I want to seize victory at Ajinomoto in the first game after the resumption, which will be held at home

　Without a break from the league restart, we will enter a series of matches during Golden Week. Starting with the Sapporo match in Sec. 9 on 4/30 (Sat), three consecutive matches against Tokyo V and Toyama will be held. In the previous match against Chiba, we conceded 3 goals due to self-destructive gameplay and suffered a painful defeat. Unfortunately, Yonemoto also got injured and left the team. Coach Ookuma pointed out the need to make adjustments, including the composition of the team, and to add sharpness to our style of play based on this match after the restart.

　The members, with Roberto CESAR in the starting lineup for the first time after improving his condition. Tokunaga and Kajiyama as double volantes, with Takamatsu and Roberto CESAR as forwards, and Suzuki and Yuzawa on both sides, will face the match in a 4-4-2 formation. Pedro JUNIOR also returned from injury and made his first appearance on the bench.

　Sapporo, on the other hand, finished 13th in J2 last season. It seems that they couldn't achieve the desired results, but under the leadership of coach Nobuhiro Ishizaki, this is their third year. The tactics have been well established, and new additions such as DF Kawai have joined the team. Their quick counterattacks from a solid defense are sharp. In particular, 19-year-old FW Miura, MF Andrezinho with excellent dribbling skills, MF Kondo who plays on the side, and other attacking players who are bold and energetic, it is necessary to respond without losing focus.

　In attack, it is necessary to convert scoring opportunities. Whether or not we can utilize the space on Sapporo's side, as targeted by Coach Okuma, will be key. Above all, considering last season's results, this is a match where we absolutely want to secure 3 points at Ajinomoto Stadium. Without rushing, we aim for a consecutive victory following the opening match against Tosu with a tenacious fight. The match started at 13:04 with Sapporo's kickoff, covered by clouds while still feeling the warmth of the sun.

Tokyo Aim For Win In Return To Ajinomoto Stadium

FC Tokyo began the demanding Golden Week schedule with a home fixture against Consadole Sapporo. With games against Tokyo Verdy and Toyama to come, Tokyo sought to banish the disappointment of their late collapse in the 3-0 defeat to Jef United Chiba in the previous outing by bouncing back with a win at home. Adding injury to insult, key midfielder Yonemoto suffered a serious injury in the Chiba match that may well keep him out of the team for several months. Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma identified a need for the team to have more variety in its approach to the game.
Striker Roberto Cesar had raised his fitness to a level deemed fit to start and partnered Takamatsu in attack in a 4-4-2 formation. Tokunaga and Kajiyama played in central midfield with Yazawa and Suzuki on the flanks, while Pedro Junior had shaken off an injury to claim a place on the bench for the first time this year.
Opponents Sapporo lay in 13th place at kick off. Despite a seemingly unimpressive record, manager Nobuhiro Ishizaki was in his third year at the club. His tactics and approach were slowly permeating the team though, and the addition of Ryuji Kawai had stiffened the defence in an essentially counter-attacking team. Nineteen-year-old striker Mikami provided the spark, ably supported by tricky winger Andrezinho and midfielder Kondo in a dynamic, pacy attack that would surely keep the Tokyo defence on its toes.
The key to the game would lie in Tokyo's ability to finish chances, and creating those chances would come from exploiting space left on the flanks by the visitors. Following the poor home record in the previous season, Tokyo were intent on posting a second-consecutive home win this year, with the kind of gutsy, tenacious display that earned three points against Sagan Tosu on the opening day.
The visitors kicked off shortly after 1pm under hazy skies on a cool afternoon.

Although they completely took control, they gradually lost their attacking power...

　Completely took control from the start. Even when the ball was brought into the Tokyo team's territory, they consistently stole it with tough defense and connected it to their attack. In particular, Kajiyama picked up a chance from Abe's cross and took a shot in the 6th minute. In the 9th minute, Roberto CESAR dove near the goal. In the 11th minute, Takamatsu broke through to the back after receiving a long ball from their own half. While carrying the defender, he forcefully aimed for a shot but missed the target. In the 12th minute, Takamatsu tried to connect with Abe's cross again.

