Losing streaks are not allowed, 2nd stage home opening match

In the home match of Sec. 2 of the 2nd Stage, we will face Ventforet Kofu at Ajinomoto.
In the previous match against Tosu, we suffered a nightmarish comeback loss. However, to make a strong start in the 2nd stage, we cannot afford to lose consecutively. We must overcome this difficult situation and move towards victory without losing the good qualities and confidence we have built up.

In this match, Muroya, who has returned from injury and extended his playing time in J3, will be used as a starter for the first time in J1. He will play as the right back, while Tokunaga will move to the left back, and the rest of the lineup will remain the same as the previous match.

Kofu's 1st stage ended in 17th place with 15 points, and they are likely trying to make a comeback in the 2nd stage. However, FW Cristiano has transferred to Kashiwa. On the other hand, the new addition of FW Dudu has been announced, but he cannot participate in this match as his registration with the J League has not been completed. Additionally, FW Chuka will also be absent this match. Therefore, with the Japanese players available, the formation will be a 3-4-3 with FW Kawamoto at the forefront, and shadows provided by FW Tanaka and FW Fukuda.

While caution is needed against Kofu's sharp counterattacks, this is a match to take the initiative at home and aim for 3 points.
The heavy rain in the morning stopped, and before kickoff, it was covered by a sunset. However, under unstable weather conditions, the match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Taking control, Morishige scores the opener with a powerful header!

Right after the kickoff, they launched a speedy attack with determination.
6 minutes: Build-up from our own half. Maruyama to Morishige, who spreads it to Muroya on the right. Muroya attempted to take on the Kofu defender aggressively in the front line, but the opponent cut the ball with a sliding tackle, resulting in another right corner kick. From here, Kono delivered a kick, and Morishige dove in to score with a powerful header. 1-0. They took the lead early by capitalizing on the set-piece opportunity. They continued to dominate possession and maintained control.

10 minutes: With quick passing, they approached the Kofu area, and in the end, Muriqui got to the ball that flowed in front of the Kofu goal and shook the net, but the play before that was offside.

17 minutes: From the restart by Kofu, they launched a counterattack, with Muriqui advancing through the center and connecting with Nathan BURNS on the left flank. Nathan BURNS made a brief pause while advancing and delivered a final pass to Muriqui, who entered the area. However, the trap was just slightly off... Muriqui and Nathan BURNS aggressively attacked, but they continued to struggle to finish.

32 minutes: The second shot of the day finally comes at 32 minutes. Yonemoto sends a floating pass to the right area, and Muroya makes a bold run forward to aim for the goal. This shot goes wide to the right, but momentum is starting to build.

38 minutes: Maruyama's long pass is met by Higashi, who judges the offside line and breaks forward. However, the timing is slightly off, and he is blocked by Kofu at his feet. Furthermore, after winning the second ball, Kono sent a perfect pass to Nathan BURNS, who had broken into the right front line, but he was cut off by the Kofu defender just as he tried to make a move.

43 minutes: Free kick awarded just outside the left area.
44 minutes: Kono took this free kick short, and Higashi crossed it into the right area. Morishige made a direct control shot to match it, but it was saved by the GK.

On the other hand, Kofu was not allowed to create any real chances. In the first half's additional time, a cleared ball from Kofu's free kick was picked up, and Kofu's midfielder Inagaki took a shot from just outside the area, but it went wide. They ended the first half maintaining a one-goal lead.

Overcoming accidents, everyone is committed to the challenge and will defend to the end

In the second half, they launched quick attacks from a stable defense, aiming for additional goals starting from the sides.
47 minutes: Muroya broke through on the right front line, followed by Hashimoto, who attacked in succession, but their shots were blocked by Kofu in the center and could not be taken.
50 minutes: After connecting the second ball from the restart, Tokunaga on the right delivers a long cross. Maruyama at the far post heads it towards the goal. It reaches Muriqui just in front of the right post, who makes a decisive header, but... it goes across the goal.
51 minutes: Nathan BURNS makes a powerful shot from the left side, but it goes over the bar.　

