J1 Resumes! A match aiming for consecutive victories following the Sendai game

After an interval of about two weeks, the J1 League resumes. It is the match of Sec. 6 of the 2nd Stage, facing Ventforet Kofu away.

During the break, in addition to participating in a friendly match in Germany, the team engaged in training camps and practice matches domestically. The Japan national team players Morishige, Ota, and Yonemoto prepared for the East Asian Cup, and it can be said that each spent time "growing individually (Takahashi)" in their respective places. Hashimoto expressed his determination, saying, "In Germany, I felt challenges regarding the strength and precision of the opponent's play. Conversely, as we took a 2-goal lead, I believe there were aspects that worked well as a team. I want to remember those experiences and bring them back to the daily training ground to continue growing." Each player will consolidate what they have developed and challenge the league again.

Gonda and Ota are absent from Tokyo. Therefore, Enomoto will start as the goalkeeper. Hatano (U-18) will be on the bench for the first time. Morishige, Yonemoto, who just returned from the national team, and Takahashi, who has completed his suspension, will return to the starting lineup. Matsuda will continue as the right back following the Frankfurt match, with Tokunaga on the left and Maruyama as center back. Takahashi and Yonemoto will form a double pivot. Up front, Maeda and Nathan BURNS will be the two strikers. Hanyu and Azuma will play on the sides in a 4-4-2 formation. This will be BURNS' first start in J-League.

On the other hand, Kofu is currently in 13th place in the 2nd stage. So far, they have 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 losses, with the losses all being by a one-goal margin. They have conceded only 4 goals, boasting a solid defense. In matches during the 1st stage and the Nabisco Cup, Tokyo won by a one-goal margin, but if the score remains 0-0 for an extended period, Kofu may take control of the pace. Particularly at Yamanashi Chugin Stadium, the last two seasons have ended in draws, and they have not been able to secure a win. To achieve victory, it will be crucial to patiently suppress the opponent's counterattacks while finding a way to score the first goal and gain an advantage.

Kofu will start with FW Vare and FW Takuma ABE. They will focus on counterattacks starting from them, aiming to break through the opponent's solid defense and pursue consecutive victories following the match against Sendai.

Despite the cloudy sky, the muggy heat remains in Kofu, at Yamanashi Chugin Stadium, starting with Tokyo's kickoff at 19:04.

Tokyo controls the ball and boldly attacks, but... goes into the second half scoreless

The match is in the early 7 minutes. On the right side, Hanyu, followed by forwards Barnes and Maeda, press Kofu one after another. The loose ball is sent to the center by Riki MATSUDA, who had pushed up, but it doesn't reach Maeda. After that, they struggled to create chances, but in the 15th minute, Tokunaga initiates an attack on the left front line. Here, he is surrounded by the opposing defenders and loses the ball, allowing Kofu to quickly move from the defensive line to the front line. FW Bare is about to receive the ball, but Maruyama, followed by Yonemoto, presses back, demonstrating strength and successfully regaining possession.

In the 23rd minute, Yonemoto sent a floating ball to the forward Anton BURNS. Burns tried to control it and turn, but the ball was knocked away by a Kofu defender. However, Hanyu followed up with a right cross. Once again, the loose ball was pounced on by Takahashi, who was just in front of the area, and he took a volley with a low trajectory from distance, but it was blocked in the crowded area up front.

In the 24th minute. The opponent's counterattack. FW Varey runs forward, but there is no support, and they reconnect before finally delivering a right cross.
Tokyo took control, but there was a clash between Tokunaga and Kofu MF Hashizume in front of the goal, causing a temporary stoppage in the match. Both players left the pitch for a moment, but Tokunaga returned without serious injury. Kofu's MF Hashizume was substituted for FW Ito due to a concussion. After 35 minutes, Tokyo dominated possession. They held the initiative and made various challenges, but they were unable to break through Kofu's defense, which was heavily reinforced.

In the 38th minute, they did not miss Kofu's mistake in their own territory and launched a counterattack. Higashi passed to Nathan BURNS, who dropped it, and then Takahashi spread it to the right. While increasing the number of players in the front line and showing intensity, Hanyu made a speedy right cross, but the ball went over the goal.

As time passed, Tokyo controlled the ball and made various challenges towards the goal. However, they could not break through Kofu's defensive numbers. Just before the end of the first half, Kofu launched a powerful attack, but Tokyo calmly repelled it, heading into the second half scoreless.

Concentrate on defending Takahashi's goal, centered around Enomoto!

Entering the second half, 54 minutes. Nathan BURNS created space near the right corner of the area, then cut inside and delivered a sharp, low cross. Higashi headed it just past the far post, but it was blocked by the crossbar... In the following 59 minutes, Maeda in the center exchanged passes with BURNS in front, then switched to the right, where Matsuda delivered a right cross. With several players in the area, Maeda, BURNS, Takahashi, and Higashi jumped in from the far side, but they couldn't connect...

