Yoshiro ABE makes his first start of the season, aiming for consecutive victories by utilizing the players' strengths!

　After a two-week interval from the previous match, Sec. 27 will welcome Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home. With a victory in the previous match against Omiya, we have had 2 wins and 2 draws in the last 4 matches without a loss. We have extended our points to 31 and climbed to 11th place in the standings. In particular, our defense has maintained a good form with 4 consecutive matches without conceding a goal. The point difference with the 17th place, which is in the relegation zone of J2, is 6. There is only a 3-point difference with the 15th and 16th places, so we cannot let our guard down for a moment as we continue to face challenging games. We aim to earn 3 points with persistent fighting.

　This round, Toda is suspended. In addition, Doi and Shigemori participated in the Eastern European expedition as members of the Japanese national team and returned on the 13th (Thu). There are concerns about their condition for the match with only one day of rest, but they showed a reliable attitude, saying, "Both of them were preparing to play in today's match as a matter of course (Manager Hara)." On the other hand, Kaji felt discomfort in both legs and decided to rest for caution. The starting lineup consists of Lucas and Yoshiro Abe as the two top players in a 4-4-2 formation. In the right full-back position, Imano is appointed, and in the midfield, Kajiyama plays as a lone defensive midfielder, Kurizawa as the right midfielder, Baba in the center, and Miyazawa as the left midfielder, forming a diamond-shaped formation. Kanazawa, who has recovered from injury, was on the bench for the first time in seven matches.

　Hiroshima is currently in 8th place with 39 points. However, in the last 4 matches, they have 1 win and 3 losses, so they are not in good form. Nevertheless, they have the fewest goals conceded in the league with 27, and forwards Sato and Maeda have been performing well, scoring in every match. "We need to have speedy players in the front line and deliver the ball to them simply. If we can make the opposition spend time and involve our fullbacks in the attack, we can somewhat contain their attacking plays. So, we need to be cautious of long balls into the front line and try to restrict the freedom of our forwards as much as possible," said Manager Hara, expressing his concerns. They aim to achieve consecutive victories by quickly transitioning between offense and defense and playing an attacking style of soccer with a fast tempo. The match started at 15:04 with Hiroshima's kickoff at the Ajinomoto Stadium, which was covered by cloudy skies and the autumn sun.

Abe Starts As TOKYO Aim For Consecutive Wins 

After a two-week break Sanfrecce Hiroshima visited Ajinomoto Stadium for the 27th game of the season. TOKYO were enjoying a revival in their fortunes: two wins, two draws and four clean sheets in their last four matches. Their 31 points were good enough for 11th place in the league but this was still only 3 points off 16th place. The side wasn't out of the woods yet.
Toda was suspended. Moniwa and Doi had only one day's training with the team following their return from the Japan national team tour of Eastern Europe but manager Hara insisted they were both ready to play. Kaji was rested to allow lingering injuries to heal. Abe made his first start of the season and was paired with Lucas in a 4-4-2 formation. Konno appeared at right back, Kajiyama as defensive midfielder, Kurisawa on the right of midfield, Miyazawa on the left and Baba in the centre in a diamond formation. Kanazawa returned to the bench after missing 7 games with injury.
Sanfrecce lay in 8th place with 39 points but were enduring a mini-slump: they had lost three of four and the much-vaunted defence was leaking goals. They still had the fewest goals conceded though, at 27. In-form strikers Sato and Maeda were racking up the goals. "The forwards have great pace," commented TOKYO manager Hara, "We can't allow them any time on the ball". Sanfrecce kicked off shortly after 3pm on a pleasant autumn afternoon.

Without conceding any goals with solid defense

　It was a cautious start with solid defense. In the 5th minute, Baba took the first shot of the day with a middle shot. In the 9th minute, Hiroshima dropped a right cross from FW Maeda and FW Sato shot from outside the area, but it went over the bar. In the 12th minute, Yoshiro ABE, who showed active movement, actively aimed for a shot from the middle, but it also went over the bar. There were no decisive scenes to break the opponent, and the game continued with a back and forth.

　Among them, in the 16th minute, a pass from Miyazawa to Lucas, who had run in from the left side after a pass exchange. Lucas forcefully entered the area while competing with the opponent's defender. He took a shot, but the ball was blocked by the right post and Baba, who followed up, couldn't reach it. Hiroshima's defense escaped with a corner kick, missing the chance to take the lead. Tokyo created space on the left side by having Miyazawa defend in the center, allowing Hiroshima's right back, Komano, to advance. There were scenes where they lost control of the ball and had their corner kicks taken away, but in the end, they defended safely without any danger.

