I want to seize the opportunity to play against Sendai for the first time since 2003 in J1 and start to rise.

　In Sec. 10 of the league, we will face Vegalta Sendai at home. In the previous match, we managed to push Hiroshima back but only scored one goal from a set play, resulting in a loss. We have gone five league matches without a win, and this match is crucial for us to secure three points and find a way to rise. Regarding the matches so far, Coach Jofuku stated, "There is always a reason for a loss, and we are firmly acknowledging the causes of our defeats," and emphasized during practice the importance of confirming whether we can make movements that exploit gaps in front of the goal or maintain solid defense without showing weaknesses in our own half. This reflects our determination to enhance the precision and quality of our soccer. On the other hand, Sendai currently sits in 8th place with 11 points. This will be our first encounter in J1 since 2003, but last year in the Emperor's Cup, we faced a tough opponent with their dynamic style of play. Coach Jofuku remarked, "Sendai confidently promoted to J1 without changing their style of play, reinforcing their squad with points and achieving results. The players' awareness and confidence have increased, providing stability as a team." Notably, out of their total of 11 goals so far, 7 have come from set plays, requiring caution against the precise kicks of MF Yang and the height of FW Nakahara. Sendai is known for their speedy counterattacks, so we must avoid giving them opportunities through careless fouls. Looking at our attack, we have been able to create chances starting from the sides. We aim to maintain our aggressiveness, crowd the goal area, and break through to achieve victory. Tokyo will start with Tokunaga as the right side back. The midfield will consist of Kajiwara and Hanyu, with Suzuki playing as the left MF. Sendai will be without DF Elizeu, who has been a full participant in the league so far due to injury, and will approach the match with MF Nagai making his first start of the season as a holding midfielder. It was a clear and sunny Children's Day at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started at 14:04 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Although missing the first big chance, they maintained control throughout and launched attacks

　From the start, they took control and created chances from the sides. In the 2nd minute, they regained possession in their own half, and Kajiyama moved into the opponent's territory. Ricardinho, via Suzuki, received a cross from Ishikawa after Hanyu's switch, but Suzuki couldn't connect in the center. In the 6th minute, they had a big chance to take the lead. Ishikawa received a vertical pass from Tokunaga and sent a quick cross directly, which Ricardinho let go while being marked in the center, allowing Hirayama to shoot freely at the far post. However, he missed the target and squandered the opportunity. Nevertheless, they applied intense pressure on Sendai to regain the ball and attacked through Hanyu's switches and Kajiyama's plays. In the 11th minute, Morishige intercepted in his own half and made a powerful advance, passing left. Ricardinho received the ball, brought it inside, and shot, but the goalkeeper made a save. In the 17th minute, Hirayama dropped Tokunaga's cross with his foot, sending it to Ishikawa positioned in the center, but he was blocked by the opposing DF just before shooting. In the 19th minute, from a loose ball after Sendai's right cross, left-back Park shot. This became Sendai's first shot of the day, but Gonda saved it, resulting in a corner kick. The right corner taken by Sendai's MF Yang was cleared without any trouble. As Sendai's DF began to retreat, Ricardinho took a bold mid-range shot in the 22nd minute, and Morishige followed suit in the 29th minute. However, they lacked precision in the final moments... In the 40th minute, Kajiyama passed to Hirayama, who received the ball with his back to the goal in the right area, turned, and shot, but it lacked power and went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 45th minute, Hirayama passed to Kajiyama, who advanced into a high position in the right area. He sent a last pass to the center, but it was defended, ending the first half at 0-0.

They launched a fierce attack from the side, but it ended scoreless, resulting in their sixth winless match...

