In the first match after the restart at home, we want to seize victory at Ajinomoto.

　Without a break since the league resumed, we are entering a series of matches during the Golden Week. Starting with the match against Sapporo on 4/30 (Saturday) in Sec. 9, three consecutive matches will be held against Tokyo V and Toyama. In the previous match against Chiba, we suffered a painful defeat with three goals conceded due to self-destructive play. Unfortunately, Yonemoto has also been injured and left the team. Coach Okuma pointed out the need to adjust the way we play, including the composition of the members, based on this upcoming match after the restart.

　The lineup features Roberto CESAR starting for the first time as he improves his condition. Tokunaga's Kajiwara will play as a double pivot, with forwards Takamatsu and Roberto CESAR pairing up, while Suzuki and Tanizawa will occupy the flanks in a 4-4-2 formation. Additionally, Pedro JUNIOR has returned from injury and made his first appearance on the bench.

　Sapporo finished 13th in last season's J2. It seems they were unable to achieve the results they hoped for, but under the leadership of coach Nobuhiro Ishizaki, this is their third season. The tactics have taken root, and with the addition of new players like DF Kawai, their sharp counterattacks from a solid defense are impressive. In particular, the fresh 19-year-old FW Mikami, the agile dribbler MF Andrejinho, and the side player MF Kondo, among others, have a bold and dynamic attacking lineup, requiring constant focus to respond effectively.

　It is necessary to reliably convert scoring opportunities in attack. Additionally, whether we can utilize the space on the sides of Sapporo, as Coach Okuma aims to do, is key. Above all, considering last season's performance, this is a match where we absolutely want to secure 3 points at Ajinomoto. Without rushing, we aim for a consecutive victory following the opening match against Tosu, with a persistent and resilient fight. The match started at 13:04 with Sapporo's kickoff, under a mix of sunshine and clouds, feeling a bit of coolness.

Tokyo Aim For Win In Return To Ajinomoto Stadium

FC Tokyo began the demanding Golden Week schedule with a home fixture against Consadole Sapporo. With games against Tokyo Verdy and Toyama to come, Tokyo sought to banish the disappointment of their late collapse in the 3-0 defeat to Jef United Chiba in the previous outing by bouncing back with a win at home. Adding injury to insult, key midfielder Yonemoto suffered a serious injury in the Chiba match that may well keep him out of the team for several months. Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma identified a need for the team to have more variety in its approach to the game. 
Striker Roberto Cesar had raised his fitness to a level deemed fit to start and partnered Takamatsu in attack in a 4-4-2 formation. Tokunaga and Kajiyama played in central midfield with Yazawa and Suzuki on the flanks, while Pedro Junior had shaken off an injury to claim a place on the bench for the first time this year. 
Opponents Sapporo lay in 13th place at kick off. Despite a seemingly unimpressive record manager Nobuhiro Ishizaki was in his third year at the club. His tactics and approach were slowly permeating the team though, and the addition of Ryuji Kawai had stiffened the defence in an essentially counter-attacking team. Nineteen-year old striker Mikami provided the spark, ably supported by tricky winger Andrezinho and midfielder Kondo in a dynamic, pacy attack that would surely keep the Tokyo defence on its toes. 
The key to the game would lie in Tokyo's ability to finish chances, and creating those chances would come from exploiting space left on the flanks by the visitors. Following the poor home record in the previous season, Tokyo were intent on posting a second-consecutive home win this year, with the kind of gutsy, tenacious display that earned three points against Sagan Tosu on the opening day. 
The visitors kicked off shortly after 1pm under hazy skies on a cool afternoon. 

Completely in control, but gradually losing the offensive...

　From the start, they completely took control. Even when the ball was brought into Tokyo's territory, they consistently reclaimed it with tight defense and transitioned to attack. In particular, they created chances from Abe's crosses, and in the 6th minute, Kajiyama picked up a second ball and took a shot from distance. In the 9th minute, Roberto CESAR dove in at the near post. In the 11th minute, Takamatsu broke through after matching a long ball from his own half. He aimed for a shot while holding off a defender, but it went wide. In the 12th minute, Takamatsu attempted to connect with another cross from Abe.