56 minutes: From a corner kick by Tokyo, they face a counterattack from Kofu, but Muroya cuts it off with a sliding tackle against a central dribble breakthrough. A crisis is averted.
57 minutes: A long ball from Kofu DF Arai was dropped to forward Kawamoto at the front line, leading to a pass sequence in midfield to left-side MF Inagaki. From there, a final pass was made to forward Tanaka entering the area, but Tokunaga chased closely and prevented the shot.

64 minutes: Hanyu is substituted in for Kono. Kofu also brings in FW Mori in the 65th minute.
66 minutes: Nathan BURNS made a move on the left flank and crossed into the area. Hanyu ran in from the opposite side and tried to connect, but he couldn't take the shot, and afterwards, Kofu seized the rhythm for a counterattack.
72 minutes: Kofu's right SH Hashizume delivers a long cross, and FW Kawamoto runs in just in front of the goal line, aiming for a volley.
74 minutes: Kofu FW Mori took a shot, but Akimoto caught it head-on. Although no goals were conceded, an incident occurred in the 75th minute when Morishige injured his leg and was forced to substitute. Therefore, Yoshimoto came in at the 79th minute.

88 minutes: Maeda comes on for Muriqui. Immediately after that, Kofu created a decisive scene. In response to Kofu's right cross, MF Inagaki jumped in and headed the ball. The ball hit the crossbar. Inagaki reacted again to the rebound and attempted a volley, but he missed and it went to the right. FW Mori ran in here and took a shot, but Akimoto cleared it with his foot. They survived the crisis, and in the 6 minutes of added time, everyone maintained their focus and fought through to the end, resulting in a time-up. They demonstrated a commitment to the competition, protecting the one goal scored by Morishige in the first half, and secured their first victory of the second season.

[Player Comments]
《Muroya》
"In the last match, the team suffered a frustrating loss, so I wanted to fight when I stepped onto the pitch. It was a tough situation, but I'm glad we were able to earn 3 points as a result. I was originally told that I could play freely and do what I wanted. Because of that, my teammates adjusted to me. I really received a lot of help from everyone. Standing on the pitch at Ajinomoto, I feel like I have become a part of the team again. However, I also think that today, I just fought. There were few crosses, and I want to work hard to improve the quality of my play."

Yoshimoto
"I focused on playing more simply, larger, and more clearly than usual."
　There were dangerous moments, but we were able to help each other, communicate, and defend well. Of course, the ideal is to connect the ball and create our own time, but Kofu is also a good team with momentum and sharpness going forward. I thought about how to endure in that situation as my role. Today, more than the content, we needed results above all else.
"If we had converted our chances, it might have been a slightly easier game. However, considering our situation and the players' mindset, it was expected that the end would be a nervous development. There were moments when we wanted to go for the ball more, but I understand the mindset of wanting to solidify our defense in front of the goal. It is expected to have such a mindset. It's not that we predicted the developments in the final stages. We were able to show our fighting spirit and earn 3 points by being tough until the end. I want to commend the players, and from here, I want us to express our identity once again. I'm glad we could celebrate the victory with our fans and supporters today."

【Kofu - Summary of the Press Conference by Coach Satoru SAKUMA】
In a situation where injuries have occurred and players are in unfamiliar positions, we tried to do what we could. However, that attempt ultimately led to the team's instability. We are based on defense, and to survive in J1, we have to consider our limitations. Within that, we must continue to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. Unfortunately, today we conceded a goal early, forcing us into a situation where we had to do things we are not usually good at. In the last few matches, we have been conceding a lot of goals, so today we approached the game with the aim of bringing stability at all costs.
However, it was the player Morishige, whom I was most cautious about, who scored. I thought it would be extremely difficult to recover a point against Tokyo, but today, even after conceding a goal, we managed to maintain our balance, especially in the second half, fighting tenaciously while looking for openings from the opponent. In the end, it may be that we were not strong enough. Many fans and supporters came out to support us, and I feel sorry that we could not share a moment of joy. Still, I want to fight without looking down to regain our stability. I want to grit my teeth and move forward.