We will not lose consecutively, and we will definitely achieve our first home victory!

　In Sec. 5 of the league, we will face Consadole Sapporo. We suffered our first league defeat against Yokohama FM in the previous match, but we want to switch our mindset without being dragged down by that loss. We aim for our first home victory of the season. This will be the last of three consecutive matches, but first, we urgently need to reorganize our defense, which has conceded 6 goals in the last two matches. However, Moniwa injured his right shoulder in the match against Yokohama FM and has left the team, so Bruno QUADROS will start this match. He will partner with Sahara, who made his debut in the last match, as center-backs. At the same time, we will deploy a 4-3-2-1 formation with Kanazawa as the left-back and Asari in midfield to stabilize our defense. Akamine, who missed the last match, has also returned and will be on the bench.

　Sapporo, competing in J1 this season, is known for its solid defense and quick counterattacks. The total goals conceded in the league is high at 9, the same as Tokyo, but in Sec. 3, their strong defense led to a successful counterattack, resulting in a victory against Kashiwa. In this match, GK Takagi is suspended. FW Davi is absent, so Crichton has been utilized as a FW. First, they want to contain FW Crichton, who has the ability to create plays and get involved in scoring opportunities, and prevent his dynamic runs.

　Therefore, the most frightening thing is to lose the ball halfway and suffer a counterattack. However, Coach Jofuku has no hesitation, stating, "I don't want to be afraid of Sapporo's press, connect the ball, and just kick it away. To prevent Sapporo from showcasing their strengths, we need to evade the opponent's pressure and fully express our own advantages." We aim to break through Sapporo's solid defense and strive for victory.

　The match started at 14:04 with Sapporo's kickoff in the well-lit and warm Ajinomoto.

Quickly switch from defense to offense, and Cabore scores first!

　In the first minute, Sapporo had a header shot from DF Soda following a free kick from the right side. In the second minute, they were pushed in front of the goal, and a short clearance was picked up, resulting in a mid-range shot. At the start, Sapporo continuously took shots. However, all of them went wide, and Tokyo began to find their rhythm. With a compact formation, they quickly transitioned from defense to attack, and in the 11th minute, they launched a dynamic counterattack with Ohtake, Hanyu, and Cabore advancing. From Ohtake's dribble, Hanyu took a shot that earned a corner kick. Ohtake's left corner kick was met with a header from Bruno QUADROS.

　Although they couldn't hit the target, 12 minutes later, Tokunaga took a throw-in from their own half. Hanyu connected to Otake in the opponent's territory, and then passed to Asari who moved to the center. Asari sent a floating ball pass to the front line. Cabore, who broke free from the marking defender with a clever move, shot freely in front of the goal! The bouncing ball found the net, taking the lead. After that, they quickly turned to counterattack, stealing the ball from Sapporo, creating chances starting from Cabore and Otake.

　In the 20th minute, Sapporo's CK allowed FW Kraiton to momentarily free DF Soda, who was about to shoot, but Asari blocked it. In the 24th minute, Sapporo initially took possession, but we regained it in midfield and counterattacked. Ohtake received a pass just outside the area, skillfully turned past the opposing DF, and shot. However, he was blocked by the GK. In the 28th minute, we launched a quick attack from midfield, with Cabore passing to Kajiyama on the right. Tokunaga sent a cross from deep, but it just missed Cabore, who had made a run, and flowed to the far side.

　In the 34th minute, Cabore became the pivot, and Konno in the area persistently connected the play, allowing Cabore to shoot from the left area again. However, this was also saved by the goalkeeper. In the 39th minute, they connected from a free kick, and Tokunaga delivered a cross. They picked up the loose ball and passed it around, with Konno finding Otake in the area. Otake dribbled in and sent a cross from close range in front of the goal, but it was thwarted by the opponent's desperate clearance. They managed to evade Sapporo's press and created a chance, but were unable to score an additional goal, ending the first half.

Defended the one-point lead and achieved the first victory of the season at home

　In the early part of the second half, they maintained their rhythm. In the 46th minute, Konno moved up the left flank and delivered a cross. It hit Cabore's head at the near post but couldn't be converted. Following that, a through pass from Kajiyama led to a right corner kick. Otake's kick was met by Sahara, but it was saved by the GK. In the 47th minute, after a quick series of passes, Hanyu's shot from inside the area missed the target. In the 53rd minute, Konno, who had moved up to the left of the penalty arc, was fouled and earned a free kick. Tokunaga aimed for the goal, but his kick was blocked by the defensive wall.

