Brazil Festival held, aiming to break the losing streak at home Ajinomoto

In Sec. 22, we will face Ventforet Kofu at home at Ajinomoto. There was about a 10-day interval since the last match, during which Inoha, who was newly selected for the Japan national team, went on an expedition to West Asia. Additionally, Mashima was injured in the match against Cerezo Osaka, and while the team cannot be said to be in perfect condition, on the other hand, Miura and Toda have returned from injury and have been gaining match experience in the Satellite League and practice matches. Today, we will start them and aim for victory with a total team effort.

Kofu, currently in 15th place with 6 wins, 4 draws, and 11 losses, lost to Yokohama FM in the last match. However, in Sec. 19, they managed to win against the higher-ranked Kashima, showcasing their boldness and resilience. Led by FW Varey, the three forwards, as well as the midfielders and side backs, aggressively push forward. At the same time, their intense pressing from the front is also a notable characteristic. Given the expected fast-paced transitions between offense and defense, Tokyo aims to avoid being outpaced, breaking through from the sides and launching attacks from midfield.

　Tokyo started with Lucas as the lone striker, and Baba made his first start in five matches as the attacking midfielder. Left midfielder Toda and defensive midfielder Miura both returned to play since the match against Hiroshima on July 29, Sec. 16. Center backs Jean and Fujiyama paired up, while left back Inoha, who just returned from abroad the day before yesterday, took the position. Today, the annual "Brazil Festival" is being held. Amidst the lingering humidity, the match at home Ajinomoto Stadium, which is the first since the Hiroshima game, kicked off at 18:34 with Kofu's kickoff.

In just 15 minutes, we conceded 3 goals in quick succession...

　Dominated the ball from the start and took the initiative. Toda boldly aimed for the back, and Inoha also advanced, approaching the Kofu goal from the side. In the 8th minute, Toda attempted a dribble breakthrough into the left area. In the 11th minute, Inoha made a left cross, but it did not reach the central Toda, and the opposing DF cleared it for a corner kick. From here, Lucas took a header shot, but it was blocked by the Kofu DF. In the 20th minute, Ishikawa, who initiated from the right side, was fouled and earned a free kick. Jean competed with a header, resulting in a left corner kick. Following that, Toda picked up a clearance from the opposing DF in their territory and charged towards the goal. He was thwarted by the opposing GK's advance, resulting in a right corner kick. Jean connected with a header, but just missed the timing and did not hit. Although chances were created repeatedly from set plays, none were able to break through the goal.

　On the other hand, Kofu thoroughly aimed for solid defense and quick counterattacks. Tokyo found themselves countered after losing possession, and in the 6th and 18th minutes, FW Valey broke through the front line and took shots. Both were saved neatly by Doi. In the 23rd minute, Kofu gradually approached the Tokyo goal from the left side, and from a throw-in, Kofu FW Cabore delivered a cross. Tokunaga managed to clear it to a corner kick, but the clearance from this left corner kick floated high in the area. Kofu FW Cabore, waiting on the right side of the area, executed a direct volley and allowed the first goal.

　Tokyo wanted to calmly launch a counterattack, but in the 31st minute, a free kick from the right side by Kofu led to a decision that Fujiyama had fouled Kofu FW Yamazaki in the area, resulting in a penalty kick. This was neatly converted by FW Varey, resulting in the loss of the second goal. Perhaps shaken by this setback, in the 38th minute, Tokyo allowed Kofu FW Varey to make a run down the right side. Jean chased after him, and Fujiyama, who switched marks in the area, closely defended, but a highly accurate shot was taken, and the ball went into the bottom right corner. The third goal was conceded due to FW Varey's individual skill.

　Tokyo conceded three goals in a span of 15 minutes. Still, they aimed to score at least one goal and headed towards the Kofu goal. In the 41st minute, Baba's left cross saw Toda make a timely run, but he couldn't get a shot off. In the 42nd minute, they earned a free kick directly in front of the goal. Baba aimed directly at the goal, winning a left corner kick, but they couldn't convert it into a finish. In the 44th minute, Miura's long-range shot was also caught by the opposing GK. Ultimately, they went into halftime without scoring.

