Return last year's debt and aim for top advancement

In the 11th round of the league, we will face Consadole Sapporo away. In the previous round against Niigata, Mukuhara, who made his first start of the season on the right side, was in top form and took control of the game, scoring two goals and stopping the losing streak. This round will be a consecutive away game, but with a one-week interval, we aim to win two in a row in a refreshed and well-conditioned state.

　Sapporo, on the other hand, remains in last place with 1 win, 1 draw, and 8 losses, but they achieved their first victory in the league by defeating C Osaka in the 9th round on May 3rd. In the early stages of the season, the team struggled due to injuries to their midfielder Yamamoto and FW Uchimura, but with the addition of new FW Maeda, the team seems to have found their rhythm. In addition to their strong defense, they have only lost 2 games without scoring. With close matches determining their fate, they cannot be underestimated.

　Tokyo avoided playing due to Hanyu's foot injury. Ishikawa returned to the starting lineup. The key will be how to break down the organized defense of Sapporo's DF Jade NORTH and midfielder Kawai. If they can calmly move the ball and push forward with a sense of speed, they should be able to create chances. It will be crucial whether Lucas and Taniyama can repeatedly penetrate the defense and take advantage of Ishikawa's attacking ability to score the first goal.

　After about 5 months since last season's match, both teams have moved to the J1 stage, but Muhara says, "I haven't forgotten the regret of losing in the last match of last season, and I have something left behind in J2 personally. I want to make up for that." Morishige says, "Of course we aim for a win with no goals conceded. However, there is also pressure to win against 18th place Sapporo, so we need to stay calm and be able to at least secure 1 point depending on the situation. Especially in order to aim for the top from here, we cannot afford to have a game with zero points," and both are determined to win. The match started at 13:04 in Tokyo with a kickoff at Sapporo Dome.

Kajiyama scores early to take the lead, and maintains it to end the first half.

　A big chance comes in the first minute. Hasegawa jumps in near the left CK kick from Ishikawa. Although he couldn't finish it, Ishikawa on the left side connects from the spill and enters the area again with a one-two with Hasegawa. Kajiyama in the near position manages to hit the last pass sent inside with his right foot, despite being in a difficult position. The ball is sucked into the far net, and they successfully take the desired opening goal.

　Tokyo continues to attack without letting up. In the 8th minute, Ota breaks through the area from a one-two with Kajiyama and makes a last pass. Although they earn a left corner kick, they are unable to create a chance. In the 9th minute, they pass the ball around precisely in front of the opponent's goal from a loose ball from a left corner kick. Mukuhara joins in here, and Lucas connects Hasegawa's vertical pass, and finally Ishikawa from the right area aims for the goal, but it goes over the bar. In the 13th minute, they pass the ball around the front line from Ishikawa's right cross. With the opponent's defenders also pulling back to defend, Takahashi moves up into the central space and takes a shot. However, it is blocked.

　However, gradually inviting danger from the opponent's counter, the flow shifts to Sapporo.D. In the 30th minute, Sapporo.D FW Maeda connects and cannot stop it. From a through pass, Sapporo.D MF Furuta breaks through to the right area and allows a decisive shot from a very close distance in front of the goal area, but escapes with a save from Gonda's left foot. Furthermore, an accident occurs for Tokyo. In the 36th minute, Ishikawa collides with the opponent and injures his left knee, and is replaced by Watanabe in a hurry. Lucas enters the left side. The first half ended with a 1-0 lead.

Gonda's superb save also flew out, holding back the opponent's counterattack and securing victory.

　Tokyo pace again from the start of the second half. In the 48th minute, Watanabe in the front line dropped Kanda's long kick, and Kajiyama rushed to the right front line and crossed. From a big development, Watanabe jumped into the center again, but was blocked by Sapporo DF and resulted in a corner kick. Furthermore, they persistently picked up the loose ball from this right corner kick and attacked, and Ota on the left side made a short cross parallel to the goal. Although it was cleared by the opponent's DF once, Morishige on the left side picked it up and aimed for a powerful middle shot, but it went outside the frame.

　In the 56th minute, Sapporo FW Maeda dribbled towards the center. At the moment when Tokunaga and Ota were drawn in, a last pass was passed to Sapporo MF Takagi who ran freely into the right area, creating a decisive chance. However, Gonda made a super save, jumping out and deflecting it with his right hand. In the 64th minute, a clever through pass from FW Maeda led to a decisive shot by MF Kondo towards the left post, but Gonda saved it with one hand and escaped with a corner kick...

　Tokyo tried to pick up the ball that went behind the opponent's DF in the 66th minute, but Kajiyama was cut off before he could reach the goal. In the 68th minute, Lucas started the play on the left side and passed it to Kajiyama in the center. Mokuhara moved up from the right side and took a shot, but it went wide. After that, Tokyo tired out against the increasing attacks from the opponent, and Yonehara and Shigematsu, who made his first appearance this season, were substituted for Tanihara and Watanabe. Everyone ran and fought until the end, and they were able to defend their one goal lead and secure the victory. They have now won two games in a row.

　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"(About the goal) Before Nao-san crossed, I had a negotiation with the opponent's DF and created space. It was early in the game, so I decided to shoot without hesitation. I knew there were a lot of players in the far side, so I kicked it towards the far side (in case it bounced off). I think we have been starting the game well recently, and today was also good. However, after taking the lead, the tough time lasted longer. If we could have extended our time a little longer, we could have progressed the game in a better way. However, even in that situation, we were able to keep the opponent from scoring with everyone's effort. That was a big factor in our victory."

　"Kanta" "It was just a game that we won. Of course, we were able to win because everyone put their bodies on the line at the end, but it wasn't our best game. Sapporo is also not an easy opponent. However, if we think about the soccer we aim for... If we can defend until the very end, we may be satisfied with a clean sheet, but what we are aiming for is to dominate and take control of the game. However, I also think that it's inevitable to have games like this a few times during a long season. But if we continue to have games like this, we will eventually collapse. Because we won, we want to discuss and make adjustments in a good atmosphere."

　【Coach Popovic's Press Conference Summary】"I think it was a really tough game. It wasn't an unexpected game, but it was a tough game as we expected. We were able to start the game in the best way possible and we were able to score goals firmly. I think we were able to control the game for the majority of the first half. However, there were a few moments where we were able to break through with beautiful coordination and combinations, but maybe we couldn't finish because we were too focused on playing beautifully. In the second half, Sapporo played aggressively until the end, and I think they were playing in a way that could have resulted in them scoring a goal.

　It was a tough and difficult game, but we were able to tighten up at key moments. And there were also some parts where luck helped us in today's game. However, I think our players showed a deserving attitude on the pitch for the victory. I want to say well done to the players who fought until the end and showed a fighting spirit as a team. Overall, I think it was a very meaningful game to earn 3 points. In the dome, which is an environment that is not easy to experience, our fans and supporters, as well as Sapporo supporters, came to support us. I want to thank both sets of supporters for creating a good atmosphere and a favorable environment for the game."

　[Sapporo Ishizaki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "We conceded a goal from a loose ball from a corner kick at an early time today. We talked about the handling of the ball that we need to be careful about. As for the game content, we were able to make good attacks and create decisive chances, but we showed a lack of ability to score goals. However, we showed our desire to win and I think we played good football. If we don't score goals in the crucial moments, we won't be able to pick up points. It's disappointing to lose, but we played good football, so we want to use today's reflection to connect to the next game."