Facing with our backs against the wall

　In the previous match, Tokyo suffered a narrow defeat against Kashiwa, resulting in their third consecutive loss. At the end of the 2nd stage, Tokyo's total points for the year stood at 26, placing them 12th in the standings. Hiroshima, who is currently in 15th place and above the J2 relegation line, has 18 points, making the difference between the two teams just 8 points. Currently, six teams are closely competing within this 8-point difference, engaging in a fierce battle to avoid relegation. Alongside Tokyo's 26 points, Tokyo V in 10th place and Ichihara in 11th place have a higher goal difference, while Sendai in 9th place has 28 points and has the potential to rise to 9th place if they win their match today. Conversely, if they lose, it will be their first four-match losing streak of the season, which will lower the players' motivation and make the future prospects extremely challenging.

　On the other hand, the opponent Sapporo is in a more difficult situation than Tokyo. Currently, the total annual points are 7, and the ranking is the lowest 16th place. In the 2nd stage, there are still no wins, and they are standing on the edge of relegation to J2. However, at Atsubetsu, the venue of this day, they have a good compatibility with 1 win and 1 draw without losing this season, and the support of passionate supporters has not shown any signs of decline. Sapporo, who has no more time, is expected to come forward without fear as if it were their last chance, backed by the supporters' cheers, and this day's match was anticipated to be extremely difficult for Tokyo.

　Tokyo, who had DF Komine suspended in the previous match and DF Ito starting on the bench due to poor physical condition, had concerns about the defense. In an emergency situation, they responded by pairing DF Jean with Fujiyama in the center back position and placing Shimodaira as the left fullback. In the midfield, Miyazawa, who was suspended in the previous match, returned and formed a partnership with Asari, who made his first start in 10 games. Both teams faced the crucial match with their backs against the wall, and the kickoff took place at 2:00 PM in the chilly northern land of Atsubetsu, Sapporo.

A Chill Wind... 

Following last week's third consecutive defeat F.C.TOKYO found themselves in 12th place on the J.League seasonal ranking with 26 points. With only 9 points separating them from next to bottom Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the 8th game of the second stage, away to Consadole Sapporo, suddenly assumed vital importance; to avoid being sucked into the relegation struggle and break the run of recent poor results a victory was imperative.
Consadole, on the other hand, were already peering into that dark abyss: with a total of only 7 points for the year every game had become a must win.
Consadole were unbeaten this season at the venue, Atsubetsu Park Stadium, and backed by vocal local support were expected to prove stern opposition.
With Komine suspended and Ito still not completely fit, Fujiyama lined up alongside Jean in defense while Miyazawa and Asari started as defensive midfielders. A chill wind blew down from the mountains surrounding Japan's northernmost football outpost as the game kicked off.

Amara's superb goal takes the lead!

　The game progressed at a Tokyo pace from the beginning. Before the game, Coach Hara told the players, "Instead of worrying about the opponent, let's quickly pass the ball and play a meaningful soccer game in our own rhythm." As he said, each player passed the ball quickly with few touches and dominated the ball with abundant movement. In the attack, Kelly did not fix his position and made dynamic movements, not allowing the opponent to mark him and making plays. He appeared on the right and left, getting involved with the ball and creating rhythm. Miyazawa's expansion to the opposite side, Amaral's post-play, and Toda's powerful runs behind the opponent's defense all fit together, making the ball circulate interestingly. Even in defense, Fujiyama intercepted with his sharp start and the combination with the previously worried Jean was not a problem at all. In addition, Shimodaira, who entered as a left fullback, showed stable play with veteran-like reading and intense fighting spirit, becoming the starting point of the attack with accurate feeds after winning the ball.

　In the 7th minute, Asari made a sharp vertical pass to Kelly in the center of the front line. Kelly dropped the ball directly into the space on the right, and Amaral broke free there and took a careful shot. The ball was sucked into the left goal, and Tokyo took the lead early on.

Amaral Gives TOKYO Perfect Start 

Before the match TOKYO manager Hara had commented " We concentrated on fast, one touch football in training this week " and his team began the game in fine style, moving the ball around at speed. Prompted by a rejuvenated Kelly the forward movement was a joy to behold as Miyazawa launched sweeping cross field balls, Amaral held the ball up in advanced positions and Toda made darting runs behind the Consadole back line. In defence the untested combination of Fujiyama and Jean appeared rock solid while veteran Shimotaira used all his experience to great effect, snuffing out potential danger and feeding the forward line.
In the 7th. minute Asari found Kelly with a sharp through ball; Kelly swept the ball first time into acres of space on the right of the area for the charging Amaral to blast a low shot inside the far post. TOKYO were ahead.

Kelly scores an additional point from a fierce attack!

　Against Tokyo, who rode the waves from the start, Sapporo at home had low accuracy in passing, and the players were frustrated by the situation where only 3 passes were connected, and the supporters mercilessly showered them with abuse. Nevertheless, they repeatedly played soccer by hitting long balls from midfielders Ogura and defender Vijay to tall forward Sota, and speedy forward Hori and midfielder Hirama would come flying out to the loose balls, attempting a counterattack.