　On the other hand, there were hardly any decisive scenes in the attack. In the 24th minute, Fujiyama dribbled up and took a long-range shot, but it went over the bar. In the 35th and 37th minutes, Imano sent in an early cross, but it didn't lead to a chance. In the 42nd minute, Hiroshima FW Maeda and Sato exchanged passes in the right area. Both of them got into shooting positions, but the Tokyo DF marked them tightly and didn't let them shoot. As a result, the first half ended in a 0-0 draw. They put their efforts into the second half.

Defence Dominates 

Both sides began cautiously. Baba registered the first shot in the 5th minute and Sanfrecce had to wait until the 9th minute, when Sato fired Oki's knockdown over the bar from outside the area, for their first attempt. Abe, industrious as ever, fired over in the 12th minute. The game ebbed and flowed with neither side able to impose themselves.
The first big chance fell to Lucas in the 16th minute. A sublime short passing move involving Miyazawa opened up the Sanfrecce defense allowing Lucas to hold off a defender and clip the ball past the advancing Shimoda. The ball hit the inside of the far post and rebounded across the face of goal, just evading Baba's lunge. A defender hacked the ball away for a corner. Miyazawa was providing defensive cover in midfield, TOKYO were finding space down the right and penning left back Komano in his own half.
Chances were few and far between. Fujiyama blazed over the bar in the 24th minute while Konno curled a couple of early crosses into the 'zone of uncertainty'. As the first half drew to a close Sanfrecce threatened but the TOKYO defense closed down Sato and Maeda so quickly neither were able to shoot. The period ended 0-0.

Despite allowing two early goals, FC Tokyo manages to secure a draw with goals from Yoshiro ABE and BABA

　The second half turned into an intense match. In the 46th minute, after the start, Baba → Lucas' through pass was intercepted by the opponent's defender, resulting in a left corner kick. From Baba's kick, Imakawa volleyed the ball but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 52nd minute, Miyazawa played a lofted pass into the penalty area. Abe Yoshi trapped the ball and broke free in front of the goal to take a shot, but it was blocked by the quick-footed opponent goalkeeper. However, just as Tokyo started to find their rhythm, in the 55th minute, Hiroshima connected a pass from the right to forward Sato, and midfielder Morisaki dribbled up to the front of the goal. Tokyo's defenders were drawn towards him, and in the end, forward Maeda, who had moved inside from the right with one touch, scored a goal.

　Tokyo substituted Suzuki Nori for Kurisawa in the 56th minute on the left side. Abe Yoshiro moved to the right side and set up a formation to capture the flow from the side attack. In the 66th minute, Kanazawa was substituted for Miyazawa, Fujiyama moved to the right, and Imano moved up to the defensive midfield. In the 71st minute, Kajiyama picked up a loose ball and pretended to take a middle shot, passing it to Abe Yoshiro who was free on the right side. He cut inside and prepared to shoot, but was blocked by the defender. Immediately after, Sasa was substituted for the visibly tired Lucas, returning to a formation with two forwards. With this substitution, they grasped the rhythm and repeated aggressive attacks.

　In the 73rd minute, Yoshiro ABE received Kajiyama's right cross and took a volley shot, winning a corner kick. Connecting this corner kick, Imakawa advanced to the area with Sasa's ball control and took a shot, hitting the right post. However, in the 76th minute, Sasa contested Fujiyama's long ball with a header, and Yoshiro ABE, who ran in at the moment of descent, floated the ball, trapping it while rotating, and took a volley shot with his left foot! A stunning Super Goal pierced the net, equalizing the score.

　The game will become more intense from here. However, in the fast exchange of offense and defense, Hiroshima gives a corner kick in the 82nd minute. The clear ball from the left corner kick hits a teammate and falls in front of MF Morisaki near the end line, and from here, a cross is made to FW Sato and he scores... It was a late goal conceded, but we didn't give up here. Immediately after the kickoff, Noriyuki Suzuki breaks through the left side. He skillfully combines with Baba in front of the goal with a ground cross and scores! We equalize again.

　With momentum, they continued to launch fierce attacks, but in the 40th minute, Sasa was brought down in front of the goal, and his direct free kick attempt was saved by the goalkeeper. In stoppage time, Sasa turned and shot from a Kanazawa through pass, but the goalkeeper caught it. Although they couldn't score an additional goal, they managed to bring the intense match to a draw and earned 1 point.