　In the 14th minute, Sapporo left midfielder Kondo intercepted a pass sent to the center from their own territory. Tokunaga initiated a speedy counterattack, and Abe passed to the center. Suzuki threaded the ball through, and Kajiyama made a decisive run. They continued to attack the Sapporo goal one after another, but they were unable to hit the target.

　Sapporo.D exchanged passes with JORGINHO in the left area in the 23rd minute, and MF ANTONIO followed up with a shot from just outside the area, but it was touched by Gonda and went out for a corner kick. This was Sapporo.D's first shot, but it led to an increase in opportunities to bring the ball to the finish gradually. In the 32nd minute, Sapporo.D launched a quick attack, and right MF FOGUINHO sprinted. Gonda punched away the cross, but it fell to Sapporo.D's MF Kondo on the opposite side, who took a shot but missed the target.

　After that, we continued to hold the ball and the game progressed in Tokyo's rhythm, but Sapporo was able to control the key points and we lost our attacking power. In the 43rd minute, Roberto CESAR intercepted the opponent's defender's pass and rushed towards the goal, but was cut off just before taking the shot. In the first half injury time, Suzuki entered the right area from Yazuwa's dribble, but couldn't take the shot. From here, Kajiyama -> Mukuhara -> Suzuki connected and crossed, but it was cleared. We couldn't create any chances and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Tokyo Seize The Initiative But Struggle In Attack 

Tokyo dominated the game from the kick off and comfortably regained possession in defence when Sapporo sporadically pushed forward. Abe's crosses caused the visitors' defence problems and Kajiyama pounced on a loose ball in the 6th minute to drive a middle-range shot narrowly wide. In the 9th minute, Roberto Cesar burst in front of a defender to meet an early cross at the near post but his heel-flick curled over the bar, while Takamatsu showed great strength in holding off a defender and shooting marginally wide in the 11th. In the 12th minute, another fine cross from Abe narrowly evaded Takamatsu inside the Sapporo penalty area.
In the 14th minute, Tokyo intercepted a stray pass in midfield by Sapporo's Kondo, Tokunaga raced forward and swept the ball out to Abe, who played it back into the centre. Suzuki dummied neatly and Kajiyama, following up, had a decent sight of goal but drove his shot over the bar. Tokyo continued to threaten but were unable to hit the target.
On a rare foray in the 23rd minute, Sapporo striker Mikami and midfielder Andrezinho exchanged passes on the left of the Tokyo area before setting up Kondo for a shot from outside the box. Gonda made a fine diving save, tipping the ball around the post for a corner. Emboldened by their first attempt on goal, the visitors slowly began to create further chances. In the 32nd minute, midfielder Furuta raced clear of the Tokyo defence and crossed from the right; Gonda punched the ball clear but Kondo, on the left, regained possession and shot over the angle of the goal.
Although Tokyo enjoyed most of the possession and dictated the rhythm of the match, Sapporo held firm in the decisive areas and the attacking threat began to peter out. In the 43rd minute, Roberto Cesar cut out a sloppy pass across the Sapporo backline and seemed to have the goal at his mercy for an instant until a defender made a sharp recovery and blocked his shot away. In additional time at the end of the first half, Yazawa dribbled forward and found Suzuki inside the Sapporo area but once again Tokyo failed to muster a decisive finish. The home side regained possession and Suzuki crossed, only for the visitors' defence to clear the danger once more. The first period finished 0-0.

Unable to break through Sapporo's solid defense and end up with a goalless draw while surviving the pinch

　In the second half, Sapporo turned the tables and launched a powerful attack. The central midfielder and the side players created opportunities by breaking through, and in the 49th minute, the right full-back Takagi ran towards the center and made a vertical pass to the forward midfielder Miyazawa who had moved up. Miyazawa skillfully maneuvered in the right area and delivered a decisive shot to midfielder Andrejinho.

　Gonda made a great save to avoid this pinch, but in the 54th minute, Roberto CESAR brought the ball in from the left side and took a decisive shot using his speed, but the Sapporo goalkeeper made a save... Suzuki sent the ball that spilled to the right to the front of the goal with a ground pass, and Takamatsu near the goal directly followed up, but it was also saved by the goalkeeper...

　Unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities, immediately replaced by Takamatsu, Pedro JUNIOR made his debut. He tried to break through using the speed of the two forwards. However, they struggled against Sapporo's defensive tactics and ended up creating scoring opportunities for Sapporo through counterattacks. In the 67th minute, Suzuki responded to Kondo's breakthrough and escaped with a corner kick, but from Sazagawa's left corner kick, Kawai was left unmarked in the far post and scored a header.

　In the 70th minute, Nakamura was substituted for Suzuki. Sapporo also made a strategic move in the 77th minute, replacing forward Miura with tall defender Tiago, launching an offensive power play. Both teams stretched their lines and engaged in a counterattack battle. In the 80th minute, Sapporo capitalized on a sharp left cross, with midfielder Miyazawa diving to head the ball near the goal. Although a decisive shot was taken freely, it missed the target and no harm was done.

　In the 81st minute, Daichi was substituted for Tanizawa. Immediately after, Nakamura on the left passed the ball through to Roberto CESAR in the center. Kajiyama tried to shoot after running out, but couldn't finish in front of Sapporo's cover... Sapporo's attack was centered around Gonda's save and they didn't allow any goals, but they ended up with a draw with no goals and couldn't achieve victory at home.

　【Player Comment】《Kanda》"Everyone has the feeling of missing out on 2 points. There were a few close calls and shots that could have been scored by Sapporo, but I think our response to the second line of players from Sapporo didn't go well. As a goalkeeper, stopping shots is also part of my job, but it's best to prevent shots from happening in the first place. I want to think about defense that prevents dangerous situations. It's also important not to lose hope here. Although there is not much time until the next match, I want to communicate and move in a better direction."

　"Pedro JUNIOR" "I was away from the game for more than 3 months due to injury. My physical condition has improved, but honestly, I am still far from 100%. I think I need to improve my technical skills as well. (Regarding my debut in Tokyo) I felt that it was a very good environment, including the stands, at home. Unfortunately, we couldn't win, but I want to make efforts to contribute to the team's victory."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "We need ideas against opponents who sit back. When the opponent stops coming forward, we need to come up with ideas that include not only dribbling but also combinations. We can't break through opponents who have crowded the area with numbers without coming up with ideas. Even if we put in a high ball, it won't spill if Takamatsu isn't there. The development after it spills is also necessary. However, it is also important in defense not to panic and maintain balance. It would be counterproductive to panic and disrupt the balance of defense. (About Sapporo) As time went on, they launched power plays while maintaining the balance of defense. I feel that the number of players coming up was different from the previous match. In the future, such things can happen plenty, so I want to consider ideas and using empty spaces, including the roles of the starting lineup and substitute players. Today's two top players felt like they went too far to the center. I want to accurately assess the good points and points for improvement."

　[Sapporo Ishizaki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "The players may have shrunk a little in the midst of not being able to win easily. We couldn't do what we usually do at the beginning. However, we settled down after 20 minutes and were able to do what we wanted to do. We need to have more courage in the way we start the game and continue to fight. Also, when we enter the attack in a good way several times, we need to have more options and judgment. We want to increase our physical activity to strengthen our attack."

　(Regarding attacks in front of the goal) There are few people involved. I want to increase the number of people involved in ideas and the ball. However, up to this point, it is not simply about shooting from outside the area, but it is a challenge to enter the area in a good shape, and I think we were able to do that to some extent. (Draw with FC Tokyo, the strongest team in J2, a turning point for resurgence?) How can we show that in the next game? We lost to Shonan in the previous match, but in terms of the game content, it was better than today. However, if we compare Shonan and Tokyo, Tokyo has several times more strength, so I also think it can't be helped. We want to continue what we have been doing in the past two matches in the next game. We haven't scored in the last three matches, so we want to be able to score."

