Home Opening Match, Chasing Victory

Ventforet Kofu will face off against Sec. 2 at Ajinomoto Stadium for their home opener.
The opening match against Kashiwa ended in a draw, but we put up a fight that was appropriate for the situation. In order to make the one point we earned away from home valuable, we want to maintain our attitude of not giving up until the end and go for all three points at home.

This week, Morishige and Gonda will be active as members of the Japan national team until the 5th. They will only have two days of practice in Tokyo. Additionally, Hirao and Yukino have been called up to the U-22 selection team for the first section of the J3 league this season, and will be heading to their activities. The starting lineup for this section will be the same as the one for the Kashiwa game. On the other hand, Yonemoto, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, and goalkeeper Koi will be on the bench.

Kofu, who is entering their third season under coach Shirofuku, faced their opening match at the National Stadium due to snow affecting their home stadium. Despite losing 4 goals to Kashima, coach Massimo stated, "Until we conceded the first goal, Kofu was functioning well both offensively and defensively. I believe that is our true strength and our opponents are not easy to beat."

Kofu will use FW Morita at the forefront this round and a 3-4-3 formation with new signing FW Cristiano and Shimoda as shadows. They are a team that excels in moving the ball and has high individual tenacity and defensive awareness, making them a strong defensive team. For Tokyo, the key will be how to break through this. They want to surpass Kofu by increasing unity among all players and reducing mistakes, and lead to victory.

The wind at Ajinomoto Stadium is cold, despite the calm and sunny weather. The match started at 3:03 PM with a kickoff by Kofu.

Edu scores first goal! Bold attitude brings first point

Kofu created a chance right after the start. Right MF Fukuda crossed to central FW Cristiano who headed it. He was left free to shoot, but the shot was caught firmly by Kanda. Tokyo, in the 5th minute, exchanged passes between Watanabe and Higashio on the right side, and midfielder Takahashi passed to the front line. Edu, who had moved around from the right to the center, received the ball and dribbled out to take a middle shot. The ball was blocked by the opponent's DF, but the ball changed course and rolled to the feet of Kofu's GK. It seemed like it was caught once, but the ball that slipped from the GK's hands rolled back and into the goal. Edu's bold attitude created his first goal since joining and gave the lead.

Took the lead in the early hours and then settled into a calm game. There were moments when the ball was allowed to be held in the Kofu DF line, but they did not carry the ball forward and safely progressed the game. However, Tokyo dominated the ball but lacked coordination and connection, and could not create chances. In the 20th minute, Muto broke through the left side, shook off the opponent's DF and advanced powerfully. He broke through to the line and sent a minus pass to Edu in the center of the area, but it was slightly off target.

In the 33rd minute, Kaga stole the opponent's ball and quickly connected with Edu, Watanabe, and Muto from their own half. East put in a right cross, but there weren't enough players in the center and no one touched it. In the 35th minute, Kofu FW Morita received a vertical pass and turned to shoot. It missed the frame, but towards the end, Kofu was able to connect passes at a good tempo and find their rhythm. However, they were unable to finish. In first half additional time, Takahashi → Mita → left Muto became the starting point, and they connected with Ota who had gone up on the outside with a heel. Ota used his speed to cut through the side and made a final pass to Watanabe in front of the goal. They created a decisive opportunity, but Watanabe's shot was blocked by Kofu's DF sliding.
In the end, both teams ended the first half with two shots each, maintaining a one-point lead as they headed into the second half.

Conceded a goal in response to Kofu's counterattack, ending in a draw

In the early stages of the second half, Tokyo launches a strong attack similar to the Kashiwa match. In the 46th minute, Higashi reacts to the loose ball sent by Morishige to the front line. He takes a direct shot from just outside the area. In the 47th minute, Mita → Mutoh sprints down the left side. He enters the area and faces the defender, cutting inside and creating a scoring opportunity. Although he slips just before taking the shot and cannot finish it, he persists and picks up the rebound, and Takahashi takes a powerful shot from the left side, hitting the post...

Kofu made a substitution for MF Mizuno in the 58th minute. In the 61st minute, Tokyo also made a substitution, with Ishikawa replacing Watanabe. In the following 63rd minute, Takahashi, Mita, and Mutoh connected with each other on the left side, and Ota crossed the ball. The ball drifted to the far side, where Higashi collected it near the right area and took a shot, but it was saved by the GK's outstretched hand. In the 65th minute, they had back-to-back chances from corner kicks, but they were unable to capitalize on them.

In the second half, Kofu pressed aggressively from the front line, but the Tokyo DF responded firmly and did not allow them to enter dangerous areas. However, in the 72nd minute, on a right throw-in for Kofu, MF Mizuno's long throw was headed down by FW Cristiano and MF Marquinhos Parana ran in to take a shot. It hit the left post, but the rebound was taken by MF Mizuno again and crossed. From there, FW Cristiano, with his back to the goal, scored with a bicycle kick...and they conceded a goal.

Substitute Muto with Yonemoto immediately after conceding. Form a double pivot with Takahashi, and have Higashi and Ishikawa on both sides. Then, in the 80th minute, bring in Hirayama. We aimed for a comeback in a total team effort, but Yonemoto and Ishikawa's shots in the final moments missed the target. We were caught off guard in a moment of hesitation and ended up with a disappointing draw at home.


[Player Comments]
"<Edu>"
"I could hear the voices of many fans and supporters at home. I am happy to have their support. It wasn't a great goal, but it still counts as a score. I feel like we finally opened the door, so I want to score more goals from now on. The next game is away, but I want to grab a victory to continue our fight in the future."

《Mori Shige》
"It would have been good if we could have ended with a 1-0 score, but we conceded a goal in the second half when our pace dropped. If we had scored an additional goal earlier, it would have been easier. We took the lead, but we also ended up slowing down our own pace. We couldn't press the ball well and ended up spending a lot of time defending, which allowed Kofu to attack. I think we need to increase the number of times we go for the ball ourselves."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We were able to do what we wanted in the first half, and we were even better in the second half. After conceding a goal and being tied, we became too aggressive in wanting to score a second goal as a team. I think it was necessary for the whole team to stay calm and maintain balance from there. It's a shame we couldn't win for the fans, supporters, and everyone involved in the club who created a wonderful atmosphere at the stadium. However, it's still early in the season, so we will plant what we need to do from here and I believe we can achieve results that will make everyone happy."

[Kofu - Hiroshi JOFUKU Press Conference Summary]
"Due to the snow, we were unable to practice much this week, and the already difficult 2-week pre-season has been extended. However, this allowed us to focus on getting the team ready for the opening game, rather than dwelling on the shock of the loss. Yesterday, MF Elsinho got injured and we had to change the lineup, but the players did what they had to do. It was great to have many supporters come from Yamanashi and to be able to earn 1 point with them. However, if we want to be a team that can win when we do what we need to do, we cannot get caught up in a tough relegation battle like last season. We want to be a team that creates more chances than our opponents and earns 3 points."