No more losing streaks, 2nd stage home opener

Ventforet Kofu will face off against Ajinomoto at home in the 2nd stage, Sec. 2.
In the previous match against Tosu, we suffered a nightmarish comeback defeat. However, we cannot afford to have consecutive losses for the start of the 2nd stage. We must overcome this difficult situation and head towards victory without losing the goodness and confidence we have built up.

This week, we will start with Muroya, who has returned from injury and extended his playing time in J3, in his first J1 starting lineup. He will be at right back, with Tokunaga moving to left back, and the rest of the team will be the same as last week.

Kofu's 1st stage ended in 17th place with 15 points, and they should also be looking to make a comeback in the 2nd stage. However, FW Cristiano has transferred to Kashiwa. On the other hand, the new signing of FW Dudu has been announced, but he cannot play in this match as his registration with the J-League has not been completed. Additionally, FW Chuka is also absent in this match. Therefore, Japanese players will be lined up, with FW Kawamoto, Shadow, FW Tanaka, and FW Fukuda forming a 3-4-3 formation in the front line.

Caution is necessary for their sharp counterattacks, but it is a match where we aim to take advantage at home and strive for 3 points.
The heavy rain in the morning subsided, and before kickoff, the sky was covered in a sunset glow. However, under unstable weather conditions, the match started at 19:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Take the initiative and Morishige takes the lead with a powerful header!

They launched a speedy attack with determination right after the kickoff.
6 minutes: Build-up from their own half. Maruyama → Morishige spreads to the right to Muroya. Muroya tried to aggressively attack the Kofu DF in front of the front line, but the opponent cut the ball with a sliding tackle, and again to the right CK. From here, Morishige jumped in on the kick sent by Kono and stabbed a powerful header into the goal. 1-0. They took advantage of the set piece opportunity and scored the opening goal in the early stages. They continued to dominate possession and took control of the game.

10 minutes: Muriqui closed in on the Kofu defense with quick passing, and in the end, he stuffed the ball that flowed in front of the Kofu goal into the net, but the previous play was offside.

17 minutes: From the restart scene of Kofu, Muriqui brings the counterattack and connects with Nathan Burns on the left front line. Nathan Burns creates a momentary pause while advancing and gives the final pass to Muriqui who entered the area. However, the trap is slightly off... Muriqui and Nathan Burns aggressively attacked, but they couldn't bring it to a finish for a while.

32 minutes: The second shot of the day, finally at 32 minutes. Yonemoto sends a floating pass to the right area, and Muroya jumps out to the front line, boldly aiming for the goal. It went to the right, but the momentum is starting to build.

38 minutes: East jumps out to the front line, judging the offside line by Maruyama's long pass. However, the timing is slightly off, and he is blocked by Kofu at his feet. Furthermore, Kono sent a perfect pass to Nathan BURNS, who broke through on the right front line after stealing the second ball, but he was cut off by the Kofu defender at the timing of his attempt.

43 minutes: Earned a free kick in the left area near the goal.
44 minutes: Kono played this FK short, and Higashi on the outside crossed to the right area. Morishige followed up with a direct control shot, but it was saved by the GK.

On the other hand, Kofu did not allow any chances for Chan. In the additional time of the first half, Kofu's FK clearance ball was picked up, and Inagaki, Kofu's MF in front of the area, took a shot at the middle, but it went wide. They maintained a one-point lead and ended the first half.

Overcoming accidents, we all stick together and persist in our determination to win and defend.

In the second half, we launched quick attacks from a stable defense and aimed for additional points starting from the sides.
47 minutes: Muroya on the right front line, followed by Hashimoto breaking through and continuously attacking, but blocked by Kofu in the center and unable to finish the shot.
50 minutes: Connecting the restart second ball, Tokunaga on the right with a long cross. Maruyama in the far post with a header in front of the goal. It passed to Muriqui just before the right post, who made a decisive header... but it went across the goal.
51 minutes: Nathan BURNS speeds up from the left side and takes a shot, but it goes over the bar.　

