Seeking revenge in the league match and aiming for 3 points away

　In Sec. 4 of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league, we will face Vegalta Sendai away. In the previous match against Niigata, despite being forced to make changes to the lineup, fresh players showed their skills and achieved a dramatic victory. Coach Jofuku mentioned, "Of course, there are still issues to address, but with a common understanding as a team, individual ideas are emerging, and they are starting to mesh within the flow of the game." As a result, we are maintaining our position at the top of Group A. Although this match is also away, we aim for consecutive victories and want to increase our chances of advancing in the qualifying league. On the other hand, Sendai has played 2 matches so far and is in 5th place in the group with 2 points. Midfielder Yang will be absent due to activities with the North Korean national team, but since there was no game in Sec. 3, they should have been preparing with their sights set on today. In particular, while we need to take care of the fast and high-quality movements of midfielder Sekiguchi and forward Fernandinho, we also want to apply solid pressure on the midfield and defensive line, which are the sources of the ball. Moreover, in our league match, we couldn't break through Sendai's solid defense and ended in a scoreless draw. To avenge that, we want to break through their compact defense and score a goal. Tokyo will have a back-to-back match just three days after the last game, but Tokunaga and Ishikawa will return from this match. Hanyu will play as left midfielder, and Kim Yong-gun and Mukuhara, who have cleared their accumulated warnings, will be included in the lineup as left and right full-backs. Hanyu stated, "If we can score first, our style of play will come to life. We should be able to control the ball and advance the game in our favor," indicating that the first goal will be a key factor. To achieve this, we want to patiently circulate the ball in the midfield while increasing the number of chances to shoot. Regarding the Nabisco Cup, Ishikawa said, "Last year, as the lineup changed, players who seized their opportunities grew stronger and contributed to the team, giving us a sense of having a deeper player pool. This year, along with new members, we want to focus on winning while growing as a team and as individuals with each match." In the absence of national team players, we want to connect each player's proactive attitude to victory. The match started at exactly 19:00 with Sendai's kickoff at the Yurtec Stadium Sendai, where light rain was falling.

FC Tokyo

　In the 5th minute, a long ball from Sendai's DF Elizeu was dropped to the forward MF Sekiguchi, and he couldn't be stopped by MF Fernandinho's through pass, resulting in a goal. They allowed the first goal by being caught off guard early in the match due to a defensive marking error. After that, Tokyo struggled with sharp counters from Sendai due to passing mistakes and the excellent positioning of MF Fernandinho, but gradually began to control the ball and establish their own pace. In the 20th minute, Hirayama attempted a header from a left corner kick but missed the target. In the 27th minute, a quick goal kick from Hanyu to Ishikawa saw him sprinting up the right side, cutting in for a left-footed shot that was caught by the goalkeeper. Since Sendai's full-backs were positioned high, Hirayama made runs into the space behind them, launching attacks from the sides multiple times. In the 28th minute, Tokunaga switched the play from the left. Mukuara brought the ball in, and Hirayama took a touch before unleashing a powerful shot that went just wide to the right. Then in the 34th minute, Hirayama created a play on the right side, and Ishikawa dribbled deep into the right area. Although he couldn't shoot, Hirayama followed up with a decisive shot from a connection with Hanyu, but it went over the bar. In the 35th minute, a quick left throw-in from Hanyu found Hirayama in the area, who acted as a post, passing to the unmarked Shigematsu running in from behind, but he couldn't get a shot off. Towards the end of the first half, Tokyo pressed Sendai, with Ishikawa and Shigematsu both aiming for the goal in quick succession, but neither could find the net, and they went into halftime still trailing.

