A crucial match to secure victory away and seize the opportunity to rise up

Sec. 8 of the J1 League, which will be held on Sunday. We will play against Ventforet Kofu away.

Currently, Tokyo has suffered three consecutive defeats 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 after a three-day break.
In such circumstances, 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 full-back. Kajiyama played as a defensive midfielder, and Abe, who will face his former team, also appeared.

Kofu, who is currently in 12th place with 8 points, faced Nagoya in the Nabisco Cup on the 20th. They approached the match with a changed lineup and it ended in a 0-0 draw. They are currently on a three-game unbeaten streak in official matches. The defensive line, which adopts a 5-back formation, is solid, and their counter-attacks led by Cristiano are sharp.
　
The important thing is to win 3 points and "produce results" to seize the opportunity to rise. Regardless of how the game unfolds, we want to fight persistently for 90 minutes without getting frustrated and connect it to victory.

As kick-off approaches, the weather has become warm and perfect for soccer at Kofu Chuginkan Stadium.
The match will start at 14:04 with Kofu's kickoff.

In the early stages, there was pressure from the opponent, but they conceded the first goal and went into halftime with a score of 0-1.

Tokyo puts pressure on from the beginning and approaches the opponent's goal.
7 minutes: Nathan BURNS, who dribbled past the left side, crossed from the goal line. The opponent's defender touched the ball, changing its direction, and Kono struck a powerful left-footed volley inside the area. However, it hit the crossbar and did not become the opening goal.
9 minutes: Hirayama, who received a pass just outside the box, shoots with his left foot while facing away from the opponent. The opponent's goalkeeper catches it directly in front.
10 minutes: Komano's foot enters the opponent's face, deemed as a dangerous play and receives a yellow card.

15 minutes: From the right side of Kofu, they attack and pass to the center. MF Billy Ceresky -> FW Kawamoto, who jumps into the goal area to match Kawamoto's lob pass, shoots with his toe. This goal is scored, allowing the first goal, 0-1.

27 minutes: A pass from Akimoto is intercepted by FW Cristiano, causing a dangerous situation, but Maruyama deflects Cristiano's cross.
30 minutes: Kajiyama sends a long feed from the defensive line to the front line. Abe jumps out at the right timing, but it is ruled offside.
32 minutes: Kofu MF Kuroki receives a yellow card for a foul on Hirayama
37 minutes: Morishige receives a yellow card for blocking opponent MF Inagaki's run

40 minutes: From the Kofu counter, FW Inagaki runs up the right side and crosses. FW Cristiano collects it at his feet, but the Tokyo DF responds and prevents him from taking a shot.
43 minutes: Kicker Satoru KAWANO takes a right corner kick, but Morishige on the far side heads it wide to the left of the goal.

Despite conceding the first goal, we aim to score by focusing on side attacks, but we fail to equalize and go into halftime with a score of 0-1.

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

52 minutes: The opponent's team passed the ball smoothly inside the field and Nathan BURNS was free in the area to receive Komano's cross. He tried to volley it accurately, but it slightly missed 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 in front of 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 wide of the goal.

60 minutes: Tokyo, who is pushing forward, sends a floating pass to the goal area. Kajiyama, who reacted, shoots with a back header, but the opposing goalkeeper catches it in front of him.
62 minutes: Nathan BURNS is replaced by Muriqui.

63 minutes: Tokyo earned a free kick on the left side. Hirayama headed the ball into the net, connecting with Komano's right-footed cross. Goal!! Tokyo equalizes.
64 minutes: Taking advantage of the opponent's defender's gap, Satoru KAWANO dribbles through the center. He faces the opponent's goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, but his shot is blocked, and there is no reversal.
65 minutes: Kofu substitutes MF Kuroki with 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 midfield, passes were exchanged and Yonemoto sent a vertical pass to Hirayama, but the next connection was not made and the chance was missed.
72 minutes: Inagaki, the MF of Kofu, fouls Muriqui and receives a yellow card.
72 minutes: Mizunuma replaces Kawano.
85 minutes: Maeda replaces Hirayama.
90 minutes + 1: Tokyo, aiming to take the lead, attacks and Muriqui receives a pass inside the area, but the opposing defender blocks his shot after the turn.
Although Hirayama equalized with a header, they were unable to score the winning goal, resulting in a 1-1 draw. They shared one point each.

[Player Comments]
"If I had been able to score the chances we had in the first half, I think the game would have been easier. As for my goal, Komano-san's cross was accurate, so I was able to score. I wish we could have gotten another goal with that momentum... However, my condition is improving, so I want to improve my 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 converted the chances we should have, I think we could have secured 3 points. Against a defensively solid team like Kofu, it's not easy to create scoring opportunities with simple crosses alone, so we need to use individual skills to beat opponents and deliver crosses with ingenuity. We missed several chances, including shots that hit the crossbar. I wish I had scored... Next time, I want to make sure to convert them."

[Hiroshi JOFUKU Press Conference Summary]
"We wanted to win this game and earn 3 points considering our recent league matches and the flow of the ACL. We sent the players onto the pitch with that intention. The players prepared well and were determined to play a competitive game, but we were caught off guard by the first set piece and made the game difficult for ourselves. At halftime, I told the players to remember what we had come here to do and not lose sight of ourselves. When we concede a goal and become more aggressive in attack, we inevitably leave ourselves vulnerable to counterattacks. We really need to reflect on the fact that the game turned out that way. Today, playing against Kofu again, I realized they are a truly solid defensive team and also have a sharp counterattack. I wanted to bring back 3 points with the Tokyo supporters. It was a very disappointing game."

[Kofu - Coach Satoru SAKUMA 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 take the ball and counterattack, but we didn't want to lose the ball carelessly. If we don't have the ball from the sides, we will be constantly attacked. Coach Jo Fukuda started Shun Hirayama and utilized the aerial space instead of entering the defensive block. We took good care of that in the first half, but we carefully watched for any changes or system adjustments in the second half. However, there were no major changes. In the second half, we were scored on by Hirayama, whom we were most cautious of, from a set piece, so we brought in Tsuka to go for a goal. We had two substitution cards left, so we discussed whether to bring in Mori or not with the coach on the bench, but Kawa and Cristiano were showing dynamism, so we didn't make a substitution and the game ended as it was. We wanted to earn 3 points at home, but considering the content and the players' fight, I want to praise them."