In the 62nd minute, they attacked by building up from the side and increasing their numbers in the area. Hanyu, in the center of the area, aimed for a shot after the ball spilled out from the scramble, but was blocked by Kofu... However, Takahashi, who rushed in on the loose ball, found the opening and scored with a controlled mid-range shot! GOAL!!
In the 71st minute, a feed found Burns, who broke through the opponent's defense. Nathan BURNS escaped into the right area and took a precise shot that went under the far net, but... it was barely touched by the Kofu GK, resulting in a corner kick to the left...

With 80 minutes gone, Kofu makes a substitution to add power to their attack. In response, Tokyo tends to be pushed back. Without falling too far back into defense, they aim for a counterattack by exploiting the opponent's gaps. In the 83rd minute, Kofu forward Takuma ABE makes a move, allowing entry into the left area. Matsuda, who faced him, and then the substitute Hashimoto, who covered, slid in but the ball spilled out again in front of Kofu forward ABE. From close range in the left area, a decisive shot was taken, but Enomoto saved it with one hand!! After that, they were repeatedly threatened by corners and other attacks, but everyone managed to hold on somehow.

Although they struggled against Kofu's solid defense, they continued to challenge and Takahashi scored the opening goal in the 62nd minute. In the final stages, they made aggressive substitutions, but they were often pushed back by Kofu, who increased their counterattack power. However, centered around goalkeeper Enomoto, they maintained their focus, held on, and the time was up. They secured a valuable away victory together, achieving consecutive wins following the Sendai match.

[Player Comments]
《Takahashi》
"We were able to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. In the second half, when the opponent's legs started to tire, we were able to push forward and attack.
(It seemed like a goal created by several players running into the box...?)
Players Matsuda and Higashi are good at crosses, so they were discussing with players Hanyu and Yonemoto before the match about how to pick up the second ball against opponents who are wary of target player Maeda. My shooting scene was also aimed in the same way, as Hanyu was closing in on the previous play.
(Did he run to the supporters beyond the sign?)
Actually, a child was born during the Frankfurt match, and we had talked about celebrating if a goal was scored, but Maeda forgot about it (laughs). So, he was aiming for a goal in the Kofu match as well. This time, everyone celebrated, so I was happy.

《Enomoto》
"(I think it's difficult to respond to the occasional pinch when the opponent has few shots, right?)
In situations where the ball doesn't come, it's hard to find my rhythm, but I always try to be prepared to respond to all situations. In fact, it's better for the team when there are fewer shots, so today I think we were able to thoroughly manage risks while communicating with the DF line. We were able to defend well, including the midfield players, against potential counter-attack threats.
(Regarding the play where I deflected the shot from Kofu FW Abe with one hand just before the end of the second half)
I could see that he reacted faster than other players and slipped behind the DF line, so I was able to narrow the angle. Even though it was from a position with no angle, I held back from moving first and reacted to the ball."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference】
"I am satisfied. We were able to break through from the sides, and the match went as we had prepared. In the first half, I think we struggled a bit because Kofu pressed back well and their positioning was good. Kofu defends well as a team and has a real mentality. They didn't give us space easily. In the second half, we were able to concentrate more and created many dangerous scenes even before scoring. After taking the lead, there was also a decisive chance for Nathan BURNS. I think today was an important victory. This means that we were able to demonstrate the content we have built up over time. When fighting against a team like Kofu, if we cannot show patience and mentality throughout the 90 minutes, we cannot achieve victory. In that sense, today was a meaningful win."
(About GK Enomoto)
"He made a wonderful save at the end. He was prepared. Not only that, but I believe he is a GK with a wonderful personality. He has abundant experience and supports both the GK team and field players regularly. Today, he may not have had many opportunities to get involved with the ball or make saves, but being able to deliver results even in limited opportunities is proof of his ability.

[Summary of the press conference by Coach Satoru SAKUMA of Kofu]
"A lot of supporters came out despite the heat. We lost to Matsumoto in the last home game, and today we couldn't secure 3 points either. It's disappointing, and I feel sorry about it. Regarding the match, FC Tokyo is a team with a solid defensive organization under Massimo FICCADENTI. In today's meeting, we discussed that while we had few shots, Tokyo also had few shots overall. Therefore, we anticipated a match where both teams would focus on defense and it would become a stalemate. That turned out to be the case. However, in the first half, when MF Hashizume was substituted due to an accident, the defense on the right side became a bit loose, which I think gave the opponent some attacking opportunities. Even so, finishing the match 0-0 was in line with our game plan. However, Tokyo's Nathan BURNS and Maeda didn't stay deep; they came down from a near-zero top position. Despite being in a 'dropping state', our DF line maintained its position throughout both halves. This is partly due to the absence of DF Yamamoto, but at halftime, we talked about being a bit more compact in controlling the line against back passes and sideways passes. At the start of the second half, the line was still too deep, and we were hit with balls several times, leading to a shot from a second ball. It was very disappointing as we were caught in the area we had been concerned about since the first half, which led to conceding a goal."