Never lose, surely get the first victory at home!

　In the 5th round of the league, we will face Consadole Sapporo. Although we suffered our first loss of the season in the previous round against Yokohama FM, we want to switch our mindset and aim for our first home victory of the season. This will be the last game of a 3-game stretch, and our top priority is to improve our defense, which has conceded 6 goals in the last 2 matches. However, Shigetaka Morita injured his right shoulder in the Yokohama FM game and will be absent from the team, with Bruno QUADROS starting in his place this round. Sato, who made his first appearance in the previous round, will partner with CB. At the same time, we will aim for defensive stability with a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Kanazawa on the left side back and Asari in the midfield. Akamine, who was absent in the previous round, will also return and be on the bench.

　Sapporo, who will fight in J1 from this season, has a strong defense and quick attack as their strengths. They have the same number of total goals conceded as Tokyo, which is 9, but in Sec. 3, they were able to score a beautiful counterattack goal from their solid defense and defeat Kashiwa. In this match, GK Takagi is suspended. FW Davi is absent, so they have chosen to use Crichton as FW. First of all, they want to contain FW Crichton, who has both attacking and finishing abilities, and stop their strong counterattacks.

　In order to do that, it is most frightening to lose the ball halfway and get countered. However, coach Jo Fukuyama has no hesitation in saying, "I don't want to be afraid of Sapporo's press and just kick the ball without connecting. In order to prevent Sapporo's strengths from coming out, we will avoid the opponent's pressure and show our own strengths." We aim to break through Sapporo's solid defense and achieve victory.

　The match started at 14:04 in Sapporo, at a sunny and warm Ajinomoto Stadium.

Switching from defense to offense quickly, Cabore takes the lead!

　1 minute into the game, Sapporo took a heading shot from a right side free kick by DF Sota. In the 2nd minute, they were pushed back in front of the goal and a short clearance was picked up and a middle shot was taken. In the beginning, Sapporo continuously took shots, but they all missed the target and Tokyo began to find their rhythm. With a compact formation, they quickly switched from defense to offense and in the 11th minute, they launched a dynamic counterattack with players Daichi, Hayato, and Cabore leading the charge. From Daichi's dribble, Hayato took a shot and won a corner kick. Bruno QUADROS headed in Daichi's left corner kick.

　Although they couldn't catch the frame, in the following 12 minutes, Tokunaga threw in from their own territory. Hayashi in the opponent's territory connected to Otake, who then passed to Asari in the center. Asari then made a floating pass to the front line. Cabore, who had broken free from the opponent's DF with skillful movements, took a shot in front of the goal! The bouncing ball hit the goal, giving them the lead. After that, they quickly turned the tables by stealing the ball from Sapporo's attempt to attack, creating chances through Cabore and Otake.

　20 minutes, Sapporo CK, FW Clayton's kick is dropped to DF Sota for a moment, but Asari blocks the shot. In the 24th minute, Sapporo is taken once, but they regain possession in the midfield and counterattack. Otake receives a pass near the area and skillfully cuts past the opponent's DF for a shot, but it is blocked by the GK. In the 28th minute, they launch a quick attack from the midfield, Cabore → Kajiyama passes to the right. Tokunaga sends a cross from a deep position, but Cabore narrowly misses it as it goes to the far side.

　At 34 minutes, Cabore became a wedge and connected with Konno in the area, but Cabore's shot from the left area was saved by the GK. At 39 minutes, Tokunaga crossed from a free kick. The ball was picked up and passed around, and Konno found Ohata in the area. Ohata dribbled and sent a cross from close range, but it was blocked by the opponent's desperate clearance. Sapporo managed to break through the press and create chances, but they were unable to score another goal and the first half ended.

Holding on to a 1-0 lead, first home victory of the season

　In the second half, we didn't lose our rhythm from the beginning, and in the 46th minute, Imakano went up to the left front line and crossed. It hit Cabore's head near the goal, but it wasn't a clean hit. Next, from Kajiyama's through pass, we got a right corner kick. Ohata's kick was met by Suhara, but the GK saved it. In the 47th minute, from a quick pass, Hayashi's shot from inside the area missed the target. In the 53rd minute, Imakano, who had gone up to the left of the penalty arc, was fouled and we got a free kick. Tokunaga took the kick, but it was blocked by the defense wall.