　【Player Comments】《Yoshiro ABE》"It's good that we didn't lose because it was a home game, but I wanted to win. (Regarding the goal), we were in a situation where we were one point behind, but I believed that Sasa SALCEDO would drop the ball for me and I ran to the back. I did it in the same way as I practiced, and the ball came as I intended, so all I had to do was react. I was conscious of trapping the ball towards the goal. I think there are still chances for us to go higher. I want to play with all my strength in every game and score goals in all the remaining matches."《PEREIRA》"I thought that if we could endure the first half, Hiroshima's legs would definitely stop in the second half. I think that being able to go into the second half with a 0-0 score without getting frustrated led to good plays in the second half. I thought that the second half would drag on and our space would definitely open up. So I went to create chances myself."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We decided to use Doi and Shimonia based on their condition from yesterday's practice. Kaji experienced discomfort not only in his right ankle but also in his left foot, so today we used Konno as the right side back. I think Konno himself had some anxiety, but I wanted to utilize his strength. Considering that Doi and Shimonia are not at 100 percent, I wanted to use Fujiyama in his familiar left position in the DF line. In the midfield, we included players like Baba, Miyazawa, Kajiyama, and Kurizawa, who can connect the ball, and aimed to effectively use Yoshiro ABE. Hiroshima has few goals conceded and has a solid style of play. Their defense is strong, so it becomes difficult if we fall behind. DF Komano also returned from the national team but was running well. In the first half, we connected the ball, but it was slow to send it forward. I considered the second half to be crucial and instructed at halftime, 'Let's get the ball to ABE and Lucas a bit faster, and send it forward.' If that didn't work, I planned to bring in Norio SUZUKI on the side and have him run behind the opposing DF Komano, but we conceded a goal just then. I thought it would become a battle for possession in the midfield after falling behind, so I changed Konno to a defensive midfielder. I moved Fujiyama to the right and aimed to break down the left side with Kanazawa and Norio SUZUKI to deliver crosses. I was timing the introduction of Sasa, but in Sasa's case, it’s better to use him simply, as in today’s scoring scene, rather than connecting the ball intricately. In that case, I thought ABE would be able to run behind Sasa better than Lucas, so I kept ABE on the field. We fell behind, but since we equalized in a good way, I wanted an additional goal, but we conceded in an unfortunate manner from a corner kick. However, without getting discouraged, a wonderful goal from Baba was scored right after the kickoff. I wanted to win, but I think it was very good that we kept pushing for goals until the end without giving up. I wonder if we could have won if the decisive scenes, like Lucas's shot in the first half and Konno's shot in the second half, had resulted in goals... but I want to evaluate the fact that we equalized while trailing and carry that into the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Ono's Press Conference] "In the first half, it felt like both teams were trying to outdo each other, a test of patience. After the balance was broken, both teams attacked. We took the lead twice, but were equalized both times, ultimately resulting in a draw. Of course, there is frustration in not being able to secure 3 points, but more than that, I believe the players fought well until the very end. With both teams giving their all, I think we can proudly look up with the single point earned. There were times when the flow became difficult, but the supporters who gathered encouraged and motivated us, allowing the players to fight until the very end. Given the intensity of the match, the desire to win was strong, but I want to grow step by step. (Was the first half better in utilizing the sides?) In the first half, FC Tokyo had a diamond shape with Miyazawa moving to the left, but he was in the holding midfielder position. On the right side, Kurizawa was present, and when the ball was moved to that side, there was intense pressure, so we tried to draw (Hiroshima) to the left side and attack from the right. I intended to continue attacking that way, but FC Tokyo made adjustments, so in the second half, we were able to spread wide and create pathways for the ball to the top. Ultimately, I think we created better chances by drawing the opposing defenders out rather than having the outside players cross the ball. In that sense, we played better in the second half than in the first."