　On the other hand, Tokyo did not let up on their attack even after taking the lead, and their "attacking soccer" centered around Kelly gained even more momentum. However, there is a past data that Tokyo cannot simply rejoice in their first half lead, so those who were watching became increasingly anxious in a situation where no additional points were being scored despite the offensive play. This season, when Tokyo took the lead in the first half and went into halftime with a score of 1-0, they lost in 6 out of 8 matches. On the other hand, when they went into halftime with a lead of 2 or more goals, they have won all 3 matches. They wanted one more goal, an additional point.

　Such a wish was heard, and in the 18th minute, Kelly, who received a pass after approaching the right corner kick, turned around and crossed the ball. Yukihiko headed the ball, but the shot drifted to the left side. Amaral, who followed it, crossed the ball again from the left side, and this time Yukihiko headed it back from the far post. Kelly in the center jumped and headed the ball into the goal, scoring an additional point. These long-awaited 2 goals in the first half were the first in 12 games since the Sapporo match in the 1st stage. The approximately 70 supporters who came all the way to Sapporo must have been relieved by this.

　Tokyo, who took a 2-0 lead in the early stages of the first half, allowed Sapporo to have a chance to counterattack afterwards. In the 21st minute, Doi made a desperate punch to save a cross that came up well from the left, and then in the following 26th minute, Sapporo's forward Sota took advantage of a momentary pause by Tokyo's defense and unleashed a looping shot that hit the crossbar. It was a very dangerous situation, as if Sapporo were to score a goal here, the game would become unpredictable. A 2-goal lead is by no means a safe lead. Tokyo's style of play has changed from the initial fast-paced and rhythmical soccer with good ball control to occasionally holding onto the ball too much and losing it.

　Nevertheless, the initiative did not change. In the 29th minute, Kelly broke through on the right side and sent a ground cross to the center, but Amaral's direct shot with his right foot missed the goal to the left. Furthermore, in the 38th minute, Yukihiko broke through from a combination play with Kelly and rushed down the right side, then crossed to Kelly in the center, but his shot after the feint hit the opponent's defender.

　Kelly seemed to be playing with ease. If Sapporo is two goals behind, they should press harder from the front... but they seem to be sitting back and defending. It's clear that Tokyo can do whatever they want. In the 44th minute, Toda broke free with a great speed from a long vertical pass behind the defense by Asari, and while the ball was bouncing, he took a powerful right-footed shot, but unfortunately it missed to the left of the goal. Today, Toda's running ability was particularly outstanding, but the first half ended with Tokyo leading by two goals.

Kelly Makes It Two! 

Behind after only seven minutes Consadole were unable to string more than a couple of passes together and were roundly booed by the disappointed home fans. Their only attacking option, it seemed, was the long ball to lanky striker Masuda whose knock downs were aimed at the other Consadole forwards.
The TOKYO defence dealt comfortably with it.
Statistics show that of the 8 games in which TOKYO have taken a 1-0 lead this year 6 have been lost; however the three games where they had managed to score twice had all been won. With this in mind TOKYO set about finding a second goal and didn't have to wait long. Only until the 18th. minute, in fact, when Kelly headed home from a central position after Amaral's cross to the far post was headed back in by Sato. The 70 hardy TOKYO fans who had made the trip voiced their appreciation as silence emanated from the home support.
Despite totally dominating proceedings TOKYO were unable to add to their tally and the first half ended 2-0.

Kelly's powerful shot, Kaji's impressive first goal in J1!

　In the second half, Kina replaced Yukihiko, but the goal was to use Kelly, Kaji, and others on the right side to quickly circulate the ball. At halftime, Coach Hara instructed the players, "After going 2-0 up, we became complacent and the balance became off. In the second half, please play a simple ball circulation like when we scored the first goal." The second half indeed unfolded in such a way.

　6 minutes, Jahn overlaps from the right and passes to Kelly in the center. Kelly temporarily entrusts the ball to Toda on the left and then receives the return pass to take a dribble shot, but unfortunately it goes left of the goal. In the following 7 minutes, Kina keeps the ball with outstanding technique on the right side, attracting two Sapporo players before passing to Amaral, who is free. Amaral carefully passes to Miyazawa, who runs in from the front of the goal, and Miyazawa takes a direct shot with his left foot, but the low trajectory powerful shot is blocked by the nice save of the Sapporo goalkeeper. In the 10th minute, Kelly shoots from the combination of Amaral and Kelly, and in the 17th minute, Toda heads the cross from Kaji, but it goes over the bar. In the following 19 minutes, Kelly, Kina, and Miyazawa easily connect from the right, and Miyazawa takes a free shot with a one fake, but it lacks power and goes wide of the frame because it was a right foot shot.

