League Final Match! Aim for 3 points as a team!

　The final match of the league will be an away game against Ventforet Kofu. In the previous match against Omiya, we suffered a comeback loss due to the opponent's determination to avoid relegation. Each player has vowed to not let it end like this and promised to fight with a strong determination to win. We want to unite as a team and aim for victory with our strong soccer momentum.

　Tokyo will face Kofu, who were confirmed to be in 17th place in the previous round and have been relegated to J2. It may be difficult to maintain motivation in this situation, but they will not give up until the end and will aim for a victory at home. Manager Hara also warned, "Kofu will show more of their own style of football now that their position has been decided." It is expected that they will use a pressing strategy to steal the ball and quickly connect passes in tight spaces. In response, Tokyo will try to counter in tight situations, which plays into the opponent's hands. The key will be to use the width of the pitch, control the ball with Baba and Kajiyama, and then launch attacks from the front and sides.

　Tokyo will avoid playing with Kurihara's right foot injury. Instead, Norio Suzuki will start. Kajiyama also continues to adjust separately due to a bruise on his right thigh, but will start. Manager Hara reflects, "In the Omiya game, we were able to pass the ball, but we had few chances to finish. As a result, we were caught on the counter." He emphasizes the importance of fixing this issue and connecting it to goals. We want to grab the momentum by not losing in the midfield battle and sticking to Tokyo's style. We aim for a battle that will lead to the future and want to take victory with passion and determination.

　The match started at 14:34 with Kofu's kickoff at the Kose Sports Park Athletics Stadium.

Despite being on the defensive against Kofu's momentum, they managed to end the first half without conceding any goals.

　Kofu, who surpassed the speed of the start of the match, completely controlled the rhythm. In the 7th minute, Kofu's left FK by MF Onishi was cleared by Shigetaka. It escapes to CK. In the 11th minute, the ball from the right FK was freely combined with FW Shigehara in the far side, but this volley shot missed the frame by a large margin. In the 12th minute, it was taken away while trying to connect inside the Tokyo camp, and Kofu FW Hanechi quickly passed into the area. Shigehara broke through and became 1-on-1 with the GK, but Shioda quickly jumped out and cut the ball, escaping the pinch with a fine play.

　Tokyo presses and takes the ball, but at the moment of trying to connect, it is taken back and cannot control the ball. And then, they are attacked by Kofu, and the cycle of stopping with fouls and giving set piece opportunities continues. Still, they do not lose focus in defense, and there are also fine plays by Shioda, and they do not allow any goals. In the 27th minute, Kofu FW Hagi receives a through ball and passes it to FW Shigehara on the right. He takes a shot from inside the right area, but once again, Shioda makes a great save.

　As the time of patience continues, the shape of the attack gradually begins to take form after 30 minutes. In the 31st minute, they took advantage of a loose ball in the Kofu defense and Inano sent a high pass to the front line. Norio Suzuki was free in the left area, but couldn't get a shot off before the Kofu defender quickly returned. In the 33rd minute, Lucas caught up to a ball sent from Kajiyama to the left front space and passed it to Noriyuki Suzuki. The cross hit a defender and resulted in a corner kick. Ishikawa's left corner kick was met by Inano, but his header didn't connect. In the 41st minute, Kawaguchi was substituted in for Baba, who had injured his right ankle. They formed a two-top with Lucas and focused on quick attacks using space instead of forcing passes. The rest of the first half was a back and forth battle, ending in a 0-0 tie.

Even through the struggles, we will finish the league with a victory!

　In the second half, Tokyo also struggled against Kofu's strength in ball control and quick switching, but they also had Lucas as the attacking midfielder and Kawaguchi as the lone striker, with Kawaguchi running into the left and right spaces and gradually creating chances from there. In the 53rd minute, Kawaguchi was fouled after cutting inside from the right flank, earning a free kick in the left corner of the area. Ishikawa's free kick was blocked by the wall, but the ball was connected and sent to the center, where Suzuki Nori took a shot from the chaos in front of the goal. However, it missed above the frame. In the 56th minute, Kawaguchi persistently won a corner kick on the right side despite colliding with Kofu's defenders. Ishikawa's corner kick was initially cleared, but Kajiyama connected with the ball and dribbled into the center, where Kanazawa, who had moved up from the left, took a shot that went wide.