56 minutes: Receiving a counter from Kofu from the corner kick situation in Tokyo, Muroya cuts off the central dribble with a sliding tackle. Preventing the pinch beforehand.
57 minutes: A long ball from Kofu DF Arai is dropped to FW Kawamoto in the front line, and passed to MF Inagaki on the left side through midfield passing. From there, a final pass is made to FW Tanaka in the center, but Tokunaga chases and closes him down tightly, preventing him from taking a shot.

64 minutes: Substituting Kawano with Hayu. In the 65th minute, FW Mori enters for Kofu.
66 minutes: Nathan BURNS makes a move on the left front line and crosses into the area. Hanyu runs in from the opposite side to try and connect, but the shot is not completed and afterwards, Kofu seizes the rhythm of the counterattack.
72 minutes: From a long cross by Kofu's right SH Hashizume, FW Kawamoto runs in near the goal line and is aimed for a volley.
74th minute: Kofu FW Mori took a shot, but Akimoto caught it in front. We didn't allow a goal, but in the 75th minute, Morishige injured his leg, and an accident occurred that forced him to be substituted. As a result, Yoshimoto comes in at the 79th minute.

88 minutes: Maeda replaces Muriqui. Immediately after that, a decisive scene was created for Kofu. In response to Kofu's right cross, MF Inagaki jumped into the front line and headed the ball. The ball hit the crossbar directly. Inagaki reacted to the rebound and took a volley shot, but missed and the ball drifted to the right. FW Mori ran into this situation and brought it to a shot, but... Akimoto kicked it out with his foot and cleared it. They survived the pinch, fought through the 6 minutes of additional time without losing focus, and the game ended. They demonstrated their commitment to the game, protected Mori's goal scored in the first half, and seized their first victory in the 2nd half.

[Player Comments]
"Muroya"
"In the previous match, the team had a frustrating loss, so I tried to fight when I stepped onto the pitch. It was a tough game, but it was good that we were able to get 3 points in the end. I was originally told to "play freely, in the way I wanted to". As a result, the other players were able to adapt to my style. I was really helped by everyone. Standing on the pitch at Ajinomoto Stadium, I feel like I have truly become a part of the team. However, I also feel like all I did today was fight. I didn't have many crosses and I want to work hard to improve the quality of my play."

《Yoshimoto》
I aimed to play with simplicity, boldness, and clarity.
　There were dangerous scenes, but we helped each other, communicated, and managed to defend. 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. So, I thought that how to endure was my role. Today, the result was more important than the content."
"If we had scored the chances, the game might have been a little easier. However, considering the situation we were in and the players' state of mind, it was expected that it would become a nervous ending. There were scenes where we wanted to go for more ball recoveries, but it is understandable to have the mindset of securing the area in front of the goal. That is expected. It doesn't mean that we predicted the late development of the game. We were able to get 3 points by showing a fighting attitude, such as being tough in the duels until the end. I want to praise the players, and from here, I want to show our true selves once again. It was good to be able to celebrate the victory with the fans and supporters today."

[Summary of Manager Satoru SAKUMA's Press Conference]
"Injuries occurred and players in unfamiliar positions continued to be present, but we tried to do what we could in that situation. However, that attempt ultimately led to the team's instability. We are based on defense and must consider our own capabilities in order to survive in J1. In the midst of that, we must continue to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal early in today's match and found ourselves in a situation where we had to do something that we are not good at. In the past few matches, we have been conceding a large number of goals, so today we approached the game with the intention of bringing stability no matter what."
However, I was scored by the player I was most cautious of, Morishige. I thought it would be extremely difficult to recover a point against Tokyo, but today we were able to persistently fight without losing balance, especially in the second half while looking for opportunities from the opponent. In the end, it may be that our strength was not enough. I apologize for not being able to share the moment of joy with many fans and supporters who came to support us. Nevertheless, I want to fight without looking down, once again to regain stability. I want to grit my teeth and move forward."