J1 Restart! Aiming for a consecutive victory following the Sendai match

After a two-week interval, the J1 League resumed. The 2nd Stage Sec. 6 match was played away against Ventforet Kofu.

During the break period, they played friendly matches in Germany and also had training camps and practice matches in Japan. It can be said that Japan national team players Morishige, Ota, and Yonemoto spent their time at the East Asian Cup in each location, "growing individually (Takahashi)". Hashimoto said, "In Germany, I felt the challenges of the opponent's strength and accuracy. On the other hand, we were able to show what we are capable of as a team by taking a 2-0 lead. We want to bring those experiences back to the field every day and continue to grow." With each player bringing their own strengths together, they will once again challenge the league.

Tokyo will be without Genta and Ota. As a result, Enomoto will start as GK. Hatano (U-18) will be on the bench for the first time. Newly returned from national team duty, Morishige, Yonemoto, and the now available Takahashi will return to the starting lineup. In addition, following the Frankfurt match, Matsuda will play as right back, Tokunaga as left, and Maruyama as center back. Takahashi and Yonemoto will form a double pivot in midfield. Up front, Maeda and Nathan Burns will lead the line in a 4-4-2 formation. Hayashi and Higashi will play on the wings. This will be Burns' first start in the 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-point difference. They have only conceded a total of 4 goals, showing a strong defense. In previous matches in the 1st stage and Nabisco Cup, Tokyo won by a one-point difference, but if the game remains 0-0 for a long time, there is a possibility that Kofu will take control of the pace. Especially at Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium, they have ended in a draw for the past 2 seasons and have not been able to secure a win. In order to win, it will be key to persistently defend against the opponent's counterattacks and score the first goal to gain an advantage.

Kofu will start with FW Vale and FW Takuma ABE. They will take care of the counterattacks and aim for a consecutive victory following the Sendai match by breaking through the opponent's solid defense.

Despite the cloudy sky, the humid heat remains at 7:04 PM at Kofu Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium, with Tokyo kicking off in the evening.

Tokyo dominates the ball and makes bold moves...but it's still scoreless going into the second half.

The match was in the 7th minute of the first half. Hayashi on the right side, followed by Barnes and Maeda on the front line, put pressure on Kofu one after another. Matsuda, who was pushing up, sent the loose ball to the center, but it didn't reach Maeda. After that, they were unable to create any chances, but in the 15th minute, Tokunaga made a move on the left front line. He was surrounded by the opposing DF and lost the ball, and Kofu quickly moved up from the DF line to the front line. The ball almost ended up in the hands of FW Vale, but Maruyama and then Yonemoto pressed back and showed their strength to take it away.

At 23 minutes, Yonemoto floated a ball to the front line to Burns. Burns tried to control it and turn around, but was poked by the Kofu DF and the ball spilled out. However, Hayashi followed up with a right cross. In the crowded area in front of the goal, Takahashi closed in on the ball and took a low trajectory volley, but it was blocked by the congested front line.

24 minutes have passed. The opponent's counter attack. FW volley runs up front, but there is no support, and the ball is connected again and finally a right cross.
Tokyo held back, but Tokyo's MF Tokunaga and Kofu's MF Hashizume collided in front of the goal and the game was temporarily stopped. Both temporarily left the pitch, but Tokunaga returned without any serious injury. Kofu's MF Hashizume was substituted for FW Ito due to a concussion. After 35 minutes, Tokyo dominated the ball. They took the lead and repeated various challenges, but they were unable to break through Kofu's defense, which had many players.

In the 38th minute, they did not miss the mistake of Kofu in their own territory and launched a counterattack. Higashi → Nathan BURNS dropped the ball, and then Hidaka expanded to the right. While putting pressure on the front line with numbers, Hayabusa got on the speed and put in a right cross, but the ball missed above the frame.

As time passed, Tokyo dominated the ball and headed towards the goal while taking on various challenges. However, they were unable to break through Kofu's defense, which had a large number of players. Towards the end of the first half, Kofu also launched a powerful attack, but Tokyo remained calm and bounced back, leading to a scoreless second half.

Protect Takahashi's goal by focusing on Enomoto!

In the second half, 54 minutes in. Nathan BURNS created space on the right corner and made a sharp liner cross after circling inside. East headed it in at the far post, but was blocked by the bar... In the following 59 minutes, Maeda in the center exchanged passes with BURNS in front and then switched to the right, with Matsuda making a cross from the right. Despite having multiple players in the area, Maeda, BURNS, Takahashi, and East were unable to connect...

