Aiming for victory in the challenging away game!

　In Sec. 11 of the J1 League, we will face Ventforet Kofu away. It will be our first visit to the Kose Sports Park Athletics Stadium since April 18, 2001 (Nabisco Cup match against Kofu). In the previous match against Nagoya, we dominated the game with Tokyo's pace throughout, and Lucas scored two goals from side attacks, which was an ideal development. With this momentum, we aim for our first away victory of the season.

　Kofu currently sits in 13th place with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses. Although they were promoted to J1 this season, they are not an easy opponent, having secured victories against top teams like Kawasaki and Yokohama FM. Ace FW Varey, who missed the last match, returns to the starting lineup, with FWs Ishihara and Uruno positioned in a 4-3-3 formation. They aim to win the ball through coordinated pressing from the front and launch counterattacks. Additionally, they aggressively push forward from the midfield and flanks, creating a robust attack. Coach Garo warns, "Kofu is strong in both physicality and pressing. They will likely come at us aggressively, especially fueled by the energy of playing at home."

　For Tokyo, the key to victory will be to quickly switch between offense and defense and gain an advantage in the midfield. From there, they want to transition into side attacks like those shown in the match against Nagoya. Above all, it is important to respond to Kofu's aggressive approach not by being defensive, but by showing an even greater determination to challenge. Although there are concerns about conditioning due to consecutive matches, Kajiyama confidently states, "Recently, we have been able to take the initiative in our play. We are also able to take the initiative in defense, so there is no fatigue. We are fine."

　The starting lineup is the same as the match against Nagoya. Konno, who injured his left knee during practice on Monday, had a different training regimen but is not seriously injured. To advance to the top, we want to achieve consecutive wins before the break. This time, we aim to secure 3 points away! The temperature is 22.4°C, the sunlight is strong, and it feels hot at the Kosei Athletic Stadium. At 2:04 PM, the match started with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Although they grasped the pace in the early stages, they ended the first half having allowed the opening goal.

　Coach Garo said, "Regardless of the holiday, so many fans came to the away match. We absolutely cannot play a shameful game," and Tokyo seized the rhythm from the start of the match. In the first minute, Suzuki attacked from the left side and won a corner kick. Although his own kick was saved by the opposing GK, Kajiyama picked up the rebound and took a powerful mid-range shot, but this was also saved by the GK. Tokyo then faced a counterattack from Kofu, but they regained possession of the ball, and Kawaguchi on the left side of the area prepared to shoot, but was caught offside.

　In the 7th minute, a free kick opportunity from the right side of the opponent's half. Miyazawa's kick is deflected off the wall. In the 12th minute, Lucas delivers a floating through ball in front of the goal. Miyazawa makes a run, but the opposing GK catches it a step earlier. In the 15th minute, a free kick from the right side. Miyazawa aims directly, but is thwarted by a great save from the opposing GK, resulting in a left corner kick. From the rebound of that corner kick, Kawaguchi takes a direct shot from the right side of the area. However, it is blocked by the Kofu defense.

　In the 23rd minute, a right corner kick was won. Kawaguchi picked up the loose ball, and Miyazawa initiated a play leading to a left corner kick. Kajiyama collected the clearance from Miyazawa's kick, evaded the opposing defender, and took a mid-range shot! It flew precisely to the lower left corner of the goal, but was once again thwarted by a great play from the opposing GK... In the 26th minute, Suzuki broke through into the middle, dropping the ball to Akamine, who passed it to Lucas, who shot with speed. However, it went over the bar. They completely dominated possession but couldn't find the decisive blow.

　Then, in the 29th minute, Tokyo was caught off guard while attacking, allowing Kofu FW Uruno to score the opening goal from a counterattack. After that, the momentum they had seemed to vanish, and it became Kofu's pace. In the 31st minute, FW Varey took a shot, and in the 32nd minute, FW Hosaka also took a shot. The marking in midfield became lax, and they were pushed back by Kofu's aggressive attacks.

　Tokyo attempts a counterattack, albeit limited. In the 39th minute, Miyazawa takes an overhead shot from the right side of the area, but the goalkeeper catches it. In the 42nd minute, Kawaguchi's shot from the right side during a fast break goes over the goal. After that, they couldn't score against Kofu's tenacious defense and went into the second half trailing by one goal.

Kawaguchi, Lucas's goal turns the game around! Celebrating the first away victory of the season.

　In the second half, Rychely was brought on to replace Akamine. Coach Garo instructed him to aim for the space behind the opponent's defense, but Kofu continued to dominate the match with the momentum from the first half. In the 49th minute, Kofu's MF Hosaka, who moved up front, dropped a pass from the right, and FW Ishihara took a powerful shot. In the 54th minute, a loose ball was picked up in midfield, and Kofu's left back Yamamoto passed to MF Hosaka up front, but Dohi quickly caught it. In the 57th minute, Kofu launched a counterattack, with FW Varey on the right side passing to FW Ishihara in the center, but the shot went to the right.

