By Pearse McLaughlin
Yuya Asano’s second half header saw Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo claim all three points here at the Sapporo Dome as they defeated Kyoto Sanga FC 2-1.
It’s as you were for Mihailo Petrovic and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo as they make no personnel or tactical changes from the side that won last time out 4-2 away from home to Shonan Bellmare.
Kyoto Sanga FC boss, Cho Kwi-Jea has changed the formation slightly from his favoured 4-1-2-3 formation and has gone with a more attacking 4-3-3 formation. In terms of personnel changes, Cho Kwi-Jea has changed his front three to try get back to winning ways as Yuta Toyokawa, Ryogo Yamasaki, and Kosuke Kinoshita make way for Patric, Fuki Yamada, and Yudai Kimura.
Breakthrough for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on the 7th minute courtesy of Takuro Kaneko from the spot. After a quick VAR check by the officials the penalty decision stood as it was confirmed Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa was fouled inside the box by Shogo Asada. The penalty itself was unstoppable, Tomoya Wakahara got a glove to the penalty, but it was too powerful and precise. 1-0 to the home side.
After a quarter of an hour gone in the game, 14 somehow dug out a cross down the right-hand side as the shifted the ball a half yard before delivering a dangerous ball into the six-yard-box, where 18 flicked a header onto the back post where 15 had time to chest the ball down before firing a left footed volley millimetres past the right-hand post. Almost an immediate response.
A glorious opportunity on the 39th minute to double there and somehow club captain Hiroki Miyazama failed to guide his unmarked header from 5 yards out. Absolute sitter! It was great play by Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and would have been somehow team goal if it had found the back of the net. It all started with a precise ball through the lines by Takuma Arano, Yuya Asano then picked up the ball before waiting for the overlapping run of Daiki Suga, Daiki Suga then drive to the by-line before clipping a ball to Takuro Kaneko who nods it down to Hiroki Miyazama but couldn’t direct his header on target.
The game is all square a mere 120 second later courtesy of Kyoto Sanga’s Brazilian talisman Patric. It all starts with Patric as it lays the ball back to Temma Matsuda who audaciously plays the ball out wide with a trivela pass to Kosuke Shirai, who then plays a simple pass in behind for the Agee run from Fuki Yamada who then shoots towards goal, but Patric is on hand to divert the ball home. Easy tap in for the big man as he makes no mistake and punishes the homeside for not taking their chance earlier. There was a quick VAR check to see whether Patric was standing in an offside position, and he pounced the ball home inside the six-yard-box, but he was level and the goal stood. 1-1 game on.
Its honours even at the break between Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Kyoto Sanga FC. It’s a fair score line considering the balance of play. Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo look dangerous every time they go forward with an exciting attacking line with Yuya Asano, Takuro Kaneko, Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa, and Daiki Suga. Kyoto Sanga FC have had more of the ball, have looked good at times and when they got Patric involved more in the game things started to happen. All set for a blockbuster second period.
On the 72nd minute Yuya Asano restores Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo’s lead as he rises highest at the back post to head home. It was created by Takuro Kaneko who opened the scoring and now has an assist to his name. Takuro Kaneko faced his defender up on the right-hand side before accelerating away from his man and lifting an inch perfect cross on the money for Yuya Asano to guide the ball back across goal. Yuya Asano leapt early so he could get the power to direct back across goal and into the back of the net, despite his best-efforts Shogo Asada couldn’t sort his feet out and instead cleared the goal bound effort it into his own net.
It is Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo who emerge victorious over Kyoto Sanga FC by two goals to one. It was level at the break, but in the second period it was a dull affair until the latter stages where the homeside showed their quality to go on and win the match and to continue their rich vein of form.
Next up for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo is a tough Japanese League Cup tie on Wednesday the 24th of May where they will face high flying Yokohama F. Marinos before returning to J-League 1 duty at home to Nagoya Grampus on Saturday the 27th of May.
Next up for Kyoto Sanga FC is an away tie in the Japanese League Cup on Wednesday the 24th of May against Gamba Osaka where they will be looking to bounce back to winning ways before returning to J-League 1 action at home to face recently crowned winners of the ACL, high flying Urawa Red Diamonds on Saturday the 27th of May.
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo: Takanori Sugeno, Shunta Tanaka (Seiya Baba 61’(Milan Tucic 86’), Daihachi Okamura, Akito Fukumori (Supachok Sarachat 69’), Takuro Kaneko, Takuma Arano, Hiroki Miyazama (Toya Nakamura 46’), Daiki Suga (Lucas Fernandes 69’), Yuya Asano, Yoshiaki Komai, Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa. Subs not used: Gu Sung-Yun, Taika Nakashima.
Kyoto Sanga FC: Tomoya Wakahara, Kosuke Shirai (Shinnosuke Fukuda 73’), Rikito Inoue, Shogo Asada, Kyo Sato, Sota Kawasaki, Shimpei Fukuoka (Teppei Yachida 73’), Temma Matsuda (Daiki Kaneko 65’), Fuki Yamada (Yuta Toyokawa 77’), Patric (Kazunari Ichimi 77’), Yudai Kimura. Subs not used: Hisashi Appiah Tawiah, Gakuji Ota.
Reporter: Pearse McLaughlin
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