Escape from the quagmire at Home Marugame

　The 8th match of Sec. 1, marking the halfway point of the 1st stage, will be a home game at Kagawa Marugame Stadium against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Although Sapporo suffered a heavy defeat of 2-5 against Shimizu in the previous match, they had previously achieved 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. With 7 goals scored and only 3 conceded in 6 matches, they have successfully made a strong start with efficient scoring and solid defense, creating a "storm" in J1 since 2001.

　On the other hand, Tokyo sank to the bottom in the last match and today faces a must-win battle. What the team needs now is a goal that will serve as a catalyst for their rise, and three points. To achieve this, they placed Ryohei on the bench, with Sato on the left midfield, Masamitsu KOBAYASHI on the right, Kelly as the attacking midfielder, and Amaral as the lone striker, adopting a new 4-5-1 formation.

Showing an attacking shape

　In the 2nd minute of the match in Tokyo, Amaral's header from Kelly's free kick grazed the crossbar, creating an early sense of a goal. However, without being able to calmly take control, in the 9th minute, the DF was drawn in by Sapporo FW Will's movement in front of the goal, allowing FW Bando to receive the pass unmarked and take a shot. It narrowly escaped for a corner kick.

　In a battle of attack and defense where both sides defend firmly and launch counterattacks, Tokyo gradually saw Sato and Kobayashi become effective. Although they controlled the ball and attacked from the sides, Sapporo.D quickly switched to defense and did not allow easy scoring chances. In the 27th minute, Sato broke behind the defenders from Naito's pass and sent in a cross, but the Sapporo.D defenders cleared it. Again in the 28th minute, Sato delivered a sharp cross from near the goal line, but it did not connect with Kelly or Kobayashi in front of the goal. In the 30th minute, Fujiyama dribbled into the penalty area from the left and sent a final pass, but it did not reach Amaral. Then in the 32nd minute, Kobayashi received a pass from the back at the front line and played a direct pass in front of the goal, where Amaral rushed in and shot with his left foot. However, the ball went over the bar, missing a crucial scoring opportunity. Tokyo was controlling the match, but Sapporo.D's two forwards were also a threat. In the 43rd minute, Will connected with a wedge pass from Barato and took a shot. However, it went straight to goalkeeper Doi, and both teams ended the first half scoreless.

First goal at last with Amaral's goal!

　In the second half, Coach Okuma sent the players out with the instruction to "stay calm." On the other side, Sapporo.D's Coach Okada also made adjustments, saying in the first half, "We are conceding too many counters. Let's aim to run behind the defense. Let's attack aggressively." However, both teams started cautiously. At the 50th minute, trying to break through the situation, Amaral took a shot from a side-change pass. Although the shot missed the goal, in the following 51st minute, Kobayashi, surrounded by opposing defenders, skillfully dribbled into the penalty area after receiving a ball from Amaral off the post. He delivered a perfectly timed final pass, which Amaral received, turned, and shot! Although the shot lacked power while competing with defenders, the ball rolled into the left corner of the goal!! This was Amaral's first goal of the season, giving the team the lead. While it was not a fine goal, it was a long-awaited opening goal created by the strong and persistent ball battles between Kobayashi and Amaral.

　Sapporo introduced fresh players, Kazuha and Ooguro, to replace Almir and Yamase on both sides of the midfield, shifting to an offensive strategy to gain rhythm. In the 61st minute, a cross from DF Ohmori, who advanced on the left side, was shot by Bando. In the 63rd minute, Will broke through behind Komine and sent a decisive last pass to Bando, but this was thwarted by the Tokyo DF, who held their ground.

Escape from the tunnel, is there light ahead!?

　Tokyo was under pressure for a while, but around the 70th minute, suddenly it started to rain. The rain quickly intensified and covered the field. Then in the 71st minute, Kelly, who had been under severe pressure from Sapporo in midfield, slipped through a momentarily loose defense, stole the ball, and advanced. Amaral caught up to a pass sent behind the DF from Kelly and charged into the penalty area while competing with the DF! A fast attack typical of Tokyo unfolded, and Sapporo's DF, Namizuka, couldn't help but commit a foul. Amaral was brought down and earned a penalty kick. Sato neatly kicked it into the goal, giving Tokyo a valuable second point.

　However, from here, Sapporo counterattacked. In the 76th and 78th minutes, they aimed for the goal from direct free kicks, and in the 79th minute, Will shot from inside the penalty area. In the 82nd minute, Bijou's powerful shot was deflected by Doi for a corner kick. In the 87th minute, Daigoku stole the ball in midfield and quickly passed it to Will. Will's middle shot hit the post... Tokyo tried to overcome this difficult situation by substituting Kobayashi, Amaral, and Sato with Kinama, Robihusu, and Kaburaki one after another. They launched a counterattack but couldn't score an additional goal. Then in stoppage time, a free kick from outside Sapporo's left penalty area was headed in at the far side, and the dropped ball was scored by Will, making it 2-1. However, Sapporo's counterattack was already too late, and the match ended shortly after.

　In the final stages, it was disappointing to give away dangerous free kicks due to fouls just outside the penalty area and to concede a goal from a set piece during stoppage time, which are issues we need to reflect on. However, the goal we desperately wanted and the fact that we secured a victory in our home game is a great source of confidence. We are now in 13th place, but the competition in the 1st stage is tight, with teams from 7th to 13th place separated by just three points. As Coach Okuma said, we will take today as a new starting point and begin our counterattack from here.

[Coach Okada's Comments]

"Due to the heat and the possibility of the opponent retreating, I instructed that there was no need to push in the first half; a score of 0-0 was acceptable. However, it was indeed difficult to break down a defense that was sitting back and connecting the play beautifully. In the end, we ended up being countered, so in the second half, I wanted to adopt a shape where we could get the ball into the top and pick up any loose balls. However, the players had a strong desire to connect the play rather than just kick it roughly, and within that, we ended up conceding a somewhat unlucky goal, which forced us to go out and try to score. After conceding two goals at the end, it couldn't be helped, and throwing the ball in and picking up loose balls became our chances. However, we are still at a point where, numerically, we can definitely reach our goals. A slight win or loss does not mean we lose sight of our objectives."

[Coach Okuma's Comments]

"Kelly joined late and there were also injuries to other players, and we have been aiming for team balance and unity up to this point. Today's decision required courage, but I believe that not only the results, but also the balance of offense and defense and the team's effort have emerged. Considering our ranking, I thought that today's match would be a starting point regardless of winning or losing, and I'm glad we achieved a good result there. I feel strongly that we need to create additional value from here on. Starting from today, I want to continue to work hard in each match."