A crucial match to grab the opportunity to rise up by winning away

J1 League Sec. 8, held on Sunday. Away game against Ventforet Kofu.

Currently, Tokyo has suffered three consecutive losses in official matches, including the ACL. In particular, the match against Jeonbuk Hyundai in the ACL was a lackluster result.
It can be said that we have not been able to fully wipe away the fatigue as we approach the match against Jeonbuk in three days.
In such a situation, Tokyo's FW Hirayama made his first start of the season after about 1 year and 8 months. Komano also made his first start in J1 as a left-back. Kajiyama and Abe, who will face their former team, were also named in the midfield.

Kofu, who they are facing, is currently in 12th place with 8 points. In the Nabisco Cup match against Nagoya on the 20th, they changed their lineup and drew 0-0. They have not lost in their last 3 official matches. Their defense, which uses a 5-back formation, is solid, and their counterattacks led by FW Cristiano are sharp.
　
We only think about getting 3 points and want to seize the opportunity to rise up by "getting results". No matter how the game unfolds, we want to fight for 90 minutes with perseverance and connect it to victory without getting frustrated.

As kickoff approaches, the weather warms up and becomes perfect for soccer at Kofu Chuo Bank Stadium.
The match will start at 14:04 with Kofu's kickoff.

In the early stages, we were able to push forward, but we conceded the first goal and went into halftime down 0-1.

Tokyo has been putting pressure on the opponent's goal since the beginning.
7 minutes: Nathan BURNS, who dribbled through the left side, crossed from just near the goal line. The ball, which was touched by the opponent's DF and changed course, was powerfully volleyed by KAWANO with his left foot in the penalty area. However, it hit the crossbar and did not become the opening goal.
9 minutes: Hirayama, who received a pass in front of the area, shoots with his left foot while facing away from the opponent. The opponent GK catches it in front.
10 minutes: Komano's foot enters the opponent's player's face, resulting in a dangerous play and a yellow card.

15 minutes: Kofu attacks from the right side and passes to the center. MF Billy Ceresky → FW Kawamoto connects with a floating pass from Kawamoto and FW Inagaki jumps in front of the goal and shoots with his toe. This goal is scored, and they concede the first goal, 0-1.

27 minutes: A pass from Akimoto is cut off by FW Cristiano, causing a pinch, but Maruyama deflects Cristiano's cross.
30 minutes: Kajiyama makes a long feed from the DF line to the front line. Abe jumps out at the right timing, but it is judged as offside.
32 minutes: Kofu MF Kuroki receives a yellow card for a foul on Hirayama.
37 minutes: Morishige receives a yellow card for blocking Premist Inagaki's run.

40 minutes: Kofu's Inagaki runs up the right side from a counter and crosses. FW Cristiano receives it at his feet, but Tokyo DF responds and doesn't allow a shot.
43 minutes: Kicker Kawano's right corner kick is headed by Morishige on the far side, but it goes wide to the left of the goal.

Despite conceding the first goal, we aim for the goal with side attacks, but we cannot catch up and turn around at 0-1.

Equalized with Hirayama's goal, but ended in a 1-1 draw.

52 minutes: The ball is passed quickly in the opponent's half, and Nathan BURNS is free in the area to receive KOMANO's cross. He connects with a precise volley, but it narrowly misses the top of the goal.
54 minutes: The cross from the right side by Tokunaga is deflected by the opponent's defender, but Kajiyama picks up the loose ball near the area and passes it to Kawano inside the area. Kawano swings his left foot directly, but it hits a teammate and the ball goes out of bounds.

60 minutes: Tokyo, who is pushing in, floats a pass to the goal by Maruyama. Kajiyama reacts and shoots with a back head, but the opponent GK catches it in front.
62 minutes: Muriqui is substituted for Nathan BURNS.

63 minutes: Tokyo earned a FK on the left side. Kicker Komano's right foot cross was met by Hirayama's header! This is a goal, and Tokyo equalizes.
64 minutes: Kono dribbles through the center, taking advantage of the opponent's DF gap. He faces the opponent's GK in a one-on-one situation, but his shot is blocked and they are unable to turn the game around.
65 minutes: Kofu substitutes MF Kuroki for FW Chuka.
67 minutes: Kofu FW Cristiano starts dribbling on the left side. He tries to pass through to FW Chuka running up the center, but it doesn't go through.
70 minutes: In the middle of the game, the ball is passed around and Yonemoto sends a vertical pass to Hirayama, but the next connection is missed and the chance is lost.
72 minutes: Kofu MF Inagaki fouls Muriqui, receives a yellow card
72 minutes: Mizunuma replaces Kono.
85 minutes: Maeda replaces Hirayama.
90 minutes + 1: Tokyo, aiming to take the lead, attacks with Muriqui receiving a pass inside the area, but the opposing DF blocks the shot from the turnaround.
Although Hirayama's header equalized, they were unable to score the winning goal and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. As a result, they shared one point each.

[Player Comments]
"Hirayama"
"I think if we had been able to score the chances we had in the first half, the game would have been easier. As for my goal, Komano's cross was accurate, so I was able to score. I wish we could have scored another goal with that momentum... However, our condition is improving, so I want to improve our accuracy even more."

"Kawano"
"In terms of attack, it wasn't a bad performance from the first half. There were times when we conceded and things got chaotic, but if we had scored in the chances we had, I think we could have gotten 3 points. Against a team with a strong defense like Kofu, it's not easy to create scoring opportunities with just simple crosses, so we need to use individual skills to beat our opponents and send in crosses. We missed a few chances, including one that hit the crossbar. I wish I had scored... Next time, I want to make sure I score."

[Hiroshi JOFUKU Press Conference Summary]
"In recent league games, considering the flow of the ACL, we wanted to win 3 points today. We sent the players onto the pitch with that in mind. The players also prepared well to play with determination, but we were caught off guard in the first set piece and made the game difficult for ourselves. At halftime, I told the players to remember what we have been doing and not lose sight of ourselves. When we are behind and trying to attack, we tend to be vulnerable to counterattacks. We really need to reflect on how the game went. Playing against Kofu today, I realized they are a very solid defensive team and also have a strong counterattack. We wanted to bring back 3 points with the Tokyo supporters. It was a very disappointing game."

[Kofu Satoru Sakuma Coach Press Conference Summary]
FC Tokyo, a strong team with no gaps, so we told ourselves to fight patiently. As expected, Tokyo built a solid defense. We wanted to counterattack after taking the ball, but we didn't want to lose it carelessly. If we don't have the ball from the side, we will be constantly attacked. Coach Jofuku used Hirayama as a starter and utilized the aerial space instead of entering the defensive block. We took good care of it in the first half, but we were careful to see what kind of card they would play or if there would be a system change in the second half. However, there was no major change. In the second half, we were scored by Hirayama, who we were most careful of, from a set play, so we put in Chuka to go for a goal. We had two substitution cards left, so we talked with the coach on the bench about whether to put in Mori, but Kawa and Cristiano were full of energy, so we didn't make a substitution and the game ended. We wanted to get 3 points at home, but when we look at the content and the players' fight, we want to praise them."