Consadole Sapporo vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima 29/10/2022

 

Match Report

Source Article: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/54c40a1245315595c112fbe31e7970e73598bfbc

Sapporo wins 2-1 in a close battle, and secures another spot in J1! Hiroshima cannot manage a win at their final home game

29/10 J1 Round 33 Hiroshima 1-2 Sapporo, E Stadium

On the 29th, the 33rd Round of the J1 league was held around the country. At Hiroshima Edeon Stadium, 3rd in the table Sanfrecce Hiroshima took on 12th place Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Sapporo saw a 2-1 victory. 

It was a battle between Hiroshima, who wanted to secure 3rd place and Sapporo who wanted to secure a spot in the league next season. The match developed into an ebb and flow of attacking and defending, and at the 11th minute, a cross from midfielder Gabriel Xavier into the left side of the penalty area reached midfielder Lucas Fernandez, who swung at the ball with his right foot. The shot was blocked by the opposition but flowed to forward Koroki Shinzo. However, the shot aimed at the left side of the goal was handled in a quality save from Hiroshima goalkeeper Osako Keisuke. 

But the first to score was the away side, Sapporo. At the 23rd minute, Lucas Fernandez intercepted the ball in the Sapporo end, and sends it forward with midfielder Takamine Tomoki in a 1-2 formation, and sends out a trhough pass from around the halfway line. Koroki received that pass, dodged past Osako and drove the ball into the now unmanned goal.

At the 33rd minute, Hiroshima were in pusuit of a goal, and defender Shiotani Tsukasa took a shot from afar but the ball went left of the goal. It wasn't the equalizer they'd wanted. But at the 37th minute, the game got back on track. Shiotani received the ball on the right side and sent a cross into the goal area, and midfielder Notsuda Gakuto sent out a left footed shot. They had gotten their equalizer before halftime. 

At a 1-1 draw the second half got under way, and ten minutes in Sapporo managed to overtake. Lucas sent out a cross from the left side, and Xavier responded with a header from the other side, before midfielder Miyazawa Hiroki thrust the ball into the net. 

Aiming to equalize, Hiroshima had a chance to score at the 37th minute. Forward Tanada Ryo received a long ball from behind and slipped past the defense line. Still maintaining possession, he moved into the penalty area and met the goalkeeper one on one, but Sugeno reacted well and put a stop to the chance. In the final stages of the game, Hiroshima attacked fiercly, but Sapporo stuck out until the end and secured a 2-1 victory. That confirmed them a spot in the J1 next season. 

Player Comments

Source Website: https://www.jleague.jp/match/j1/2022/102908/player/

Consadole Sapporo

Koroki Shinzo: 

Interviewer: So your place in the league next season has been decided.

K: It (the season) turned out totally differently from what we'd initially aimed to achieve. I'm glad we were able to stay in the league amidst such a difficult situation. 

I: You must feel a sense of triumph about the Hiroshima game

K: On an individual level, I don't feel any that much triumph, but I'm glad I was able to contribute to the team. 

I: Well with a weight off your shoulders now you'll be able to approach the final round now won't you?

K: That's right. Because our opponent is Shimizu, it could've been an emotionally tough game as both sides would need to win no matter what, so in that sense I feel a little more at ease that it won't be like that. But lots of fans will come to the last game (as it's a home game), so I'd like to be able to gift them with a victory. 

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Sasaki Sho: 

Interviewer: So you weren't able to mark your final home game with a victory

S: I'm frustrated that we weren't able to get a result with our biggest audience this season, so I want to say sorry for that. 

I: Tell us about when you conceded

S: Overall, we were scattered by the opposition, and it was at a point where the opponent was moving ahead of us. Nobody can say for sure without looking at footage clearly but I think it might have been better if we'd managed crisis better and picked up on critical moments. About the defense formation, it's extremely difficult to win a game after conceding twice, so I want to say sorry about that. 

I: You fought this year alongside the whole family 

S: Throughout the year, I feel we were able to maintain good performance at an extremely high level. We didn't give up on the title race until the end, and even though we have a lot of regrets about being the runner up in the Emperor's Cup, I'm really proud that we were able to win the Levian cup and make club history. So there were things to be happy about, yes. Since we lost today's match it's hard to puff up my chest with pride, but thinking positively as a team, I think we had a great season where we could get ambitious results. That was thanks to our fans and supporters, our partner companies and everyone. Thank you so much !