Entering the "biggest challenge of the season"!

With only six matches left in the J2 League, the fierce dead heat for "J1 promotion & J2 championship" continues. At one point, it was said that "(J1 promotion is) almost decided for the two teams Kawasaki F and Tokyo!" as the top two teams had pulled ahead, but they have recently lost momentum. Meanwhile, 3rd place Oita and 4th place Niigata have steadily earned points, plunging the J2 League back into a tight race. Tokyo, struggling with unexpected two consecutive losses possibly due to "Nabisco Cup fatigue & injury and withdrawal of ace Amaral" or "promotion pressure," currently sits 2nd with 58 points (as of the end of round 30). To "win the championship," they must not let the gap with the leader Kawasaki F (60 points) widen any further, and to secure "promotion (top 2)," they cannot allow 3rd place Oita (52 points) to close the gap. Their opponent on this day is the strong Sapporo. Although Sapporo has drifted around mid-table without showing their true strength since the season opener and has already lost the goal of "J1 promotion & J2 championship," they still have many excellent players including ace Yoshihara, who played in the Olympic first qualifying round and also appeared in the South American Championship as a full Japan national team member, and former Japan national team defender Nazuka, making their team strength still top-class in J2. The head-to-head record so far is 2 wins and 1 loss, but in the direct match in August, Tokyo suffered a heavy 1-4 defeat, so a tough battle was expected on this day as well. With the crucial Kawasaki F match, dubbed the "Sekigahara," coming up next, Tokyo has finally entered the biggest challenge of the season: the "back-to-back matches against Sapporo and Kawasaki F."

No goals scored...

In the previous day's game, 3rd place Oita secured a victory with a V-goal (points 52→54), leaving Tokyo with no choice but to go all out for the win with an ultra-offensive formation. By changing from a single forward to a two-forward system, they increased their attacking options up front, and by dropping the energetic Almir to defensive midfield, they maintained defensive coverage in midfield while strengthening their attack. As expected, the match featured intense battles worthy of a decisive showdown right from the start. Sapporo was the first to make a move. With aggressive pressing from the front, Sapporo stole the ball and quickly deployed their two forwards—ace Yoshihara, who had just returned from the Olympic team, and Fukagawa, known for his powerful charges—creating a base up front. Attacking midfielders and fullbacks joined in to launch fast-paced attacks. In the 3rd minute, a fierce press forced a pass mistake from Tokyo's defenders, and the intercepted ball was played out to the right side, leading to a decisive shot that hit the post and went wide. Immediately after, Sapporo's defensive midfielder Biju made a sharp interception in midfield and carried the ball toward the goal, but Almir defended desperately and regained possession. From then on, the fierce "Brazilian foreign player showdown" between Almir and Biju in midfield sparked intense battles throughout the full 90 minutes.

Tokyo, having escaped a dangerous situation, began to effectively implement a super offensive formation from around the 10th minute. Tokyo, consciously repeating bold and large side changes in midfield, at the 12th minute, Enomoto delivered a perfect cross from the right to Kobayashi running deep on the left side. Kobayashi controlled the ball with his chest and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot. Although it was narrowly blocked by the goalkeeper, Tokyo continued to shake the Sapporo defenders with several excellent side changes leading to finishing chances. At the 27th minute, again from a side attack, Asari took a volley shot from the center, and when the opposing defender stopped, Enomoto broke free and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. However, Enomoto did not shoot and instead passed back to the center, where the goalkeeper caught the ball. Then at the 33rd minute, Asari made a large side change from the left to the right side, and Enomoto, running in, passed directly to the center. The ball deflected off an opponent and bounced back to the center, where Yukihiko took a shot but failed to score. Furthermore, at the 37th minute, Kaburagi expanded play widely from the right side to the left, and once again Enomoto made a perfect trap and floated a pass to Kobayashi running into the center, but the Sapporo defenders desperately cleared the ball. At the 40th minute, Yukihiko broke free in a narrow space on the right side with a perfect one-two with Almir and carried the ball to the goal line before crossing. Almir ran in and took a shot that seemed destined for goal, but a miraculous clearance by the Sapporo defenders prevented the score. Centered around Almir, all players focused on attacks from the sides, creating many clear chances, but Tokyo could not break through the defense and went into halftime with a 0-0 score.