In the 62nd minute, they attack the area with numbers from the side. Hanyu in the center of the area tries to shoot after the ball spills out from the chaos, but is blocked by Kofu... However, Takahashi, who followed up on this loose ball, drives it into the goal with a controlled shot, GOAL!!
In the 71st minute, Burns, who had been exploiting the opponent's defense, received a pass. Nathan BURNS broke through to the right area and took a precise shot towards the far post, but... it was slightly touched by the Kofu GK and resulted in a corner kick on the left side...

80 minutes have passed and Kofu is using player substitutions to put more power into their attack. On the other hand, Tokyo is being pushed back. They are not defending too much and are trying to take advantage of their opponent's weaknesses with counter attacks. In the 83rd minute, Kofu's FW Takuma ABE makes a move and is allowed to enter the left area. Tokyo's Matsuda faces him, followed by substitute Hashimoto who slides in for the ball, but it slips away and ends up in front of Kofu's FW Takuma ABE again. He takes a decisive shot from close range on the left side, but Enomoto saves it with one hand!! After that, they are constantly threatened with goals from corner kicks, but they manage to defend with all their players.

Kofu struggled against a solid defense, but continued to challenge and in the 62nd minute, Takahashi scored the opening goal. In the final minutes, Kofu used attacking player substitutions to increase their offensive power and were pushed back by the strong Kofu team, but thanks to GK Enomoto's focus and determination, they were able to hold on until the final whistle. They secured a valuable away victory and continued their winning streak after the Sendai match.

[Player Comments]
"Takahashi"
"We were able to play our game of attacking the opponent's weaknesses. In the second half, we were able to push forward and attack when the opponent's legs started to slow down."
(It looked like a goal was born by having many people run into the goal...?)
Since players Matsuda and Higashi are good at crosses, they were talking with players Hanyu and Yonemoto before the game about how to pick up second balls against opponents who are wary of target player Maeda. My shooting scene was also aimed at the shape of the play, as Hanyu was closing in on the previous play.
(He ran to the supporters beyond the signboard?)
Actually, when my child was born during the Frankfurt game, I talked with everyone about celebrating if I scored a goal, but Maeda forgot about it (laughs), so I was aiming for a goal in the Kofu game as well. This time, everyone celebrated with me, so I was happy.}

"Enomoto"
"(When the opponent's number of shots is low, do you find it difficult to respond to the occasional pinch?)
It's hard to get into my own rhythm when the ball isn't coming, but I always try to be prepared for any situation. In fact, it's better for the team if there aren't many shots, so today we were able to thoroughly manage the risk while communicating with the DF line. We were able to defend well, including the midfield players, against potential counterattacks.
(Regarding the play where you deflected Kofu FW Abe's shot with one hand just before the end of the second half)
I could see that he was reacting faster than the other players and making runs behind the DF line, so I was able to narrow the angle. It was from a difficult position, but I tried not to move first and reacted to the ball."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"I am satisfied. We were able to break through from the side and it was the game we had prepared for. Regarding the first half, I think we had some difficulties because Kofu was pressing back firmly and their positioning was good. Kofu is a team that defends well and has a strong mentality. They didn't give us easy spaces. In the second half, we were able to concentrate even more and create many dangerous scenes before scoring a goal. Even after taking the lead, Nathan BURNS had a chance to score. I think today's victory was important. In that sense, we were able to demonstrate the content that we have been building up carefully. When playing against a team like Kofu, we cannot win without showing patience and mentality throughout the 90 minutes. In that sense, today's victory was meaningful."
(About GK Enomoto)
"He made a great save at the end. He was prepared. Not only that, I think he is a great human GK. He has a wealth of experience and supports both the GKs and field players on a daily basis. He may not have had many opportunities to touch the ball or make saves today, but I think it is proof of his ability that he can produce results even with few chances."

[Kofu - Coach Satoru Sakuma's Press Conference Summary]
"In the hot weather, many supporters came to cheer us on. In the previous home game, we lost to Matsumoto and couldn't get 3 points today either. It's disappointing and I feel sorry. As for the game, FC Tokyo is a team with a solid defensive organization under coach Massimo Ficcadenti. Even in today's meeting, we talked about how both teams have a low number of shots, so we expected a tight game where defense would be emphasized. And that's exactly what happened. However, in the first half, MF Hashizume's substitution due to an accident caused our defense on the right side to loosen up a bit, giving the opponent a chance to attack. Despite that, ending the first half with a 0-0 score was according to our game plan. However, Tokyo's Nathan Burns and Maeda do not stay deep, but come down from a position close to the 0 top. Despite being in a "descending state", our defensive line continued to stay high throughout the first and second half. This is partly due to the absence of DF Yamamoto, but at halftime we talked about being more compact and controlling the line against back passes and lateral passes. In the second half, our line was still too deep and we were hit with several balls, leading to a goal from a second ball. It was very disappointing as it was a concern from the first half and led to a goal."