Thrilling Fightback Earns Draw

The rather uneventful first half gave no indication of what was to come. TOKYO began the second period on the attack, earning a corner after Baba's neat through ball bisected the Sanfrecce defence. Miyazawa struck the corner long to Konno but Shimoda cleanly held his first time volley. In the 52nd minute, Miyazawa floated a pass over the Sanfrecce backline and into the path of Abe. Abe trapped the ball and shot just as Shimoda bravely flung himself at his feet to make a fine save. TOKYO seemed more focused than in the first period but disaster struck in the 55th minute as Maeda fired past Doi from the edge of the area following a determined dribble by Morisaki. TOKYO replaced Kurisawa with Suzuki on the left wing. Abe roamed on the right side and TOKYO attempted to use their pace to get behind the Sanfrecce defence. Kanazawa replaced Miyazawa in the 66th minute, Fujiyama moved to the right and Konno shifted into a defensive midfield position. In the 71st minute, Kajiyama elected to shoot when Abe was completely unmarked on the right. Sasa Salcedo came on for the tiring Lucas as TOKYO reverted to 4-4-2. The changes revitalised the side which began to attack with increased urgency.
In the 73rd minute, Abe smacked a volley against a defender and won a corner. Sasa held the ball up after the Sanfrecce defence cleared the corner and played it into the path of Konno whose low shot struck the post. Fujiyama played a long ball up to Sasa in the 77th minute; Sasa outjumped a defender and flicked the ball on towards Abe, on the edge of the area. Abe displayed wondrous control to trap the ball on his chest, turn through 180 degrees as it fell and thunder a volley past the stunned keeper for a truly memorable goal. A piece of breathtaking skill had tied the score.
The game became fast and furious but it was the visitors who retook the lead in the 82nd minute. Sanfrecce won a corner and an attempted clearance struck a TOKYO defender, the ball ballooning back to Morisaki almost on the byline. Morisaki crossed and Sato prodded the ball past Doi from close range. TOKYO refused to admit defeat and were back on level terms a minute later without a single Sanfrecce player touching the ball. Straight from the restart, TOKYO moved the ball out to Suzuki on the left. Suzuki skated past a defender and hit a low cross that Baba flicked through a ruck of players to restore parity.
TOKYO had a chance to win the game in the 85th minute when Sasa was upended just outside the area. Sasa took the free kick himself and pierced the wall but Sato, the Sanfrecce keeper, made a fine low save to his right. Sato again denied Sasa in injury time and a very hard-fought game finished 2-2.


Players' comments
Abe:
"We were determined to win as it was a home game. ( For his goal ) We were behind but I was sure Sasa would win his header so I ran into the space where I expected the ball to go. That move was something we've practiced in training; I trapped the ball with my chest, swivelled and hit it first time. It went very smoothly. We still have a good chance to move up the table and I'm hoping to score in all our remaining games".

Baba:
"We felt Sanfrecce would run out of steam in the second half. I tried hard not to get frustrated with my own play and just create some chances".


TOKYO manager Hara:
"I had a look at Doi and Moniwa in training and felt they were both fit to play. Kaji wasn't though; he has trouble with both feet so we put Konno in at right back. He probably has some doubts himself about playing in that position but we wanted to make use of his ability. Doi and Moniwa obviously weren't 100% so we selected Fujiyama on the left as they are used to playing with him. The midfield of Baba, Miyazawa, Kajiyama and Kurisawa are all skillful passers and we were hoping to use Abe to the best effect. Sanfrecce have a strong defence so we needed to be very accurate today. Komano had just returned from national team duty but he ran very hard all afternoon. We passed the ball around well in the first half but were slow in getting it forward. We tried to fix that in the second half but it wasn't really happening so we sent on Suzuki to run at Komano and try to get behind him. Then they scored, unfortunately. We really needed to regain possession as much as possible so we moved Konno into the midfield and asked our left side of Kanazawa and Suzuki to get forward and supply the crosses. We felt Sasa would combine better with Abe today and so we took Lucas off. We scored an excellent equaliser and were thinking about another goal when an unlucky ricochet at a corner allowed Sanfrecce to score again. The players fought back immediately and Baba finished off a superb move nicely for the second goal. Of course we wanted to win today and were unfortunate to hit the post twice. Still, the players never gave up and battled to the final whistle. We hope to take that spirit into the next game".

Sanfrecce manager Ono:
"Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half and it was a case of just being patient. The balance changed when both sides began to attack. We were ahead twice and were pulled back twice; of course we wanted to win and feel somewhat disappointed but the players fought to the very end. Both teams gave everything and only got a single point for their effort. We'd like to thank our fans who turned up and gave the team such great support today. We feel we are making steady progress as a team. We didn't get much joy attacking down the right in the first half and concentrated on the left side. The second half was much better though as we were able to use the wide positions and find space to cross the ball".