11,000 vs 30

"How to break through their thick defense..." This was the highlight of the day's match, as featured in the local newspaper's morning edition. Tokyo had only conceded 11 goals in the previous round, with an average of only 0.7 goals per game, the lowest in the league. Naturally, the image that each team has of Tokyo is "thick defense" or "solid defense". On the other hand, Sapporo, led by coach Okada, is a well-balanced team that excels in quick counterattacks based on intense defense. Despite the absence of ace player Yoshihara, who is currently playing for the Japan national team in the South American Championship, their attacking power, which includes two new foreign players, is destructive. Therefore, the pre-match prediction was "how will Sapporo break through Tokyo's thick defense..." Sapporo had 22 points in the previous round, ranking 5th. As they aim for promotion to J1, they cannot afford to lose this direct confrontation with 2nd place Tokyo. They had already lost to Tokyo in the 1st round, so it was expected that they would come out with fierce determination to turn things around at home (Atsubetsu). The number of spectators who came to watch this big match was 11,783. Out of that, about 30 were fans who traveled from Tokyo, including those who took the overnight train. The rest, over 11,000, were local Sapporo fans. More than 90% of the seats were filled with Sapporo's color, "red", and they continued to cheer loudly without a break. Atsubetsu Stadium was shaking along with the chants from the Sapporo fans, giving a strong sense of the unique atmosphere of "away (enemy territory)".

Endure the fierce attack...

Sapporo, supported by local fans, launched a fierce attack from the start. Sapporo has been cutting off Tokyo's passes with intense pressing from the front line, and breaking down the left side with fast ball movement centered around MF Tanada and Ashis. On this day, Kofune replaced the injured Umayama on the right side (Sapporo's left side), but in the first half, his combination with central midfielder Sandro was poor, leaving space for the opponent. This led to a difficult situation where they were repeatedly crossed. Tokyo also tried to set up FW Amaral in front of the goal, but the midfielders were unable to make accurate passes due to Sapporo's intense pressing, and they couldn't create any chances. Even their usual attacking fullbacks, with left-back Fujiyama occasionally showing sharp dribbles, were unable to break through Sapporo's fierce determination without support. In the 25th minute, goalkeeper Horiike was injured and had to be substituted, which lowered the team's morale and gave Sapporo's relentless attack even more momentum.

One-hit kill! Asari sinks his rival with a single left punch!!

Sapporo's fierce attack continued, but GK Suzuki, who came on for Horiike, showed a stable performance in his first J2 appearance. He managed to keep the first half scoreless. In the second half, Tokyo changed MF Yukihiro's position from the right to the center and tried to break through with the combination of Amaral. Sapporo's press also decreased compared to the first half, and gradually Yukihiro was able to make good passes to the front line, giving Amaral opportunities to dribble forward. Even in defense, Sandro and Furukata cleared out the fierce attacks from Sapporo's side. Sandro dealt with the headers, while Furukata thoroughly covered the defense. Thanks to GK Suzuki's hard work, they did not allow any goals. Enduring until the 69th minute, Asari took the ball from Amaral's dribble and shot without hesitation. The powerful shot from over 30 meters away was sucked into the lower left corner of the goal.

After this, Sapporo showed their determination until the end and aimed for one point by attacking even the goalkeeper with a corner kick, but Tokyo's "thick defense" never crumbled until the end. In this away atmosphere, Tokyo endured Horiike's accident and fierce attacks, and although they were not satisfied with the content, they won a very valuable victory.

<Coach Okuma's Comment> The midfield organization was poor, perhaps due to the pressure from the opponent. Osamu UMEYAMA's absence also disrupted the balance between offense and defense, so we want to make adjustments for the future. Although we are not satisfied with the content, it is a big achievement to win in such a difficult situation in this atmosphere.

<Coach Okada's Comment> The players showed their best performance this season and proved that they are doing the right things. It's a shame that we lost, but I still believe we have a good chance to make it to J1 and I've told the players not to give up.