Focus on the upcoming match and aim for 3 points even away from home.

In the 30th round of the league, we will face Ventforet Kofu away. In the previous round against Niigata, we were able to endure and secure a victory with Ota's FK and Lucas' goal. It was a match where we were able to show the team's accumulation in terms of balance between offense and defense, and playing according to the situation. As Tokunaga says, "It is important to make decisions based on the situation and play according to the flow, regardless of the opponent's strategy or formation," we will continue to mature and focus on each match as we head towards the remaining 5 games.

Tokyo, who are currently in 15th place with 30 points, will face Kofu. Despite suffering 8 consecutive losses in the middle of the season, they were able to turn things around with the addition of FW PATRIC and MF Elsinho, as well as a change in formation to a 3-back. They have been able to defeat top teams such as C Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kashima, and have not suffered any losses since August. They have conceded a total of 39 goals, the same as Tokyo, and are currently in 5th place (tied with Tokyo and Niigata). However, in this match, FW PATRIC will be suspended and MF Hayu, who is on loan from Tokyo, will not be able to play. Despite being a lower-ranked team, they should not be underestimated.

Tokyo has welcomed back Hyun Soo JANG as center back. While the key point in attack will be how to break through the opponent's solid defense, Takahashi says, "It may not be easy to break through the 5-back, but I don't want to enter the game with the image of 'it's difficult to break through'. I want to continue doing things that the opponent dislikes, such as dynamic plays and quickly attacking the space between their DF and wing backs after winning the ball, not just passing."

In addition, it will be necessary to manage risks against Kofu's counter and switch to attack, and it will be necessary to read the flow throughout the game and respond flexibly based on past experiences. If we lose the first goal, there is a possibility that the defense will be further strengthened, so we want to take the lead and aim for victory. The match started at 13:04 in Tokyo at the Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium.

The game progressed under the opponent's pace from start to finish, conceding the first goal and turning it around.

Tokyo lacked aggressiveness from the start of the game and was forced to play defensively against Kofu's momentum. In the 4th minute, Kofu's MF Yamamoto sent a right FK to the front line, which was initially cleared but then picked up by MF Yamamoto again who took a shot at goal, but was caught by Gonda. In the 6th minute, Kofu's left side was taken by MF Elsinho, who was allowed to advance with a dribble and take a shot, but Gonda made the save. In the 15th minute, Kofu's FW Hiramoto was connected on the right side from a counter attack, but Tokyo's DF managed to hold them off.

Tokyo's tempo and passing are slow even when they take the ball, and they cannot create any rhythm due to counterattacks from Pazmis. Then, in the 28th minute, Kofu's right corner kick is cleared once, but the second ball is picked up by the right side MF Elsinho and crossed. The ball is headed in a low position in the center, but it goes off target. However, Kofu FW Hiramoto follows up from the far side and shoots from the left area. This results in conceding the first goal. They were unable to stop the continuous chances from Kofu's corner kicks.

After 30 minutes, Tokyo gradually started to pass the ball around. In the 31st minute, Yonemoto stole the ball near the area and dribbled forward on the right side. He sent a cross into the middle, Lucas let it through and Higashi took a shot, but the opponent's GK made a great save and it resulted in a corner kick. In the 45th minute, Takahashi received a pass from Lucas inside the area. Hasegawa stretched out his leg while losing his balance and took a direct shot, but it was saved by the GK. The first half ended with this score. They will have to come back from behind in the second half.

Despite creating numerous scoring opportunities, they were unable to finish and ended up with a draw.

In the second half, Tokyo quickly took control. In the 48th minute, Lucas broke through the opponent's DF and faced the GK in a 1-on-1 situation. He timed his shot with the bounce of the ball, but it went straight to the GK. In the 53rd minute, he intercepted the ball in the midfield. Watanabe, who was looking to counterattack, was fouled, but Hasegawa quickly made a move and passed to Lucas on the right. He then switched sides and tried to control the ball with a trap in the left area, but was blocked by the Kofu DF.

