Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker Hisato Sato admits that the fear of missing out on the 2015 J. League title after finishing the regular season on top of the table helped drive his side to the championship.
Sanfrecce made it three J. League titles in four years after beating Gamba Osaka in the championship final, claiming a 1-1 home draw in Saturday night's second leg to edge the defending champions 4-3 on aggregate.
Sanfrecce finished the regular season in first place but still had to beat Gamba to claim the silverware, after the J. League replaced the single-league format it used from 2005-2014 with a playoff system starting this season.