　In the 14th minute, Kondo, the left midfielder from Sapporo, cut a pass sent to the center from his own half. Tokunaga initiated a speedy counterattack, and Abe passed to the center. Suzuki let it go, and Kajiyama ran in free, creating a decisive opportunity. They attacked the Sapporo goal one after another, but none were on target.

　In the 23rd minute, Sapporo exchanged passes between FW Mikami and MF Andrejinho in the left area, and MF Kondo, who followed up, took a shot from just outside the area, but Gonda managed to touch it and deflected it for a corner kick. This was Sapporo's first shot, but it marked the beginning of an increase in opportunities to finish. In the 32nd minute, Sapporo launched a quick attack, with right MF Furuta sprinting. The cross was punched away by Gonda, but it spilled to the opposite side where Sapporo MF Kondo was, who took a shot but missed the target.

　After that, they maintained possession of the ball, and the match progressed at Tokyo's rhythm, but they lost their attacking momentum as Sapporo held key positions. In the 43rd minute, Roberto CESAR intercepted a pass from the opposing defender and charged towards the goal, but was cut off just before the shot. In first-half stoppage time, from Tanizawa's dribble, Suzuki entered the right area but could not take a shot. From there, the ball was passed from Kajiyama to Mukuhara to Suzuki, and a cross was sent in but cleared. They could not convert their chances, and the match went into halftime scoreless.

Tokyo Seize The Initiative But Struggle In Attack 

Tokyo dominated the game from the kick off and comfortably regained possession in defence when Sapporo sporadically pushed forward. Abe's crosses caused the visitors' defence problems and Kajiyama pounced on a loose ball in the 6th.minute to drive a middle-range shot narrowly wide. In the 9th.minute Roberto Cesar burst in front of a defender to meet an early cross at the near post but his heel-flick curled over the bar, while Takamatsu showed great strength in holding off a defender and shooting marginally wide in the 11th. In the 12th.minute another fine cross from Abe narrowly evaded Takamatsu inside the Sapporo penalty area. 
In the 14th.minute Tokyo intercepted a stray pass in midfield by Sapporo's Kondo, Tokunaga raced forward and swept the ball out to Abe, who played it back into the centre. Suzuki dummied neatly and Kajiyama, following up, had a decent sight of goal but drove his shot over the bar. Tokyo continued to threaten but were unable to hit the target. 
On a rare foray in the 23rd.minute Sapporo striker Mikami and midfielder Andrezinho exchanged passes on the left of the Tokyo area before setting up Kondo for a shot from outside the box. Gonda made a fine diving save, tipping the ball around the post for a corner. Emboldened by their first attempt on goal, the visitors slowly began to create further chances. In the 32nd.minute midfielder Furuta raced clear of the Tokyo defence and crossed from the right; Gonda punched the ball clear but Kondo, on the left, regained possession and shot over the angle of the goal. 
Although Tokyo enjoyed most of the possession and dictated the rhythm of the match, Sapporo held firm in the decisive areas and the attacking threat began to peter out. In the 43rd.minute Roberto Cesar cut out a sloppy pass across the Sapporo backline and seemed to have the goal at his mercy for an instant until a defender made a sharp recovery and blocked his shot away. In additional time at the end of the first half Yazawa dribbled forward and found Suzuki inside the Sapporo area but once again Tokyo failed to muster a decisive finish. The home side regained possession and Suzuki crossed, only for the visitors' defence to clear the danger once more. The first period finished 0-0. 

Despite surviving the pinch, we couldn't break through Sapporo.D's solid defense, resulting in a scoreless draw.

　In the second half, Sapporo launched a vigorous attack. By having the holding midfielders and side players make runs, they created chances, and in the 49th minute, right back Takagi made a run into the center, delivering a vertical pass to the advancing holding midfielder Miyazawa. MF Miyazawa skillfully distributed the ball to the right area, allowing MF Andrejinho to take a decisive shot.

　Gonda made a great save to avoid this crisis, but in the 54th minute, Roberto CESAR received the ball free on the left side, brought it inside, and took a decisive shot utilizing his speed, but the Sapporo GK saved it... The ball spilled to the right, and Suzuki sent a grounded pass in front of the goal, which Takamatsu connected with directly, but this was also saved by the GK...

　Unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity, immediately substituted Takamatsu for Pedro JUNIOR, who made his debut. They tried to leverage the speed of the two forwards to break through. However, they struggled against Sapporo's solid defense, which led to them creating scoring chances from counterattacks. In the 67th minute, Suzuki dealt with a breakthrough from Sapporo's midfielder Kondo, managing to escape to a corner kick, but from Sunakawa's left corner, Kawai was left free at the far post and headed the ball.

　In the 70th minute, Nakamura was brought in to replace Suzuki. Sapporo also substituted forward Mikami for tall defender Thiago in the 77th minute, implementing a strategy to challenge with power play. Both teams' lines became stretched, leading to a counterattack exchange. In the 80th minute, Sapporo matched a sharp left cross, and midfielder Miyazawa executed a diving header at the near post. He had a free and decisive shot, but it went wide of the goal, escaping without incident.

　In the 81st minute, Ohtake was brought on for Tanizawa. Immediately after, Nakamura on the left passed to Roberto CESAR in the center, who made a through pass into the area. Kajiyama made a run but was unable to shoot due to Sapporo's cover... Sapporo's defense held strong, centered around Gonda's saves, and although they did not allow any goals, the match ended in a scoreless draw, failing to secure a victory at home.

　【Player Comments】《Gonda》 "Everyone feels like we missed out on 2 points. There were several critical moments, and there were shots that could have easily scored against us from Sapporo, but I think we didn't respond well to the second-line players from Sapporo. As a goalkeeper, stopping shots is part of my job, but the best thing is to prevent shots from being taken in the first place. I want to think about defense that prevents shots in dangerous situations. It's also important not to look down at this point. Although there is little time until the next match, I want to communicate and move in a better direction."

　"Pedro JUNIOR" "I was away from competitive play for more than three months due to injury. My physical condition has improved, but to be honest, I am still far from 100 percent. I believe I need to improve more, including my technical skills. (Regarding my debut in Tokyo) I felt it was a very good environment at home, including the stands. Unfortunately, we couldn't win, but I want to work hard to be able to contribute to a victory with my play."

　[Summary of Coach Okuma's Press Conference] "We need ideas against a team that pulls back. When the opponent stops coming forward, we must come up with ideas including combinations, not just dribbling, otherwise we cannot break through a team that commits many players to defend around the area. Even if we deliver high balls, without Takamatsu there are no rebounds. We also need to develop plays after the rebounds. However, in defense, it is important to remain patient and maintain balance without rushing. Losing defensive balance in haste would be counterproductive. (Regarding Sapporo.D) As time passed, they launched power plays while maintaining defensive balance. I felt the number of players pushing forward was different from the previous match. This kind of situation is quite possible in the future, so including the roles of starters and substitutes, we want to think about ideas and how to use the open spaces. Today's two forwards tended to move too centrally. We want to clearly identify both the good points and areas for improvement."

　[Summary of Coach Ishizaki's Press Conference] "In the midst of not being able to win, I think the players may have become a bit timid. At the start, we couldn't really show what we usually do. However, after about 20 minutes, we calmed down and began to execute what we wanted to do. We need to have more courage in how we start the match and fight. Also, when we entered the attack in a good shape several times, we need to have more options and better judgment. I want to increase our work rate to strengthen our attack.

　(Regarding attacks in front of the goal) The number of people involved is small. I want to increase the number of ideas and players involved with the ball. However, up to this point, the challenge has been to enter the area in a good shape rather than simply shooting from outside the area, and I think we have been able to challenge that to some extent. (Drawing with FC Tokyo, the strongest team in J2, could be a turning point?) It depends on how we can perform in the next match. We lost to Shonan in the last match, but the performance was better than today. However, comparing Shonan and Tokyo, Tokyo has several times more strength, so I think that's unavoidable. We want to carry over what we've done in the last two matches into the next game. We haven't scored in the last three matches, so we want to start scoring.