Lucas strikes back, but suffers a third consecutive defeat

　In the second half, Miura and Toda were replaced by Kurizawa and Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi was positioned up front, while Kurizawa was placed on the left side, forming a setup with Kajiyama as the lone defensive midfielder, increasing the attack and taking risks. This strategy seemed to pay off, as in the 47th minute, Fujiyama made a long feed from the right side of his own half to the front line. The opposing defender's header went backwards, and the Kofu goalkeeper rushed out. In response, Lucas skillfully controlled the ball just as it was about to drop. He slotted it into the empty net, scoring a goal early in the second half!

　Tokyo wanted to regain momentum with this opportunity, but Kofu defended tenaciously and launched quick counterattacks, maintaining their rhythm. The game continued with a fast pace of transitions between offense and defense. In the 60th minute, Baba's left corner kick was met by Jean's header, but it just went over the bar. In the 64th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side and delivered a superb cross to Kawaguchi at the far post. However, he couldn't take the shot, and the defense blocked it. Lucas's decisive shot on the rebound went over the bar...

　In the 65th minute, Abe was brought on to replace Baba. Lucas was positioned just behind the forwards, but in a shape close to a three-top formation, with both sides, Ishikawa and Kurizawa, pushing forward aggressively to launch a fierce counterattack. In the 67th and 68th minutes, there were consecutive corner kick opportunities. In the 72nd minute, Kajiyama aimed directly for a free kick slightly to the right in the opponent's half, but it went well over the bar. In the 77th minute, after earning a free kick just to the right of the area, Lucas passed to Kajiyama, who then passed back to Lucas for a shot. In the 81st minute, Abe received a vertical pass from Inoha. He boldly charged towards the goal and took a daring shot from the left side of the area, but it just barely crossed the goal. In stoppage time, Lucas took a header shot from Tokunaga's early cross, but unfortunately it went just to the left.

　In the latter part of the second half, we spent most of the match in the Kofu territory and created decisive chances, but every shot missed the target... Despite having six corner kick opportunities in the second half, we couldn't score and the match ended without adding another goal. We lost 1 to 3, marking our third consecutive defeat following the matches against Shimizu and Cerezo Osaka.

　[Player Comments]《Lucas》"I was looking forward to today at the annual Brazil Festival. I worked hard in the match and created chances, but today was not 'FC Tokyo Day.' I'm very disappointed that we couldn't win on such a special day."《Jean》"Today, Kofu played well. Tokyo created many chances, but we couldn't score. I'm sorry we couldn't put on a good match in front of the supporters who gathered for the Brazil Festival. I'll do my best in the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "Today was a game that made us keenly realize that 'soccer is difficult.' In the first half, we wanted to press and win the ball up front to launch quick attacks, but the two center backs were skillfully challenged with dribbling and such. Because of that, the marking on FW Mobara was lax, and from there, we were broken down. Even so, there were periods when we were attacking to some extent, and we had decisive chances like corner kicks, but we couldn't convert them. On the contrary, we conceded the first goal from a set piece and gave away a penalty for the second goal, which was the opposite of our intentions. Especially, the marking on FW Valer was very loose, and in the end, we were undone by his individual skill. Although we always give instructions about marking, we couldn't respond properly today. Because the marking on the FW was loose, the second line was also left free. From the second half, we took risks to attack in order to score, but we only managed to get one goal."

　[Summary of Coach Oki's Press Conference at Kofu] "It was very good to have earned 3 points. Although we conceded one goal under tough circumstances, I think we can say the team did well to not concede more. However, there are ways to cope during difficult times. I have told the players this, but they couldn't do it. For example, they panicked over a single mistake, and when tired, their thinking stopped working, and they didn't know where to position themselves. It's precisely when tired that good positioning can help escape trouble, but they couldn't do that. I felt it was probably due to lack of experience. Still, earning 3 points will lead to the next step. Sometimes the content is better when we lose, but winning means playing this kind of game, I think. The reason for putting in DF Nasu was to counter Lucas. We tried to stop Lucas when he dropped back a line and made a run forward. MF Tsurumi was brought in to cover the gap left when DF Nasu was taken off because DF Alair cramped. The aim of the new 3-top lineup today was to make the most of everyone. I think they worked hard, but I felt we are still far from surpassing the opponent."