　Substituted Rychely for Kanazawa in the 61st minute. Starting to deploy wide attacks using his speed. In the 62nd minute, Ishikawa dropped a left cross from Rychely and Lucas ran in from behind for a shot. The shape was there, but there was no momentum and the GK caught it. In the 67th minute, Kajiyama → Lucas → Rychely passed from the counter and dribbled up from the front of the area for a middle shot, but it went over the frame. In the 70th minute, Ishikawa flew out to the front line from Fujiyama's pass and it became a CK from the cross. From here, they persistently picked up the second ball and attacked into the Kofu territory. However, Ishikawa, who had closed in on the goal, was too close to the GK and couldn't finish the shot. From there, they picked up the loose ball again and connected, but in the end, Kajiyama's through pass went out of bounds.

　Both teams launched quick attacks and engaged in a counter battle towards the end. In the 80th minute, Tokyo's Kawaguchi broke through on the right side and sent in a sharp cross. However, Rychely and Lucas were unable to connect in front of the goal. Kofu's Yamazaki broke through to the front of the goal with a vertical pass. The GK saved the 1-on-1 shot, but before that, Yamazaki's play was called for a foul. The GK was injured, but returned immediately. As the back-and-forth battle continued, in the 86th minute, Rychely on the left side passed to Tokunaga on the right, who dribbled up and sent a through pass to the front line. Lucas, who had broken through, was fouled in the area and a PK was awarded. In the 87th minute, Lucas himself scored the PK and finally took the lead.

　Still, Kofu keeps attacking without giving up. In the 88th minute, a decisive header from DF Akimoto is saved by Shioda, preserving the goal. In the 89th minute, Asari is substituted for Kajiyama to strengthen the defense. Kofu continues to send crosses into the box and attack with numbers, but they hold on to the one goal scored by Lucas' penalty kick, and win the final match. They finish the season in 12th place.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"We were held scoreless until the tough time, but we were able to score an important goal and win. Kofu had a higher motivation than expected, but it was good that we were able to endure in the first half. In the second half, with Nobu and Rychely coming in, we were able to put more players on offense and move forward. In the end, Kofu's stamina dropped and we were able to create chances as well. (Did you run to Coach Hara right after the goal?) Not just me, but all the players on the team are grateful to Coach Hara. I wanted to express that feeling, but even if someone other than me scored, I'm sure they would have run to the coach."《Shioda》"This victory was thanks to everyone's perseverance. I think the mentality of enduring and not giving up and heading towards the goal was the key factor in being able to win a tough game. In the first half, we tried to take the ball from the front, but Kofu easily kept possession in the front line. As a result, we became stretched out. In the second half, we were able to compact ourselves and create chances. (There were many fine plays, weren't there?) Recently, Fuji-san told me, 'You don't have any luck,' so I'm glad I was stopped (laughs). Looking back on this season's league, there were many things that happened, but I was happy to have support even in difficult times. We didn't have enough strength and ended up with this result, but I am proud to have fought with this team. The Emperor's Cup is a tournament, so we just want to focus on winning. In order to do that, we need to raise the quality of our play and fight with the determination to win even in tough situations like today."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Although Kofu has been relegated to J2, today was the final match of the J1 league, so I thought we would show our Kofu style and I told the players that as well. I think today's match was exactly that. Kofu played to their strengths, with quick attacks through short passes. We had talked about responding to that by playing the same way and quickly spreading the ball to the sides when we won possession. However, even though we knew that, it didn't work out well due to the opponent's pressure. Baba injured his ankle in the first half and it seemed difficult for him, so I substituted him. I instructed Kawaguchi to make runs into space and to send the ball there when we won it. That changed the pace of the game. As for defense, it seemed like we were still carrying the unpleasant feeling from the last match against Omiya, but Shioda did a good job leading the defense. Especially in the first half, he defended well. I think Kofu played really great soccer. Kajiyama had a slight bruise from practice, so he wasn't in top form. However, at halftime we made adjustments regarding his partnership with Konno and the distance between them, and I think he played better in the second half. We were able to score with a penalty kick at the end, and I'm glad we could end the final match with a victory. (What is your overall assessment of this year?) If I talk about that, it will become really long (laughs). We couldn't achieve the results that the fans were expecting, and that's very regrettable. However, with injured players and those away on national team duty, the remaining players were able to compete fiercely and each one was able to grow. This will definitely lead to the future. The league season is over, but the Emperor's Cup is still ongoing, so we will continue to do our best."

　[Summary of Kofu Coach Ogi's Press Conference] "We wanted to score in the first half. That led to Tokyo's comeback in the second half. It ended up being the same result as last week. The league season is over, but we are still in the Emperor's Cup, so we will do our best. I am very grateful to all the fans. I think the club has grown, including the club staff and sponsors. Also, I think it is my asset that I have been able to meet many people, including the players."