Seeking revenge for the first half and aiming for the first six consecutive victories

　Sec. 19 of the league will be held, facing Sanfrecce Hiroshima at home. They achieved a league 5-game winning streak by winning the previous match against Omiya. This match is crucial for achieving the team's first 6-game winning streak. While that record is important, they cannot afford to lose to the same opponent twice as they were defeated away by Hiroshima. In order to seek revenge from the first half of the season, they aim to secure 3 points at home in this match.

　Hiroshima, who is currently in 6th place, will face Tokyo with a 5-point difference. This match will be a turning point for Hiroshima, as they will either be able to keep up with the top teams or fall further behind. Both Tokyo and Hiroshima are focused on breaking down their opponents with passing plays and aiming for a similar style. Coach Jofuku says, "Hiroshima is a team that can possess the ball in tight areas, play wide, and launch counter-attacks." Ishikawa also humbly acknowledges that there are things to learn from Hiroshima and emphasizes the need for caution.

　Both teams are known for their attacking style of soccer, and in past matches, there have been many high-scoring games. The match between Ishikawa, who is currently ranked high in the top scorer rankings, and Hiroshima FW Sato is also attracting attention. However, Coach Jofuku said, "Just because we are currently on a winning streak doesn't mean we can easily surpass our opponents. It won't be easy, and this match is expected to be a close battle. In that battle, I want to show the results of what we have built up and aim for victory with our feet on the ground."

　Hiroshima replaced suspended DF Makino and MF Miki with Morita in the defense and Li in the midfield. They started with Sato as the lone striker and Kashiwagi and Takayanagi as the two shadow midfielders in a 3-6-1 formation. Tokyo will face the match with the same starting lineup for the 7th consecutive game since the 14th round against Kashiwa. The match started at 18:03 with Tokyo's kickoff on a sunny Ajinomoto Stadium in the midst of summer.

Unable to take advantage of the chances, the first half ends scoreless

　From the first half, both teams tried to play their own soccer. In the 2nd minute of the start, Yonehara from Tokyo sent a direct pass to the right area with a floating ball, which was received by Nakao in the center. Ishikawa jumped out here, but collided with the opponent GK who came out to clear the ball, and couldn't take a shot. In the 6th minute, they quickly moved the ball forward and approached Hiroshima's goal from Tokunaga's right cross. Then Ishikawa took a powerful drive shot, and the ball that fell headed towards the goal, but Hiroshima's GK made a great save and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 10th minute, Bruno QUADROS showed an impressive attacking play from an interception in his own half, and together with Kabore, they tried to launch a quick counterattack, but Hiroshima quickly returned and they couldn't create a chance.

　16 minutes, Nagatomo connected with Tokunaga's cross and passed it to Hirayama, who then shot but missed the target. In the 17th minute, Kajiyama received a horizontal pass from Ishikawa and took a controlled shot from around the penalty circle, but the goalkeeper caught it. Tokyo frequently created opportunities for Tokunaga and Nagatomo to advance and bring the ball into the area, but they were unable to break through Hiroshima's solid defense. Hiroshima also launched quick counterattacks, and in the 24th minute, FW Sato cut in from the right side and crossed the ball back. In the 26th minute, Hiroshima's DF Morita overlapped on the left side and sent a cross, but both times Bruno QUADROS and Makoto IMANO calmly cleared the ball.

　In the 31st minute, Bruno QUADROS headed the ball from Ishikawa's right corner kick. In the 36th minute, Hiroshima aimed directly at the goal from a free kick in front of the goal, but DF Stoyanov saved it with one bounce and escaped to a corner kick. In the back and forth development, in the 39th minute, a pass from Hirayama to Ishikawa who broke through the right area created a great chance, but it was offside... Then, Nagatomo dropped a vertical pass to Kajiyama, and Bruno QUADROS boldly took a shot and earned a corner kick. From this corner kick, Hirayama headed the ball but couldn't score. The first half ended with no goals.