Conceded a goal in the same time frame and manner as the previous match, once again suffering from just one goal...

In the first half, Sapporo.D, who had thoroughly adopted a defensive style of play away from home, started to attack in the second half. The transitions between offense and defense became noticeably faster. The defensive midfielder, Bijou, who had been participating in attacks halfway in the first half, was assigned to focus solely on defense, while the attacking freedom of both fullbacks was increased. With Bijou, who excels in defense, concentrating on defense, Tokyo found it difficult to break through easily and began to invite danger from counterattacks due to careless dribbling and passing errors. At the 66th minute, when an unpleasant mood began to spread, Fujiyama on the left side joined the attack and sent in a cross, which turned into a large pass error flowing to the opposite side. Murata, Sapporo's left fullback, dribbled forward and exchanged passes with Bijou in the center, delivering a large cross in front of Tokyo's goal. Komine and Yoshihara contested for the ball, which floated up, and Sapporo midfielder Sugusu headed it. The ball hit the bar and bounced back, but Yoshihara, who rushed in, kicked it in to score. Tokyo conceded a goal in a similar time frame and pattern as the previous match (in the previous match vs Tosu, they conceded at the 70th minute from a left-side counterattack). Riding the momentum, Sapporo, backed by over 500 enthusiastic supporters who came from Sapporo, became even more aggressive. At the 69th minute, Fujiyama’s pass error was intercepted, and a decisive shot was taken on a counterattack, but goalkeeper Suzuki made a wonderful save. Dangerous moments continued, including allowing a powerful header from Nazuka on the immediate corner kick. In midfield, Tokyo was troubled by the individual skills of Sapporo midfielder Tanada, while Yoshihara actively aimed for the goal. Yoshihara, who had been completely shut down by Komine in the first half and may have been mentally affected after being suddenly removed from the Olympic qualifiers squad, seemed to have been awakened by that one goal. Time passed mischievously, and from around the 80th minute, Tokyo even pushed up defender Sandro for an all-out attack, but in their rush to score, they only sent in simple crosses and could not break through the Sapporo defensive line led by Bijou. In the end, Sapporo, who maintained concentration until the very end, held on to their one goal, and Tokyo suffered their first three-game losing streak of the season... They had hoped to somehow get through this day’s match against Sapporo and the next match against Kawasaki F and ride a rising tide, but that plan stumbled from the start... However, it can be said that the real battle is still ahead. Since Kawasaki F won that day, the gap with the top widened and the gap with third place narrowed, but Tokyo still maintained second place. The offensive power shown in the first half confirmed that even without Amaral, they could create many chances and good formations, and the defense was not bad either. No matter the form, as long as they score one goal, it will surely be the trigger for a comeback. If they win the direct confrontation with Kawasaki F next, they will undoubtedly ride the rising tide. Tokyo’s goal remains unchanged! They will absolutely make it happen!

Manager's Comment

Okada - Consadole Manager

In the second half, I instructed not to push up the defensive midfielder, Bijou, and to actively support both full-backs. Since it was an away game, we initially played defensively, but the players understood well and moved accordingly. We had been practicing a strategy without Yoshihara for the past week, so I was unsure whether to use him or not. However, considering his quick mental switch and tactical understanding, I decided to use him, and I am really happy that he was able to deliver when it mattered. Today, I want to thank all the players who maintained their focus and fought until the end.

<Coach Okuma>

The forward did reasonably well. The number of chances and the shape of the attacks were good, but there were moments where they lacked decisiveness, such as looking for a pass instead of taking a shot, which is due to their lack of experience. Additionally, it was disappointing that neither personally nor as a team were we able to break through the visual barrier until the end. The way we lost the ball in that position was poor, and we couldn't create any buildup, which overshadowed the participation of the full-backs in the attack. I'm frustrated about the loss, but we are still in second place, and I believe this is a crucial moment moving forward. I want to switch my mindset.