Kyoto Sanga, still in J1 League in next season after tying Roasso Kumamoto with a score of 1-1 in the J1/J2 Play-Offs 2022 at Sanga Stadium by Kyocera, Kyoto.
Kumamoto took the first shot. In the 5th minute, Toshiki Takahashi, who received a feed from the back line, created a starting point on the front line, and at the end, Rei Hirakawa fired a shot, but it was caught by goalkeeper Naoto Kamifukumoto. In the 12th minute, Takahashi’s post play led to a move to the right side, and Norimoto Sakamoto, who received a pass in the center, fired a mid-range shot, but it missed the target. In the 16th minute, Sakamoto received a pass on the left flank and entered the penalty area from a one-two to take a shot, but it was blocked by an opposing defender. From the beginning of the match, Kumamoto set up their attacks while connecting passes and brought it to the finish.
On the other hand, in the 9th minute, Shimpei Fukuoka fired a mid-range shot, and in the 21st minute, Kosuke Shirai dribbled through on the right side and cut into the area. In the 23rd minute, Toyokawa and Sota Kawasaki boldly fired shots from far away, but they missed the target. The number of shots is evenly matched and the game progresses.
Both teams had chances at the end of the first half. In the 36th minute, Kumamoto received a pass from a defender, and Hirakawa connected it to his teammates with a brilliant touch of the ball. In the 37th minute, Naohiro Sugiyama fired a powerful mid-range shot from a short counter, but Kyoto goalkeeper Kamifukumoto stood in the way.
Then, in the 39th minute, Kyoto had another chance. When Matsuda received the ball in front of the opponent’s defense line, he sent a pass into the space behind him. The Kumamoto DF was unable to handle this, and Toyokawa, who escaped, scored the opening goal by pouring a shot through the side of goalkeeper Yuya Sato who jumped out. The first half ended with Kyoto leading by one point.
Kumamoto introduced Turles in the 57th minute as the back-and-forth offense and defense unfolded in the second half. A goal was born from a corner kick that Turles got when he demonstrated the driving force that made use of his speed on the right side. In the 68th minute, Hajime Kawahara kicked the ball and Henry Iyoha headed it on the near side to equalize.
In the 70th minute, right after conceding a goal, Kyoto brought in three players at once and changed their system to [3-4-2-1]. Kumamoto also brought in three players in the 75th minute to aim for a goal. Kumamoto attacked and sent the ball in front of the goal more often, but Kyoto continued to endure with a hard defense. The clock moves forward without the score moving, and it enters the second half of 4 minutes of injury time. In the 90+2 minute, Kumamoto goalkeeper Yuya Sato was also attacking in front of the opponent’s goal. prevent. In addition, Hirakawa quickly reacted to the loose ball and fired a shot with all his might, but this time he hit the inside of the post to keep the net from swinging.
The match ended 1-1. In the event of a draw, the J1 club will be the winner, and Kyoto has remained in the J1 season for the first time in 12 years. Kumamoto is one step closer to being promoted for the second year in a row following their J3 victory last season, but failed to make it through the playoffs. Even so, after the game, the supporters who rushed far to support the team gave generous applause.
Credit Photo : J.League