Tokyo Escape Close Calls, Earn Point

The second half proved a mirror image of the first as the visitors made all the running. Sapporo began to push more men forward from midfield and along the flanks and the bolder approach resulted in a clear-cut chance for Andrezinho in the 49th minute. Right back Takaki sprinted forward through the middle of the field before moving the ball on to defensive midfielder Miyazawa; Miyazawa neatly evaded the Tokyo defence, burst into the area and set up Andrezinho with a clear sight of goal.
Gonda was equal to the challenge though, denying Sapporo the opening goal with a fine save. In the 54th minute Roberto Cesar showed his ability with a sudden burst of speed and close control that took him through the Sapporo defence and into the penalty area on the right. He struck a powerful low drive that Lee, in the Sapporo goal, stood up to and blocked away.
Unable to make the breakthrough Tokyo opted to give Pedro Junior his debut, replacing Takamatsu in the 54th minute. The intention of using the Brazilian pair's pace to unlock the Sapporo defence was clear but as Tokyo pushed forward it was the visitors who threatened on the counter-attack. In the 67th minute Suzuki stayed with Kondo's forward run, shepherding the ball out for a corner. Kawai met the deep corner beyond the far post, looping a header back across goal that cleared the crossbar.
Tokyo replaced Suzuki with Nakamura in the 70th minute. Sapporo responded by replacing forward Mikami with towering defender Tiago, who took up a position in the frontline. The game became stretched and holes began to appear in both sides' defensive lines. In the 80th minute Sapporo launched a penetrative cross to the near post that midfielder Miyazawa met with a diving header. Fortunately for Tokyo his effort flashed wide of the post.
Tokyo's final throw of the dice was sending on Otake for Yazawa in the 81st minute. Moments later Tokyo seemed to have finally made the breakthrough when Roberto Cesar threaded a pass through the heart of the Sapporo defence, perfectly timed to meet Kajiyama's deft run. An alert defender spotted the danger and cleared the ball. Gonda's saves helped Tokyo to preserve the clean sheet but the home side was forced to settle for a point in a goalless draw.


Players' comments 
Gonda 
"We feel like we've let two points slip away today. I don't think we handled their second line particularly well and in fact they created some decent chances and opportunities for an attempt on our goal. As goalkeeper it's my job to stop shots but obviously it's better if we prevent them from shooting in the first place. It's important that we don't get downhearted now. There isn't much time before the next game so communication is the key as we seek to improve". 

Pedro Junior
"I've been out of competitive action for three months with an injury. My condition is improving but I'm still far from being 100%. We need to improve in all areas, including technically. It was great to make my debut at home in front of a good crowd. It's disappointing that we couldn't win but I'll be doing my best to contribute to future victories".

FC Tokyo manager Kiyoshi Okuma
"We need ideas to play against opponents who defend so deeply. When they park the bus we need combination play, not just dribbling, to open them up. Even if we put high balls into the box, if Takamatsu isn't there we aren't going to get any second balls. We need a way of effectively using the second balls. However, it's also important that we don't panic in defence and that we keep our shape. If we become impatient and lose our defensive balance then it's like putting the cart before the horse. Sapporo ran the clock down, tried to maintain their balance and hit us with a power play. We're probably going to come up against a lot of teams who play this way so it's important that we develop ideas and ways of making the best use of space. Today I felt our two strikers spent too much time in the centre of the pitch. We have to go away and evaluate the good and bad parts of today's performance."


Consadole Sapporo manager Nobuhiro Ishizaki 
"With us not being able to win a game I feel the players are withering a little. From the kick off today we just weren't able to do what we usually do at the start of matches. However, we calmed down from around the 20-minute mark and began to show what we had planned on doing. We need a little more nerve in the way we approach games. We put some decent moves together but we need to be more decisive and to make better choices of the options available. We also need to increase our workrate to add more bodies to the attack. We aren't getting enough players into the danger areas and need to increase the number of players getting forward and the ideas they have with the ball. It hasn't been the case that we've just been shooting from outside the area, we're trying hard to put moves together to get inside the box. 
What's our plan to move up now that we've got a draw against the strongest team in J2? That depends on how we fare in the next game. Last week we played better than today but lost to Shonan Bellmare. If you compare Shonan and Tokyo, then Tokyo are a much stronger team. We have to produce the better aspects of what we've shown in these last two games. We haven't scored a goal in three games yet and that's what we have to work on".