Unable to break through the defensive line despite dominating the ball, resulting in a draw

　In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball. In the 51st minute, Hiroshima quickly restarted and substitute MF Takahagi sent a cross, but Kanda caught it. From here, Tokyo launched a counterattack, with Ishikawa dribbling powerfully between two defenders on the right side and entering the right area. He took a shot, but it hit a defender and was caught by the goalkeeper. In the 56th minute, Cabore → Nagatomo ran a long distance and Ishikawa volleyed from a cross lifted from the left front line, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

　Hiroshima also sends a long ball to the top forward Sato, trying to pick up the second ball and launch an attack, but the Tokyo defense calmly defends and starts an attack by connecting passes. Hiroshima gradually drops their defensive line and strengthens their defense. Tokyo completely dominates the ball and the game mostly takes place in Hiroshima's half. However, in the 65th minute, Kajiyama's shot from a right corner kick clearance is blocked by Hiroshima's defense. The ball falls into the penalty area, causing a scramble between Hirayama, Cabore, and the opposing defenders, but it results in a foul in front of the goal, giving the ball to Hiroshima. In the 69th minute, Hiroshima's counter-attack clearance is intercepted by Hiroshima midfielder Kashiwagi, who takes it behind the defense line and takes a shot, but Gonda makes the save.

　After successfully defending against Hiroshima's counterattack, in the 77th minute, a chance was created from Tokunaga's cross, and Hirayama came close but couldn't make contact... Afterwards, Tanabe, Akamine, and Suzuki were substituted in, trying to find a breakthrough, but lacked the finishing touch. In the end, despite attacking throughout the match, they couldn't break through Hiroshima's deep defense until the end. It ended in a draw with no goals scored, the first time since the 11th round match against Kyoto on May 9th, and the league's 6-game winning streak could not be achieved.

　[Player Comments] {Hirayama} "I'm really disappointed. We were able to execute our attacks as planned to some extent, such as creating chances from crosses, but we couldn't finish in the end. I knew that Hiroshima would sit back. It would have been better if we could have created a shape to break them down by using crosses and committing more players to the sides... However, we were able to build up from the back. There is always at least one chance in 90 minutes, so I want to become a player who can take those chances." {Konno} "Even when they sat back, we made some clever moves to exploit the opponent's gaps, such as inserting vertical passes and taking shots from distance. It was as we intended, but I think we lacked precision in our finishing. Of course, it's frustrating, but we can only keep going. We are not concerned about the gap with the top teams; we are focused on accumulating points ourselves without being dragged down. We have the awareness that we need to do what we should do to win, and that this is our true ability. That's why I want to make sure we win next time."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "Having lost in the match of Sec. 10, the players fought with the desire to definitely move on to the next stage as a team, feeling that we cannot stop our progress. However, to be honest about the result, I feel like we lost 2 points. The players share that sentiment, and it is very frustrating. I believe that continuing to have matches that make us think, 'I want to face them again,' is what will help us rise in the rankings and achieve results. It is not possible to keep picking up 3 points with just 1 or 2 shots in a league match, and I believe that opportunities are proportional to the number of shots. Of course, while I am dissatisfied with the 1 point we earned today, and we faced issues with our finishing, I want to continue building on what we have established without wavering. I will say it again, I believe that repeating matches where we can hold our heads high will lead to results. Although it ended in a 0-0 draw, the fans still sang 'Yuruneva' for us at the end. The players feel that sentiment, and we have not given up on moving to the next stage. Listening to that song, we renewed our determination not to stop our progress."

　[Hiroshima Coach Petrovic's Press Conference Summary] "It was a hard-fought battle. Tokyo is in very good form, and I think they were aiming to exploit our mistakes and launch quick counterattacks today. However, we were able to endure and fight just like in the previous match. Our defense was solid, and we were able to initiate several quick counterattacks from there. That said, with the summer heat and the league being at its halfway point, we could see signs of fatigue in MF Kashiwagi and FW Sato. If we had players on the bench with similar strength to them, and we could have substituted them in, I believe we could have secured this game. Nevertheless, the players fought with all their might until the end and managed to draw. I want to commend the players for giving their all in every match. Despite having many injured players and DF Makino and MF Mikic being suspended, I think it was good that the team came together to achieve a draw. Both teams may not have had truly decisive moments, but there were scenes that smelled of goals on our side. While there may have been chances to score and win, I am satisfied with securing one point."