Seeking to repay last year's debt and aim for a top finish

Sec. 11 of the league, Consadole Sapporo will play away. In the previous match against Niigata, Muhara, who made his first league start this season, was dynamic on the right side, took control throughout the game, scored two goals from a stable game and stopped the losing streak. This match will be a consecutive away game, but with a one-week interval, it is a match aiming for consecutive victories in a refreshed and conditioned state.

　Sapporo, on the other hand, remains in last place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 8 losses, but they achieved their first victory in the league by defeating C Osaka in the 9th round on May 3rd. They struggled in the early season due to injuries to midfielder Yamamoto and forward Uchimura, but forward Maeda, who joined the team this season, seems to have fit in well and the team's cohesion has increased. In addition to their strong defense, they have only lost 2 league matches without scoring any goals. The close matches have made a difference, so they cannot be underestimated.

　Tokyo avoided participating due to Hanyu's foot injury. Ishikawa returned to the starting lineup. As for the attack, the key is how to break down the organized defense centered around Sapporo's DF Jade NORTH and midfielder Kawai. If they can calmly move the ball and push forward with a speedy attack, they should be able to create chances. It will be important for Lucas and Yuzawa to repeatedly exploit the gaps in the defense and utilize Ishikawa's breakthrough ability to score the opening goal.

　After about 5 months since last season's match, both teams moved to J1, but Muhara said, "I haven't forgotten the frustration of losing in the final match of last season, and I have something left in J2 personally. I want to make up for it." Morishige said, "Of course, we aim for a victory without conceding any goals. However, there is also pressure to win against 18th place Sapporo, but we need the composure to at least secure 1 point depending on the situation. Especially in order to aim for the top from here, we must not have a game with zero points." They both tightened their focus and aimed for victory. The match started at 13:04 in Sapporo Dome with Tokyo's kickoff.

They took the lead early in the game with Kajiyama's goal and maintained the lead until halftime.

　A big chance comes in the first minute. Hasegawa jumps in near the kick from Ishikawa's left corner kick. Although he couldn't finish it, Ishikawa on the left side connects from the loose ball and enters the area again from a one-two with Hasegawa. Kajiyama, near the last pass sent inside, manages to hit it with his right foot in a difficult position. The ball is sucked into the far net, and they successfully take the desired opening goal.

　Tokyo continues to attack without letting up. In the 8th minute, Ota broke through the area after a one-two with Kajiyama and made a final pass. Although they earned a left corner kick, they couldn't convert it into a chance. In the 9th minute, there was a series of precise passes in front of the opponent's goal from the loose ball of a left corner kick. Mokuhara joined in here, and Lucas connected Hasegawa's vertical pass, and finally Ishikawa on the right side of the area aimed for the goal, but it went over the bar. In the 13th minute, they passed the ball around the front line, taking advantage of the right cross from Ishikawa. While the opponent's defenders were pulling back to defend, Takahashi, who had moved up into the central space, aimed for a shot. However, it was blocked.

　However, gradually inviting danger from the opponent's counterattacks, the flow began to lean towards Sapporo. In the 30th minute, Sapporo FW Maeda connected the play, and we couldn't stop it. From a through pass, Sapporo MF Furuta broke through the right area and allowed a decisive shot from a very close distance in front of the goal area, but it was saved by Gonda's left foot and resulted in a corner kick. Furthermore, an accident occurred for Tokyo. In the 36th minute, Ishikawa collided with the opponent and injured his left knee, so Watanabe replaced him in a hurry. Lucas entered the left side. The first half ended with Tokyo leading by one goal.

Gonda's superb save also prevented the opponent's counterattack and secured victory without conceding a goal

　Tokyo regained control of the game from the start of the second half. In the 48th minute, Watanabe in the front line dropped Gonda's long kick, and Kajiyama attacked the right side and crossed. From a big development, Watanabe jumped into the center again, but was blocked by the Sapporo defenders and resulted in a corner kick. Furthermore, they persistently picked up the loose ball from this right corner kick and launched an attack. Ota on the left side made a short cross parallel to the goal. Although it was cleared by the opponent's defenders once, Morishige on the left side picked it up and took a powerful shot, but it went wide of the goal.

　In the 56th minute, Sapporo FW Maeda dribbled towards the center. At the moment when Tokunaga and Ota were attracted, a last pass was passed to Sapporo MF Takagi, who ran freely into the right area, creating a decisive chance. However, Kanda made a super save, jumping out and deflecting it with his right hand. In the 64th minute, a decisive shot was taken by MF Kondo near the left post from FW Maeda's skillful through pass, but Kanda saved it with one hand and escaped to a corner kick...

　Tokyo, in the 66th minute, picked up the ball that came out behind the opponent's DF and headed towards the goal without giving up, but it was cut off. In the 68th minute, Lucas started on the left front line and passed to Kajiyama in the center. Mokuhara went up from the right side and took a shot, but it went wide. After that, Tokyo increased the number of attacks against the opponent who was coming tired. Yonezawa and Watanabe were replaced by Kanemoto and Heavy Matsushita, who made their first appearance this season. Everyone ran around and defended one point until the end, risking their bodies, and achieved victory. They achieved consecutive wins.

　【Player Comment】《Kajiyama》"(About the goal) Before the cross from Naosan, I had a negotiation with the opponent's defender and created space. It was an early stage of the game, so I decided to shoot without hesitation. I knew there were many players in the far side, so I kicked it to the far side (so that even if it bounced) it would go in. Lately, we have been starting the games well, and I think today was also good. However, after taking the lead, the tough time became longer. I think if we could have extended our time a little longer, we could have progressed the game in a better way. However, even in that situation, we were able to keep the number of goals conceded to zero as a team. That is a significant factor for victory."

　"Kanda": "It was just a game that we won. Of course, we were able to win because everyone put their bodies on the line until the end, but it wasn't that we were able to play our own game. Sapporo is also not an easy opponent. However, if we consider the soccer we aim for... if we can defend until the last minute, we might be satisfied with a clean sheet, but what we aim for is to dominate and take the initiative in soccer. However, I also think that it's inevitable to have games like this several times in a long season. But if we continue to have games like this, we will eventually collapse. Because we won, I want to have a discussion and make adjustments in a good atmosphere."

　[Coach Popovich's press conference summary] "I think it was a really tough game. It wasn't an unexpected game, but it became a tough game as expected. We were able to start the game in the best way possible and we were able to score goals. I think we were able to control the game for the majority of the first half. However, there were a few moments where we broke down with beautiful coordination and combination plays, but maybe we couldn't finish them because we were too focused on the beauty of our own play. In the second half, Sapporo played aggressively until the end, more than us. I think they were playing in a way that could have resulted in them scoring a goal."

　It was a difficult and tough game, but we were able to tighten up at crucial moments. And there were also parts of today's game where luck helped us. However, I think our players' attitude on the pitch deserved the victory. They fought and showed a fighting spirit until the end, and I want to say well done to the players who showed that. I think it became a very meaningful game that we were able to earn 3 points. In the unique environment of the Sapporo Dome, our fans and supporters, as well as Sapporo supporters, came to support us. I want to express my gratitude to both sets of supporters for creating a good atmosphere and a conducive environment for the game."

　[Sapporo Ishizaki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "We conceded a goal from a loose ball from a corner kick early in the game. We talked about the handling of the ball that we need to be careful about. As for the game content, we were able to make good attacks and create decisive chances, but we lacked the ability to score goals. However, we showed the desire to win and I think we played good soccer. If we don't score goals in crucial moments, we won't be able to gain points. It's disappointing to lose, but we played good soccer, so I want to use today's reflection to move on to the next game."