　As time passed without being able to score a second goal, in the 61st minute, Sapporo FW Clayton crossed from the right to MF Nishi. The sharp header from FW Nakayama in the center was saved by Shioda, and it escaped to a CK. As they survived the pinch, in the 62nd minute, Bruno QUADROS dropped a long FK and Cabore entered the left area. The shot was blocked by the post at the top left corner... Then in the 65th minute, Sapporo replaced DF Sota with FW Ishii, lowered FW Clayton to the midfield, and changed to a 3-back formation. Tokyo, whose movement had decreased, also replaced Cabore with Akamine in the 67th minute. However, immediately after, from Sapporo's FK, MF Sunagawa's right cross was headed by MF Zheng in the center, creating a dangerous situation.

　In the 71st minute, Nagatomo was substituted for Otake in an attempt to change the flow of the game, but they were unable to calm down and connect, allowing Sapporo to counterattack. They were pushed back to the front line and had to defend. In the 81st minute, Kanazawa escaped from Sapporo's throw-in. From the corner kick, DF Shibata's header was blocked. In the 89th minute, Sapporo pushed forward with numbers and DF Nishijima took a shot at Tokyo's goal. However, Tokyo blocked it with their bodies. Shioda, Bruno QUADROS who made his first start of the season, and Sasaki defended the final line and held on until the end of the game. They kept a clean sheet and achieved their first home victory of the season. It was their first victory at Ajinomoto Stadium in half a year since their match against Yokohama FM on October 6th last season.

　【Player Comments】《Cabore》"I received a good pass from player Asari and scored a goal. The situation was evenly matched with the opponent, but I was able to use my body to break away from the mark. Not only technique, but power is also important. I was able to push through with power and take a shot, which was good. Of course, I wanted to score a second goal if possible, but winning was the most important thing. This one goal was also a goal scored by the team."《Bruno QUADROS》"I am happy that I was able to have a good game and get results. I was late to start this season due to injury, but God gave me a chance. In the previous match, we conceded 3 goals and it was a tough situation, but we realized that we can do it if we try. Today, we connected the ball and the defense kept the opponent from scoring. I was thinking that the result was the most important thing, so I am glad we were able to win. From the stands, I could hear the voices calling my name and the names of all the other players, which made me happy. In the next match, we will face our rival team in the same city. It is an important game, so if I have the chance to play, I will do my best to win."

　【Summary of Manager Jofuku's Press Conference】"We haven't won at Ajinomoto for about half a year, so today we really wanted to give our supporters 3 points. We approached the game with a strong determination to win. We lost in the previous match, but I think we were able to maintain our focus for the full 90 minutes, which is our goal for this season of not losing consecutive matches. However, there were times when we could have passed the ball more and created our own rhythm, but instead we ended up kicking long balls or returning the ball to the goalkeeper, which resulted in giving the ball away to Sapporo. This is something we need to work on. However, I want to praise the fact that we were able to keep a clean sheet and maintain our focus for the full 90 minutes. (What did you change from the previous match?) The issue of conceding goals is not just a problem with our defense, but a problem with the whole team. We focused on improving our ball retention. Another thing we did was to clearly assign individual responsibilities, such as who lost their mark or who didn't go for the ball and allowed a pass to be made. (Why did you start Asari and Nagatomo?) Asari is good at maintaining balance in the midfield and also participating in our build-up play. Nagatomo has played 4 matches in the past 2 days, including for the Olympic team. Considering his condition, we decided to rest him. He is a versatile player who can adapt to different situations, so today we wanted him to chase after the ball up front and have Cabore and Akamine compete for any loose balls."

　[Sapporo Miura coach's press conference summary] "Until about 15 minutes in the first half, the start was not bad, including set plays. However, it was bad after that. The ball did not settle in the attack, and we easily gave the ball to the opponent, so we couldn't create our own pace. So we were scored one point, including individual skills. As for the second half, we were conscious of connecting the ball, and we had more chances with cross balls from the side. We could have had a chance to tie, but I think it was a game where the badness of the first half affected until the end. In terms of individual skills and tactics, Tokyo players were able to naturally pressure and dribble if they were under pressure, and if they didn't come, they could dribble. On the other hand, we kicked the ball vertically without thinking, or we were dribbled and taken even though we were surrounded, and it was a buildup of those parts. The only one who could play at the same level as Tokyo was Crichton, I think."