The Nabisco Cup resumes, and we want to regain our momentum and confidence.

As we face another series of matches, the Nabisco Cup resumes. In the qualifying league Sec. 5, we will take on Ventforet Kofu at Ajinomoto. In the previous league match, we suffered a heavy defeat with 4 goals conceded against Urawa. However, we want to regroup here and put an end to the losing streak. At the same time, Coach Massimo and the players say, "The Nabisco Cup is also an important tournament for us. We will treat each match with care as we aim for victory." After finishing Sec. 3 with 7 points, Tokyo is at the top of Group A, and if we earn 3 points in this match, we will be significantly closer to advancing in the group stage. This is a match where the entire team aims for victory.

However, in this match, Tokunaga, Kono, and Canini will be absent. Therefore, Matsuda will make his first start of the season as the right side back. Maruyama will be used as a starter in the center back position. In midfield, Takahashi will play as the anchor, with Yonemoto and Mita. Up front, we will have Muto and Maeda as the two strikers. Higashi will be positioned as the attacking midfielder.

Kofu, on the other hand, has only managed 1 point after 3 rounds in the Nabisco Cup, placing them in 7th. They have also not been able to escape the bottom of the league, but after a change in management, Coach Satoru SAKUMA has taken charge and secured a victory in the last match after three games. Kofu will also rotate their squad this round, with new forward Vare missing. The only player who started in the last league match is defender Arai, but they will also come with a strong determination to seize their chances and aim for victory.

Especially, Kofu played in a 3-4-2-1 formation, and during the league's 1st match (April 4, Sec. 4), they maintained possession and counterattacked, causing difficulties. Tokyo aims to break through their solid defense by persistently suppressing Kofu's wide-based attacks and utilizing crosses from both sides.

Even after the sun sets, the humidity remains at Ajinomoto, and the match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

From a set piece, Muto scores the opening goal

From the beginning, Tokyo dominated possession of the ball. They connected passes and advanced the game into Kofu's territory, frequently earning corner and free kick opportunities. In the 11th minute, Muto moved inside from the left side, trying to create a play with Higashi and Mita, but they couldn't finish, so they spread the ball to the opposite side where Ota delivered a cross. Takahashi attempted to run onto Kofu's clearance but couldn't control it, allowing Kofu to launch a counterattack. Kofu's right forward Horigome sprinted down the side with the ball. He brought it in a step and took a shot, but it lacked power, and Gonda caught it easily.

Tokyo also attacked from both sides. In the 16th minute, Matsuda made an early cross. Yonehito pressed after the opponent's defender cleared the ball, and after trapping it with his left foot, he took a direct shot with his right foot, but it just went over the bar. In the 27th minute, while the battle for the ball continued, Morishige intercepted and pushed the team forward, but he couldn't connect with Yonehito in front, leading to a counterattack from Kofu. The ball was quickly spread to the right side, where midfielder Matsumoto aimed for a long shot, but it went wide. Kofu, although not very precise, managed to create finishing opportunities effectively.

In the 33rd minute, Higashi received a diagonal pass from Ota on the left side and advanced into the area. Mutou, positioned deeper, aimed for a vertical pass into the area but was blocked. Mita rushed in for the loose ball and attempted a direct shot from the center of the area, but it was blocked again. The time without a shot continued, but in the 40th minute, Higashi passed to Ota, who overlapped. Mutou, in front of the goal, headed the cross but it went over the bar.

Although time passed without capitalizing on the chances during the flow of the game, in the 41st minute, a free kick was earned on the right side of the midfield. From a quick restart, Mita passed to Morishige, who delivered an early cross. The ball went over the center of the area and headed towards the far side, where Muto in the left area connected with a direct shot using his left foot for the GOAL!! Finally taking the lead just before the end of the first half, the team headed into the second half with an advantage.

Tied in the final moments, but took the lead in injury time!

In the early stages of the second half, Tokyo took control and aimed for additional goals mainly through crosses and set plays. In the 49th minute, Matsuda was fouled on the left side, resulting in a free kick. Mori-shige sent the ball to Mita on the right flank, and Matsuda made a run up high, delivering a shot-like ball in front of the goal, but the Kofu goalkeeper caught it. He couldn't connect with Maeda at the near post. In the 52nd minute, from a left throw-in, Yonemoto sent a quick early cross. Muuto broke through from behind Maeda in the center, but the sliding tackle just missed. In the 56th minute, Takahashi regained possession of the Kofu ball and spread it to the left. The cross from Azuma to Ota grazed the opposing defender and spilled to the free Maeda in the right area. However, there was a handball foul at the moment of the trap.