Tokyo Escape Close Calls, Earn Point

The second half proved a mirror image of the first as the visitors made all the running. Sapporo began to push more men forward from midfield and along the flanks and the bolder approach resulted in a clear-cut chance for Andrezinho in the 49th minute. Right back Takaki sprinted forward through the middle of the field before moving the ball on to defensive midfielder Miyazawa; Miyazawa neatly evaded the Tokyo defense, burst into the area and set up Andrezinho with a clear sight of goal.
Gonda was equal to the challenge though, denying Sapporo the opening goal with a fine save. In the 54th minute Roberto Cesar showed his ability with a sudden burst of speed and close control that took him through the Sapporo defense and into the penalty area on the right. He struck a powerful low drive that Lee, in the Sapporo goal, stood up to and blocked away.
Unable to make the breakthrough Tokyo opted to give Pedro Junior his debut, replacing Takamatsu in the 54th minute. The intention of using the Brazilian pair's pace to unlock the Sapporo defense was clear but as Tokyo pushed forward it was the visitors who threatened on the counter-attack. In the 67th minute Suzuki stayed with Kondo's forward run, shepherding the ball out for a corner. Kawai met the deep corner beyond the far post, looping a header back across goal that cleared the crossbar.
Tokyo replaced Suzuki with Nakamura in the 70th minute. Sapporo responded by replacing forward Mikami with towering defender Tiago, who took up a position in the frontline. The game became stretched and holes began to appear in both sides' defensive lines. In the 80th minute Sapporo launched a penetrative cross to the near post that midfielder Miyazawa met with a diving header. Fortunately for Tokyo his effort flashed wide of the post.
Tokyo's final throw of the dice was sending on Otake for Yazawa in the 81st minute. Moments later Tokyo seemed to have finally made the breakthrough when Roberto Cesar threaded a pass through the heart of the Sapporo defense, perfectly timed to meet Kajiyama's deft run. An alert defender spotted the danger and cleared the ball. Gonda's saves helped Tokyo to preserve the clean sheet but the home side was forced to settle for a point in a goalless draw.


Players' comments
Gonda
"We feel like we've let two points slip away today. I don't think we handled their second line particularly well and in fact they created some decent chances and opportunities for an attempt on our goal. As a goalkeeper, it's my job to stop shots but obviously, it's better if we prevent them from shooting in the first place. It's important that we don't get downhearted now. There isn't much time before the next game, so communication is the key as we seek to improve."

Pedro Junior
"I've been out of competitive action for three months with an injury. My condition is improving but I'm still far from being 100%. We need to improve in all areas, including technically. It was great to make my debut at home in front of a good crowd. It's disappointing that we couldn't win but I'll be doing my best to contribute to future victories".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"We need ideas to play against opponents who defend so deeply. When they park the bus we need combination play, not just dribbling, to open them up. Even if we put high balls into the box, if Takamatsu isn't there we aren't going to get any second balls. We need a way of effectively using the second balls. However, it's also important that we don't panic in defence and that we keep our shape. If we become impatient and lose our defensive balance then it's like putting the cart before the horse. Sapporo ran the clock down, tried to maintain their balance and hit us with a power play. We're probably going to come up against a lot of teams who play this way so it's important that we develope ideas and ways of making the best use of space. Today I felt our two strikers spent too much time in the centre of the pitch. We have to go away and evaluate the good and bad parts of today's performance".


Consadole Sapporo manager Nobuhiro Ishizaki
"With us not being able to win a game I feel the players are withering a little. From the kick off today we just weren't able to do what we usually do at the start of matches. However, we calmed down from around the 20-minute mark and began to show what we had planned on doing. We need a little more nerve in the way we approach games. We put some decent moves together but we need to be more decisive and to make better choices of the options available. We also need to increase our workrate to add more bodies to the attack. We aren't getting enough players into the danger areas and need to increase the number of players getting forward and the ideas they have with the ball. It hasn't been the case that we've just been shooting from outside the area, we're trying hard to put moves together to get inside the box.
What's our plan to move up now that we've got a draw against the strongest team in J2? That depends on how we fare in the next game. Last week we played better than today but lost to Shonan Bellmare. If you compare Shonan and Tokyo, then Tokyo are a much stronger team. We have to produce the better aspects of what we've shown in these last two games. We haven't scored a goal in three games yet and that's what we have to work on".