　Immediately after entering the second half, in the 50th minute, Kajiyama was surrounded by opponents near his own area, and the ball was taken away by FW Nakajima from the chase of Sendai MF Sekiguchi. From here, Sendai FW Nakahara reacted to the Tokyo DF's loose ball and took a decisive shot, but was saved by the post, avoiding a crisis. However, this was the only moment that allowed Sendai to create a chance. In the second half, Tokyo continued to connect passes and attack. In the 54th minute, from a left throw-in, Morishige passed to Ricardinho in the area, who then passed to Kajiyama who moved forward. Kajiyama brought the ball into the area but could not take a shot. In the 59th minute, from a post play between Tokunaga and Hirayama, Kajiyama connected to Suzuki, aiming for a left area shot, but it was caught by the GK. In the 61st minute, Matsushita was brought in for Ricardinho on the left MF, and Suzuki moved to FW. However, just after that, in the 66th minute, Ishikawa sprinted down the right side, and Matsushita at the far post made a short cross back inside, trying to send a last pass to Hirayama, but it was caught by the GK first... Then, in the 68th minute, Nakamura was brought in for Kajiyama as the right side back, and Tokunaga moved to the holding midfielder position. In the 73rd minute, Akamine came in for Suzuki. Nagatomo was moved up a line to go for a goal. In the 75th minute, Nakamura attacked down the right side, and Hirayama dropped the ball in the center of the area, where Ishikawa used his speed to run in. He created a decisive opportunity, but Ishikawa's shot was saved by the GK... In the 85th minute, Nagatomo broke through while being marked by two opposing defenders. He brought the ball into the left area and made a negative last pass. Ishikawa, who matched it, took a decisive shot with his left foot, but... it went far off target. Including stoppage time, they launched a fierce attack centered on crosses, but could not break through the solid Sendai defense. They managed to suppress Sendai's counters and set pieces, which they had been wary of, but despite taking 15 shots, more than three times that of Sendai, they ended the match scoreless at home, remaining winless in six league matches. 【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》 "(Playing as a right side back) I was able to play without discomfort. However, I had the desire to assist in scoring and to score myself, but I feel nothing but regret that I couldn't do that. In defense, we were able to suppress the opponent's counters. If we don't score, the team inevitably becomes tense and lacks composure. I want to break this situation, but we can only keep shooting until we score. I think we have to keep going until we can score." 《Ishikawa》 "The chance in the first 6 minutes, and my own chance. Missing those was everything. We were able to carry the ball up to a high position and keep it while speeding up. I was thinking of making chances from the side in the first half, but I thought the opponent would mark me easily as they pulled back, so I intentionally moved inside to get into a position to shoot. I think we gradually started to play well together from there... In the next match against Yamagata, we will score and win. That's all I'm thinking about." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "Despite the poor results, I am grateful that many fans came to support us. I perceive the booing after the match as directed at me. The players are doing well with what they can do now, and we can only work together to improve. If we can't score with 15 shots compared to Sendai's 4, we can't make any excuses. (In the last match, Hirayama was substituted early, but today he also couldn't convert a decisive chance in the early first half?) The players are fighting desperately. In the last match, I substituted a player who was fighting desperately for the first time at 28 minutes into the first half, and I think he was substituted for the first time while fighting desperately. I always have respect for players who are fighting desperately, and there was an intention behind the substitution in the last match, not just a phenomenon." 【Sendai Coach Teguramori's Press Conference Summary】 "We faced each other today without either of us being blessed with wins. However, from a psychological standpoint, we are challengers in J1 this year, while for FC Tokyo, this was a match they absolutely had to win. While taking advantage of their psychological state, we aimed to prolong the time at 0-0 as much as possible and proceeded with a game plan to win by scoring one goal. Even with that plan, I think we were able to create possession and decisive chances without becoming overly defensive. We drew in the last match and have only accumulated one point each, but we are definitely not stagnant. The team is improving and is close to being able to take 3 points. We have two remaining matches before the World Cup break, and since we can play at home, we want to work hard to earn 6 points. Regarding today's 1 point, there is a part that feels regrettable, but the players fought well and gave their all until the end. I am satisfied with the game content.