　As time passed without scoring the second goal, in the 61st minute, Sapporo FW Kraiton delivered a right cross to MF Nishi. A sharp header from FW Nakayama was saved well by Shiota, resulting in a corner kick. After surviving the crisis, in the 62nd minute, Cabore dropped a long free kick from Bruno QUADROS, allowing Otake to advance into the left area. His shot was narrowly blocked by the post in the upper left corner... Then, in the 65th minute, Sapporo substituted DF Soda for FW Ishii, moving FW Kraiton back to midfield and changing to a three-back formation. Tokyo, whose energy levels were dropping, also substituted Akamine for Cabore in the 67th minute. However, immediately after, from a Sapporo free kick, a right cross from MF Sunakawa was headed by MF Jeong in a critical moment.

　In the 71st minute, Nagatomo was brought on to replace Ohtake in an attempt to change the flow of the game, but they were unable to connect calmly, allowing Sapporo to counterattack. They were forced into defense as Sapporo continuously launched attacks. In the 81st minute, Kanazawa managed to deflect Sapporo's throw-in to a corner kick. A header from DF Shibata from the corner was blocked. In the 89th minute, Sapporo pressed towards the Tokyo goal with numbers, and DF Nishijima took a shot. However, Tokyo blocked it with their bodies. With Shiota, Bruno QUADROS, who made his first start of the season, and Sahara at the center, they held their ground on the final line until the time was up. They secured their first victory of the season at home without conceding a goal. This victory marked their first win at Ajinomoto since October 6 of last season against Yokohama FM, a six-month wait for a win at home in league matches.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"The goal came from a good pass by Asari. It was an even situation with the opponent, but I used my body to break free from the mark. Technique is important, but power is also crucial. I was able to push through with power and get the shot off, which was good. Of course, I wanted to score a second goal if possible, but winning was the most important thing. This goal was also a team effort."《Bruno QUADROS》"I'm happy that we played a good game and got a result. I was delayed this season due to injury, but God gave me a chance. The team was in a tough situation after conceding three goals in the previous match, but we realized that if we work hard, we can do it. Today, we kept possession and the defense held the opponents to zero goals. I believed that the result was the most important thing, so I'm glad we won. From the stands, I could hear voices calling my name and the names of all the other players, which made me happy. The next match is against a rival team from the same city. It's an important game, so if I get the chance to play, I will do my best and definitely want to win."

　[Summary of Coach Shofuku's Press Conference] "We haven't won at Ajinomoto for about half a year, so today I really wanted to give the supporters 3 points. We approached the game with a strong determination to win. After losing the previous match, and for this season's goal of becoming a team that absolutely does not lose consecutive matches, I think we maintained focus for the full 90 minutes. However, although there were moments when we circulated the ball more calmly and created our own rhythm, there were cases where we kicked long balls at the end or returned the ball to the goalkeeper and had to kick it forward, which gave Sapporo possession, so challenges remain. But I want to commend that we kept a clean sheet and maintained concentration throughout the 90 minutes. (What corrections were made since the last match?) Conceding goals is not just a defensive problem but a team issue. We viewed the way we lost the ball as poor and made the team strongly aware of that. Another point was clarifying individual responsibilities—who lost their mark, who failed to go for the ball and allowed a pass—and made the team conscious of these points. (What about the use of Asari and Nagatomo?) Asari is a player good at maintaining balance, so the intention was to have him maintain balance in midfield while also participating in link-up play. Nagatomo, including the Olympic team, has played 4 matches in 5 days, so considering his condition, he was left out of the starting lineup. He is a player who can adapt to various situations, so today we expected him to chase the ball up front and pick up loose balls contested by Cabore and Akamine."

　【Sapporo.Miura's Press Conference Summary】 "Until about the first 15 minutes, we had a decent start, including set plays. However, after that, things went poorly. We couldn't hold onto the ball in attack, easily giving it to the opponent and failing to establish our pace. As a result, we conceded a goal, including individual skills. In the second half, we focused on connecting the ball, increased crosses from the sides, and created chances. We had opportunities to equalize, but it felt like the issues from the first half affected the game until the end. It was a matter of individual skills and tactics; Tokyo players naturally managed to pass under pressure or dribble when there was no pressure. On our side, whether under pressure or not, we carelessly kicked the ball forward or dribbled while being surrounded and lost the ball, which accumulated as issues. The only player who could play at the same level as Tokyo was Kraiton."