　In the 61st minute, Kofu quickly passed the ball, and forward Uruno broke free in the front line. Dohi also rushed out, and a decisive shot was taken, but the ball hit the crossbar! It was a situation where conceding an additional goal could happen at any moment, but they somehow held on, centered around Dohi. Tokyo also saw Ozawa, who was substituted for Miyazawa, moving aggressively in both attack and defense, and passes began to connect to Kawaguchi and Rychely in the front line. Additionally, Kofu started to show signs of fatigue, and Tokyo began to regain their rhythm.

　Then, in the 62nd minute, Lucas skillfully evaded the opposing DF on the left side and connected with Rychely. Rychely delivered a strong ground pass in front of the goal. Kawaguchi scored from the ball that flowed to the far side, equalizing the score. This equalizer completely shifted the pace to Tokyo. In the 63rd minute, Ozawa attempted a diving volley from Tokunaga's cross on the right side, but it went just outside the right of the goal. In the 73rd minute, Moino fed the ball to the left front line. Kawaguchi made a breakthrough, turned the opposing DF, and shot! The ball narrowly missed the goal frame. In the 75th minute, a dribble from Kajiyama to Kawaguchi led to a left corner kick. Lucas scored with a perfect header from Suzuki's kick in front of the goal, finally securing the comeback goal.

　Kofu also attacks starting from FW Vare. In the 78th minute, a shot from the right area spills over to FW Yamazaki in the left area, but Tokunaga closes in and prevents the shot. In the 80th minute, a through pass reaches FW Vare, who runs into the area, creating a decisive scene, but the shot does not connect. In the 82nd minute, Inoha is brought in to replace Kajiwara, forming a double defensive midfield with Konno, aiming to cut off Kofu's attacking momentum in the midfield.

　Supported by the loud cheers at home, Kofu launched a counterattack, but in the 89th minute, Tokyo executed a counter from the right side where Ozawa sent a ball behind the opposing defense that Kawaguchi chased down and crossed to the far post. The free Lucas received it, aimed, and shot. The beautifully arced ball was absorbed into the right side of the goal, sealing the victory with a decisive goal. The match ended this way, marking the first away victory of the season.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》“My first goal came from a corner kick where Norio delivered a great ball. Although my positioning was different from usual, I swapped with Jean and was able to score well. For the second goal, I hesitated whether to shoot or keep possession at that moment. But since the goal path was open, I took a bold shot. Both the team and I are currently in very good condition. I can play with confidence. Playing 90 minutes as an attacking midfielder with consecutive matches is tough, but I need to build the physical strength to do so. On the other hand, I believe that continuously playing matches will help improve that aspect. I may not be able to score in every game, but I definitely feel the team is leveling up.” 《Miyazawa》“After conceding, Kofu’s atmosphere became very aggressive, which was intimidating. It would have been better if we had scored before that. Just after 10 minutes into the first half, there was a moment when I ran up to the goal in response to Lucas’s pass, and I wanted to finish it then. If I can continue making runs that surpass the FW like that, it will create space and also benefit me. Today, we launched fast attacks aiming behind the opponent’s DF until the end, but maybe we could have calmed things down a bit more. However, since Kofu maintained a high defensive line throughout, I think our approach today was fine.”

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "We played a very good game. Looking back at the first half, until around the 30th minute, we controlled the game well with good passing, created chances, and had clear scoring opportunities. However, we couldn't convert them, and conceding a goal shifted the rhythm to the opponent. Our marking in midfield became lax, and we lost control. In the second half, we brought in Rychely and launched attacks utilizing speed, which was very good. Also, Ozawa effectively handled the opponent's marking and was able to connect passes well. Although we didn't get results in the previous match against Nagoya, we have played well in three consecutive games including the Nabisco Cup match against Yokohama before that. I am happy we were able to win. (What was your strategy against Kofu?) Kofu is a very tough opponent, especially at home with strong support from their fans. However, due to the congested schedule, we didn't do any special training for that. Instead, focusing on our own style of play was important. We aimed to keep possession and play our football. (Regarding the substitution of Ozawa) Since we were losing, we brought in Ozawa to connect passes and play more offensively. Kofu's player number 31 (Hayashi) was the key, so we first instructed to mark him. While marking him, we also directed to connect passes to Kawaguchi and Rychely. As a result, after Ozawa came in, we were able to score and suppress Kofu's chances."

　[Summary of Coach Oki's Press Conference for Kofu] "Right after the start, the opponent took control of the flow, and I felt we might concede, but we managed to score one goal on a good counterattack and thought we gained the pace. From around when they equalized in the second half, it gradually turned into a physical battle, and we started to be pushed back. The final conceded goal was unavoidable. There is definitely a one-day gap in rest compared to the opponent, but that was not the reason. We simply couldn't endure it. The opponent did not have many clear chances, and we also created chances but failed to convert them. In other words, the difference was in finishing ability. Even though we did not lose control of the pace, it felt like we were beaten. Tokyo's strength is pushing forward. Instead of reacting to the ball once it is out, we thought it was important to suppress the source, so we played without lowering the defensive line. We have had several matches where we controlled the pace to some extent but failed to score and conceded goals, and the quality has gradually declined. With two consecutive losses, including mentally, the team's toughness is being tested."