Brazil Festival held, aiming to break the losing streak at home Ajinomoto

Sec. 22, Ventforet Kofu will play against Vanraure Hachinohe at Ajinomoto Stadium. There was a break of about 10 days since the previous match, during which time Masahiko INOHA, who was selected for the first time for the Japan national team, went on a tour to West Asia. In addition, Masaki MASUZAKI was injured in the match against C Osaka, so it is difficult to say that the team is in perfect condition. On the other hand, Kazuki MIURA and Tatsuya TODA have returned from injury and have been gaining practical experience in satellite leagues and practice matches. Today, they will be starting and aiming for victory in a united effort.

Tokyo, who will face Kofu, is currently in 15th place with 6 wins, 4 draws, and 11 losses. In the previous match, they were defeated by Yokohama FM, but in Sec. 19, they were able to defeat the higher-ranked Kashima, showcasing their boldness and tenacity. With FW Vale at the forefront, not only the front three, but also the midfield and side backs aggressively join the attack. At the same time, one of their characteristics is the intense press from the front line. It is expected to be a fast-paced game with frequent transitions between offense and defense, so Tokyo will aim to break through from the sides and launch attacks from the midfield without losing in terms of running.

　Tokyo, Lucas played as the lone striker, and Baba started as the attacking midfielder for the first time in 5 matches. Left midfielder Toda and defensive midfielder Miura both played for the first time since the 7/29 Sec. 16 match against Hiroshima. Jean and Fujiyama formed the center-back partnership, and Inonami, who returned to Japan the day before yesterday, served as the left full-back. Today, the annual "Brazil Festival" was held. In the lingering heat, the match against Hiroshima started at 18:34 at the home Ajinomoto Stadium, the first home match since the Hiroshima game.

Conceded 3 goals in a row in 15 minutes...

　Dominating the ball from the start and taking the advantage. Toda boldly aims for the back, Inoha also pushes forward, threatening the Kofu goal from the side. In the 8th minute, Toda attempts to dribble breakthrough into the left area. In the 11th minute, Inoha crosses from the left, but it doesn't reach Toda who was in the center, and the opponent's defender clears it for a corner kick. From here, Lucas takes a header shot, but it is blocked by the Kofu defender. In the 20th minute, Ishikawa, who made a move on the right side, is fouled and earns a free kick. Jean competes for the header and it goes out for a left corner kick. Then, Toda picks up the opponent's defender's clearance inside the opponent's territory and charges towards the goal. Blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's jump, it goes out for a right corner kick. Jean heads the ball, but it slightly misses the timing and doesn't make contact. We created several chances from set pieces, but we couldn't score a goal.

　On the other hand, Kofu firmly defended and aimed for a quick counterattack. Tokyo, on the other hand, was caught on the counterattack after losing possession. In the 6th and 18th minutes, FW Vale broke through the front line and took a shot. However, Tsuchihi made a solid save. In the 23rd minute, Tokyo was gradually pushed towards their own goal from the left side, and Kofu FW Mochihara crossed the ball from a throw-in. Tokunaga initially escaped with a corner kick, but the clearance from this left corner kick floated high inside the box. Mochihara, who was waiting in the right area, scored a direct volley with this ball and took the lead.

　Tokyo wanted to calmly counterattack, but in the 31st minute, in a scene of a free kick from the right side by Kofu, Fujiyama in the area was judged to have fouled Kofu FW Yamazaki, resulting in a penalty kick. This was perfectly converted by FW Vale, and Tokyo conceded the second goal. Perhaps disrupted by the start of the counterattack, in the 38th minute on Tokyo's right side, they allowed Kofu FW Vale to make a run. Jean chased after him, and Fujiyama, who had switched marks in the area, held his ground firmly, but a precise shot was taken and the ball went into the bottom right corner. Tokyo conceded the third goal from FW Vale's individual skill.

　Tokyo lost three goals in 15 minutes. Still, they tried to score a goal and headed towards the Kofu goal. In the 41st minute, Toda jumped out at the right time to Baba's left cross, but couldn't finish the shot. In the 42nd minute, they got a free kick from the front of the goal. Baba aimed directly and won a left corner kick, but couldn't finish from there. In the 44th minute, Miura's middle shot was caught by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, they went into the second half without scoring any goals.