　21 minutes, the cross from the right by Kina crossed the goal widely and flowed to the left side, where Toda chased after it and made it my ball, and passed it to Miyazawa who came to support nearby. Miyazawa ran vertically with a one-two movement hitting Kelly in the center, but Kelly, who received it, dodged one opponent DF with a sharp one fake, and swung his right foot powerfully from the center outside the penalty area, and the shot pierced the right corner of the goal. Kelly's powerful blow should have dealt a big blow to Sapporo, who was struggling to return one point somehow. Furthermore, just 3 minutes later in the 24th minute of the second half, the ball cleared by the opponent DF with a header from the left CK was waiting in front of Kaji at a position about 30 meters in front of the goal. When the ball bounced, Kaji swung his right foot without hesitation, and the shot took a drive and pierced the left corner of the goal in an instant! The "Drive Shoot" that was once popularized in the manga "Captain Tsubasa" was suddenly reproduced in front of us, so Asahikawa fell silent for a moment. Of course, the opponent GK couldn't move a step, and both the enemy and the ally, the audience, and even the person himself froze, but everyone understood that a "Super Goal" was scored with Kaji's small guts pose. The game was decided with Kaji's first J1 goal.

　Tokyo was dominated by Kina in the second half, controlling the ball more than in the first half and not allowing Sapporo to catch up, as instructed by the coach. Even after that, Tokyo did not let up on their attacks, but in the 43rd minute, MF Hoshi, who came on for Toda, received a pass from Amaral and had a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but his right-footed shot hit the left post and unfortunately did not result in a goal. Even in defense, Jean and Fujiyama remained focused until the end, showing stable defense. The game ended with a score of 4-0. Tokyo broke their three-game losing streak and showed a fantastic performance with a clean sheet victory for the first time since the 2nd stage, 2nd round. If they can continue to play with a rich amount of movement centered around players like Kelly, and with fast-paced rhythmic soccer, they should achieve good results in the next round and beyond. Tokyo, who has made a fresh start in the northern country, will now bet everything on the upcoming battles in order to release the stress they have experienced so far.

[Kelly Player Comment] "The team was aware of the tough situation with three consecutive losses, so we focused together before the game, which led to a good result. Today, the team's movement was good, so we were able to play good soccer. I am very happy with today's victory, but I want to do my best to win the next game as well."

[Player Kaji's Comment] "I'm honestly happy to score my first goal in J1, but I'm even happier that we won the game. When I scored the goal, I was surprised myself and didn't know how to celebrate."

[Summary of the Press Conference by Manager Hara] "In the past three matches, Júbilo has lost due to mistakes, and in the subsequent Yokohama and Kashiwa matches, we had players sent off and had to play with 10 men, resulting in three consecutive defeats. Having three consecutive red cards is too much, so I told the players before today's match to absolutely avoid getting sent off. Despite facing the most difficult situation with players like Komine suspended and Ito not feeling well, our midfield core Miyazawa returned and Shimodaira did a great job of moving the ball as a starting point. We have been practicing this week with the mindset of playing our own football, rather than worrying about the opponents. It was crucial that we were able to move the ball quickly and score the opening goal today. From now on, we want to continue winning with an "attacking football" that creates our own rhythm while moving the ball quickly, just like the first goal today."

[Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Manager Zhang Press Conference Summary] "We were completely defeated not only in terms of score but also mentally and technically. In every aspect, FC Tokyo was superior."

Kaji Grabs First League Goal! 

Kina replaced Sato at half time to add some vim to the right side. TOKYO manager Hara felt his side were losing their balance at the end of the first half and that a third goal would be the end of Consadole. TOKYO went straight onto the front foot with Toda shooting wide after some neat interplay with Kelly after 51 minutes, Miyazawa drew a fine save from the Consadole keeper a minute later and Kelly shot wide in the 61st minute.
TOKYO were lining up to shoot and it was no surprise when a third goal arrived in the 66th minute. Kelly feinted inside a defender and unleashed a thunderous shot from just outside the penalty area that the keeper got his fingertips to but couldn't prevent from flying inside the left hand post.
Kelly's shot was well struck but nothing compared to the rocket that Kaji produced five minutes later to notch his first J.League goal. Loitering about 30 metres out as TOKYO took a corner on the right Kaji saw the ball cleared to him and decided to try his luck; the ball bobbled invitingly as he made contact and hurtled over the mass of players, off the cross bar and into the goal. The goalkeeper stood rooted to the spot and the crowd sat in stunned silence as Kaji and his teammates celebrated a phenomenal strike.
That was game over and TOKYO played out the remaining 25 minutes comfortably, denying Consadole even a consolation goal. An excellent win and, more importantly, a stylish one; TOKYO, inspired by man of the match Kelly, banished the blues with four goals and an inspired performance that should go a long way to reviving their season.

F.C.TOKYO Kelly:
"We all wanted to put the recent results behind us and we managed it today. It was a great team performance and we're looking forward to the next game".

F.C.TOKYO Kaji:
"It was great to score my first goal but the most important thing was that we won the game. I was so surprised by my goal that I didn't know how to celebrate!".

F.C.TOKYO manager Hara:
"We were determined to put our recent form behind us and, in difficult circumstances, we managed it today. We imposed ourselves on the game from the start, found our rhythm and scored four excellent goals".

Consadole Sapporo Manager's comment:
" Scorewise, and both mentally and technically, it was a total defeat. F.C.TOKYO were better than us in every department".