Unable to break the opponent's goal until the end... a frustrating loss

　In the second half, we brought in Ricardinho to launch a counterattack. In the 52nd and 54th minutes, Miku and Hanyu created chances from crosses. However, we couldn't get a shot off against Sendai's tough defense and were instead pushed back by their speedy counterattacks. Still, thanks to Gonda's great saves, we held our ground and didn't allow any additional goals. In the 63rd minute, Hirayama received a right cross from Miku in the area and quickly turned to take a decisive shot. However, it was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, and Ricardinho's follow-up was cleared. In the 64th minute, we substituted Ohtake for Hanyu, moving to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Tokunaga also pushing forward to aim for a goal. In the 67th minute, Ohtake brought the ball in from the right to the center and took a well-aimed shot at the goal, but it was also blocked by the goalkeeper. We created rhythm with a pass exchange between Kajiyama and Ohtake in the center, launching a wave of attacks. In the 73rd minute, Kajiyama broke through with a one-two with Ricardinho and took a shot, but it went over the bar. Then, in the 77th minute, after a connection from Ishikawa to Ricardinho, Kajiyama, who advanced from the center, took a well-aimed shot from mid-range, but it went over the bar as well. As Tokyo pushed forward, Sendai, who had the lead, solidified their defense and aimed for counterattacks. In the closing stages, there was a fierce exchange of counterattacks, but even when Tokyo brought the ball close to the area, they couldn't break through Sendai's well-organized defense. Although we didn't allow Sendai to score additional goals, we lost without scoring, suffering our first defeat in the Nabisco Cup group stage. 【Player Comments】《Ishikawa》 "Individually, we were trying hard, but we couldn't fight as a team. It's not that our motivation was low or that we lacked a fighting spirit. However, I think we just didn't mesh well as a whole. (Having returned from absence in the previous match) I had been able to train well, and I was motivated after watching the Niigata match from the stands. I wanted to avoid overthinking and getting stuck in my head, but I couldn't express that feeling well in my play... If we let the opponent score early, they will solidify the center, and if we take too long to attack, we lose space. I felt that we needed to have targeted attacks as a team, not just individually. Once we allowed the lead, it tends to become the opponent's pace. I think it was necessary to calmly fight according to our plan once again. We communicated on the pitch, but I felt we should have consolidated our efforts in one direction. Of course, we weren't disjointed, but everyone needs to fight in the same direction, and I think Sendai was more thorough as a team. I feel that difference showed in the result. However, there are still two matches left in the group stage. I want to turn what I felt today into personal strength." 《Morishige》 "The goals we conceded were due to overlapping mistakes. It was a combination of Kenta not being able to move forward and my positioning. When mistakes pile up, we get caught in those situations. The first 15 minutes were chaotic, and the DF line was disjointed. It was the same for me and Hidetoshi as center-backs, but the distance and balance of the DF line were poor. During the opponent's side attacks, both Hidetoshi and I were on the same side... That's how we conceded goals, but I think we were able to make some corrections after that time. Of course, we should have noticed and handled it properly before that. (There were many instances of discussion during the match?) We communicated about marking and made adjustments as a four-man DF line. I think that part wasn't bad. After that, I felt we needed a bit more creativity to create good finishing opportunities in our attacks. I want to take shots in good situations, not desperate ones." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "I have the impression that we lost as we were meant to lose today. I truly apologize to those who came to support us on a weekday night away. I don't think we were able to show a united front as a team towards a single goal. If there are plays going in different directions, we can't win. I was made painfully aware of that today, and we could only show that kind of team. I personally reflect strongly on this. (What do you mean by plays going in different directions?) I don't want to specify. However, at least today, I don't think the team was united. I am the one who created such a team." 【Sendai Coach Teguramori's Press Conference Summary】 "First of all, we were able to taste the joy of victory for the first time in seven matches, and the players are relieved. This tournament is one aimed at reaching higher levels, and (the goal is) of course to advance to the knockout stage. We also talked about trying to address the issues we found in the 12 league matches and to fight hard in this tournament to enhance our team strength. Facing the defending champions FC Tokyo, we wanted to try what we have been working on. That included short counterattacks from our own defense and finishing with increased speed during counterattacks. We have been trying that since the match against Urawa. We were able to score the first goal in that manner, so it was as we aimed. However, we still have shortcomings in not being able to score a second goal, and I discussed this with the players. I think the remaining three matches will continue to be tough and challenging games like today, but I want to build confidence by achieving results through the way we fought today. First of all, I am glad we won."