Gradually, Tokyo lost its rhythm due to a series of mistakes, while Kofu brought in FW Adriano in the 55th minute. This allowed them to seize the rhythm for a counterattack. In the 60th minute, they evaded the press from the front line and advanced to the right front. FW Adriano's right cross was cut by Morishige. In the 66th minute, Kofu's MF Shimoda made a one-touch vertical pass into the area. This allowed FW Adriano to break through behind the defense, and although he took a decisive shot from the right area, Morishige blocked the path, and Gonda made the save. In the 75th minute, Kofu's right-side MF Matsumoto sent a vertical pass to FW Horigome into the area, allowing FW Ito to break through behind the defense.

However, they did not allow a goal, but in the 85th minute, as their legs began to tire, a kick from Kofu's GK was dropped to the midfield FW Adriano, and FW Horigome spread it to the left. In response, MF Matsumoto sprinted down the left side at full speed and carried it into the left area. The Tokyo DF could not keep up. A shot was taken freely, resulting in a goal... They were unexpectedly equalized.

Still not giving up on victory, in the 87th minute, Hayashi was brought on to replace Higashi. This would prove effective. Just before the end of the 4 minutes of added time, from a pass by Yonemoto, Muto, who was marked by the opposing defender, was fouled and earned a free kick on the left side. From here, Ota sent a kick forward, which Hayashi headed in the right area. Muto reacted to the ball that flew to the bottom left of the goal. He quickly rushed out and, despite being blocked by the goalkeeper's save, pushed it in with his left foot for a goal! Immediately after, the time was up, and despite the struggle, they successfully secured a valuable 3 points. As a result, they accumulated 10 points and maintained the top position in the group.

[Player Comments]
《Hayashi》
"(Regarding participation) The flow was slightly leaning towards Kofu, so I thought we should apply pressure from the front. At that moment, we conceded a goal, and I wanted to make sure to capitalize on any chance we got. I moved to the right of the three forwards, aimed to get behind the opponent, and tried to take advantage of a chance by diving in from the opposite side for a cross. In the corner kick situation, I lost my marker and entered at the right timing. Winning today is the most important thing, but next time I want to score a goal."

Maruyama
"In the first half, I think we moved the ball well and defended effectively. However, in the second half, the atmosphere gradually became loose, and I felt the overall intensity dropped. We lost our focus at times, and during that period of relaxation, we conceded a goal. Those are significant points for reflection. However, it's rare to have a match that is 100 percent or perfect. I want to view the new challenges as positive gains and connect them to the next match."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"We were able to control the match until midway through the second half. However, this served as a good lesson that if we don't properly finish the game, situations like this can happen. There were several dangerous moments, including saves by Gonda, but throughout the 90 minutes, we created more chances, so I believe the content deserved the victory. The quality was good from the start, and in the end, luck was on our side. If possible, we had considered making early substitutions to rest players, but since the game was closely contested, it was not easy to make changes. The opponent ran without giving up until the very end, making it a tough match, but it is very bad to end a game like today’s, where we held the initiative, with a draw. Especially in the second half, the mindset of pressing from the front was too strong, leading to passing mistakes in midfield and creating large spaces. As a result, we faced Kofu’s fast counterattacks. Without mistakes, we wouldn’t have conceded, and I think we could have handled things a bit better. Still, it is important that we did not dwell on the league defeat and secured the win."

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Satoru SAKUMA of Kofu]
"We faced today with a short preparation period, and I feel disappointed that we couldn't deliver three points to the supporters who came to cheer for us away on a weekday. Our game plan in the first half was to aim for a 0-0 draw, but we made a silly mistake that led to a foul, and from that flow, we conceded a goal. In the second half, we had to score, so in addition to bringing on forward Adriano, we made adjustments by repositioning players. Today, we used players who had fewer chances until now, and I believe those who played understood the advantages and disadvantages of Tokyo's system and our system well, and they attacked with courage in the second half. What became clear today is that if we give a free kick to a top J1 team in the closing stages of the match, the likelihood of them scoring is high. I think the players were able to learn from this again. It's very disappointing, but I want to shift our focus to the league match against Sendai."