Kofu will defend with all members and aim for counterattacks. In the 62nd minute, Hirayama was substituted for Watanabe. In the 68th minute, Hirayama's shot hit the opponent's hand, resulting in a free kick from inside the penalty area. Ota pretended to take the kick, but it was actually Higashi who took the shot from behind, but it missed the target. In the 72nd minute, Tokunaga dribbled up the right side and crossed early. Higashi received the ball in front of the goal and controlled it with his chest, but his volley also missed the target. Immediately after, Vucicevic was substituted for Lucas.

The game continues completely in the Kofu team, and Tokyo continues to launch fierce attacks one after another. In the 77th minute, Ota's left cross finds East, who is free on the opposite side. He controls it and takes a shot, but is blocked by the defending DF who covered the goal. Then in the 80th minute, Tokunaga dribbles up and receives a return pass from East on the right front line, boldly taking a shot in the right area. The powerful shot grazes the left post and finds the net, equalizing the score with Tokunaga's first goal of the season.

Tokyo, who continued to push forward, substituted Kono for Higashi. In the 87th minute, a pass was sent to Kono who had run out to the left area, and he immediately turned towards the goal and attempted a direct shot, but it was blocked by the opposing GK who had come out. In the 89th minute, from Vucicevic's left corner kick, Takahashi near the goal redirected it, and Morishige's header from the far side hit the crossbar. The rebound was picked up by Hirayama who took a powerful shot from close range, but it was blocked by a last-ditch defensive effort right on the goal line. Although they managed to equalize, they were unable to score another goal against Kofu's solid defense and the game ended in a frustrating draw.


[Player Comments]

"Tokunaga"
"The shot went as planned. The opponent was defending deep, so I wanted to bring the ball up to a high position and make a run myself. There were also a few 2-on-1 situations with Keigo. I saw the opening and took the shot. There was no pressure from the opponent and I didn't put too much power into it. If I can relax and take shots like that, they will go into the goal. I think we were able to equalize and give the team momentum, but we couldn't turn it around."

《Yonemoto》
"The opponent will also come up with various countermeasures. So there are some things that can't be helped, but I think we could have come up with more ideas ourselves. We were being pushed back so much, so we were thinking of targeting the opponent's back from the first half. We were also thinking of picking up second balls and when we were able to steal them, it led to chances. However, in the first half, we were well contained by Kofu. Still, I thought we could push them back in the second half. It turned out that way and we were able to score one goal. But in that flow, we couldn't turn the game around..."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"Looking back on today's match, we couldn't get into the game for the first 30 minutes. Maybe it was because of the weather or we were still sleeping. I think that kind of expression applies. As for the following 60 minutes, we dominated the game and played aggressively. We were able to show the attitude of always aiming to win. I think the problem was that we were too passive in the first 30 minutes and conceded a goal during that time. We were able to equalize afterwards and even had a chance to turn the game around, but we couldn't finish our chances today."

There were also parts where luck seemed to have abandoned us. I think today was just one of those days. However, in the next game, we must raise the precision of our finishing chances as a team. We must continue to show our attitude of striving for victory until the end, and I believe that what we were able to express through our play will contribute to the future of Tokyo. Today, our desire for victory was strong, but looking back now, I feel like it may have been too strong and we were unable to control it. It is important to have a strong desire for victory, but it is also important to control ourselves in order to play efficiently and calmly on the pitch."


[Kofu Castle Fukutoku Press Conference Summary]
"We were able to play in front of a near-capacity crowd thanks to the support of many fans. It would be great if we could do this every game, but today the players showed their passion and I think we could have contributed to the excitement of soccer in this area if we had won. It's honestly disappointing that we couldn't finish with a win."

I admit that there were moments in the last 10 minutes where we were able to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line, but considering the clear difference in strength between us and the opponent in the previous match, our players have been training while facing various challenges since then. I thought they would be a great opponent to measure our progress since that game. Of course, there was a possibility of losing, but I also wanted to praise our players for their potential to win. They gave their all and I wanted to give them 3 points for their efforts."