Lucas retaliates, but suffers a third consecutive defeat

　In the second half, Kurisawa and Kawaguchi were substituted for Miura and Toda. Kawaguchi was positioned in the front line and Kurisawa on the left side, forming a thick formation with Kajiyama as the lone defensive midfielder, taking risks and attacking. This strategy seemed to work as in the 47th minute, Fujiyama sent a long feed from the right side of their own half to the front line. The opponent's defender's header went backwards and the Kofu goalkeeper came out. In response to this, Lucas skillfully controlled the ball at the drop point and smoothly slid it into the unguarded goal, equalizing the score early in the second half!

　Tokyo, who wanted to regain momentum, but Kofu also defended tenaciously and launched a quick counterattack without disrupting the rhythm. The exchange between offense and defense continues at a fast pace. In the 60th minute, Jean headed the left corner kick taken by Baba, but it narrowly missed the crossbar. In the 64th minute, Ishikawa broke through the right side and delivered a perfect cross to Kawaguchi in the far post. However, the shot was blocked by a defender. Lucas followed up on the rebound with a decisive shot, but it went over the crossbar...

　In the 65th minute, Abe was substituted for Baba. Lucas distributed the ball as an attacking midfielder, but with a formation close to a front three, both Ishikawa and Kurizawa pushed forward aggressively and launched a fierce counterattack. In the 67th and 68th minutes, there were consecutive chances from corner kicks. In the 72nd minute, Kajiyama aimed directly for the goal with a free kick slightly to the right of the opponent's penalty area, but it went over the crossbar. In the 77th minute, they earned a free kick just to the right of the penalty area, and Lucas -> Kajiyama -> Lucas took a shot. In the 81st minute, Abe received a vertical pass from Inonami. He boldly charged towards the goal and took a daring shot from the left area, but it narrowly missed the goal. In stoppage time, Lucas headed a cross from Tokunaga, but it unfortunately went wide to the left.

　In the latter half, most of the time was spent in the Kofu area, and we created decisive chances, but the shots all missed the goal... We couldn't convert the 6 corner kick opportunities in the second half into goals, and the game ended without being able to score additional points. We lost 1-3 and suffered our third consecutive defeat following the Shimizu and C Osaka matches.

　【Player Comments】《Lucas》"I was looking forward to today's Brazil Festival, which only happens once a year. We fought hard in the game and created chances, but today wasn't 'FC Tokyo's day.' It's really disappointing not to win on such a special day." 《Jean》"Kofu played well today. Tokyo created many chances but couldn't score. I apologize for not being able to play a good game in front of the supporters who gathered for the Brazil Festival. We will do our best in the next game."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "Today's game was a reminder of how difficult soccer can be. In the first half, we wanted to press and quickly attack by winning the ball in the forward line, but we were skillfully countered by the two center-backs, who dribbled past us. As a result, our marking on FW Shigehara became lax, and we started to break down from that point. However, there were periods of time when we were able to attack to some extent, and we had decisive chances like corner kicks, but we couldn't convert them. On the contrary, we conceded the first goal from a set piece and also gave away a penalty for the second goal, which went against our intentions. In particular, our marking on FW Vale became very loose, and ultimately, he beat us with his individual skills. Although we constantly give instructions regarding marking, we couldn't respond today. Because we made our marking on the FW loose, it created a situation where the second line was left free. In the second half, we took risks to score, but could only manage to get one goal."

　[Summary of Kofu Ogi's press conference] "It was great to get 3 points. We conceded 1 goal in a tough situation, but I think we did well not to concede any more. However, there are ways to deal with difficult situations. I have told the players about it, but they couldn't do it. For example, they panicked after making a mistake, got tired and couldn't think properly, and didn't know where to position themselves. When you're tired, you can escape by positioning yourself well, but they couldn't do that. I felt that it was still due to lack of experience. However, getting 3 points will lead to the next step. Sometimes the content is better when we lose, but I think winning is what this game is about. The reason why I included DF Nasu was to counter Lucas. I tried to stop him from coming out after dropping back. I included MF Tsurumi because DF Arairu's leg cramped and I needed to fill the gap left by DF Nasu. With today's new members, the aim of the front three was to make use of everyone. I think they did well, but we still have a long way to go to surpass the opponent."