, and Asari made an unnecessary loose back pass. When Sendai's player cut it off, Enrique seized the loose ball and made a dash. When GK Suzuki threw himself to stop it, Enrique fell and a penalty kick was given. Enrique confidently converted this penalty kick, and Sendai took the lead.

Tokyo, which fell behind by one point and faced a difficult situation, had a solid defense centered around Komine and Sandro. They did not collapse and after Koike replaced Asari, the ball possession in the midfield increased. As a result, the pace of the game gradually became Tokyo's.

Amaral explodes! Achieves first hat-trick of the season!

As the second half began, Tokyo, with superior stamina, started to shine. In the first half, Sendai showed intense pressing, but as the second half progressed, their energy visibly dropped. In particular, when Henrique, who had been active in the midfield, lost his stamina, Sendai's attacks became monotonous. Conversely, Tokyo saw Kaburaki, who came on in the second half, actively making runs behind the opposing defense, disrupting Sendai's defensive balance and increasing the opportunities for Amaral and Almir to become free. In the 58th minute, from a scramble in front of the goal, Almir delivered a superb loop pass behind the opposing defense. When Yukihiko sharply reacted and tried to break free, the opposing defender could not help but foul him. Yukihiko fell, earning a penalty kick. Amaral calmly converted this, leveling the score. Sendai, desperate to win at home, shifted to attack mode, disrupting their overall balance, which created space behind their defense, playing into Tokyo's hands. In the 60th minute, Shinjo stole the ball in midfield and connected it to Almir, who immediately passed it forward to Amaral, who was lined up with the Sendai defense. Amaral executed a superb trap to shake off the defender and charged towards the goal. He calmly scored before the goalkeeper could come out, turning the game around. Tokyo continued to press, with Almir creating chances with his versatile passing. In the 25th minute, he received a pass from Umeyama and ran deep into the right side, then delivered a direct heel pass to Amaral, who had made a run into the center. Although Amaral's shot went wide, it was a moment that created a scoring opportunity with artistic passing. Sendai's forward Segawa, who came on in the second half, tried to create chances on the right side using his speed, but Fujiyama showcased his strength in a one-on-one situation and shut him down. Conversely, Fujiyama stole the ball from there and created a chance with his attacking participation. In the 85th minute, Amaral intercepted an opponent's back pass and scored his third goal of the day, sealing the match.

Recently, Tokyo has been a slow starter and has been in a pinch in the first half. Starting from the next match against Oita (9/25, Komazawa), the final round of 9 matches will begin. Although Yukihiko Sato cannot play due to accumulated warnings, we hope to surpass the opponent with determination and emotions for victory and explode from the first half.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

・It was painful to concede a goal from our own mistake when the opponent had the momentum in the first half. In the second half, we were able to surpass the opponent in terms of physicality and play our own style of soccer, but it was still tough to score when the opponent's marking was tight in the first half. I think the key to today's victory was that we were able to equalize with a penalty kick in a good period of time in the second half, and when the opponent tried to score, we were able to exploit the space we had planned.

・From now on, we will continue to value each match as we have done before, but it will become more challenging with the inclusion of the Nabisco Cup. It is expected to be a total team effort, so we would like to try various combinations beyond the 16 members.