League final match! Aim for 3 points as a team

　The final match of the league is an away game against Ventforet Kofu. In the previous match against Omiya, we suffered a comeback defeat due to the opponent's determination to avoid relegation. The players each expressed their strong determination to not let it end like this and promised to fight with a strong mindset. We want to aim for victory by playing as a united team with a strong soccer momentum.

　Kofu, who confirmed their 17th place and relegation to J2 in the previous round, will be the opponent. It is a difficult situation to maintain motivation, but they will not give up until the end and aim for a victory at home. Coach Hara also expressed caution, saying, "With Kofu's position determined, they should bring out their own style of soccer and Kofu-like play more than ever before." It is expected that they will try to steal the ball with a press that involves multiple players and quickly connect passes in tight spaces. On the other hand, if Tokyo tries to counter in tight situations, it will play into the opponent's hands. The key is to use the pitch widely, collect the ball at Baba and Kajiyama's positions, and then expand the attack to the front line and sides from there.

　Tokyo's Kurihara injured his right foot and will not participate. Instead, Noriyuki Suzuki will start. Additionally, Kajiyama also suffered a bruise on his right thigh and continued to adjust separately. However, he will start. Manager Hara reflected, "In the Omiya match, we were able to pass the ball, but we had few opportunities to bring it to a finish. As a result, we were caught on the counter-attack." It is important to address this issue and find a way to connect it to a goal. By not losing in the midfield battle and thoroughly implementing Tokyo's style, we want to seize the momentum. We aim for a battle that will lead to the future and want to win with passion and determination.

　The match started with a kickoff from Kofu at 14:34 at the Kose Sports Park Athletic Stadium.

Despite being on the defensive against Kofu's momentum, they managed to end the first half without conceding any goals.

　Kofu, which surpassed the speed of the start of the match, completely controlled the rhythm. In the 7th minute, Kofu's left FK by MF Onishi was cleared by Shigeki. It escaped to CK. In the 11th minute, the ball from the right FK was freely combined with FW Mochihara, who was far away, but this volley shot missed the frame by a large margin. In the 12th minute, it was stolen when trying to connect inside the Tokyo camp, and Kofu FW Haji immediately passed into the area. Mochihara broke through and became 1-on-1 with the GK, but Shioda quickly came out and cut off the ball, escaping the pinch with a fine play.

　Tokyo presses and steals the ball, but as soon as they try to connect, it is taken back and they cannot control the ball. And they are attacked by Kofu, repeating the cycle of stopping with fouls and giving set-piece opportunities. Still, they remain focused on defense, with fine plays from Shioda, and do not allow any goals. In the 27th minute, Kofu FW Haji receives a through ball on the counter and passes it to FW Mobara, who drifts to the right. He takes a shot from inside the right area, but once again Shioda makes a great save.

　The time of patience continues, but after 30 minutes, the shape of the attack gradually begins to form. In the 31st minute, we seized the loose ball inside the Kofu team's territory, and Imakano floated a pass to the front line. Suzuki Nori appeared freely in the left area, but couldn't shoot as quickly as the returning Kofu defender. In the 33rd minute, Lucas caught up with the ball sent to the space on the left front line from Kajiyama and passed it to Suzuki Nori who moved up. The cross hit the defender and we got a corner kick. Ishikawa's left corner kick was aimed at Imakano, but the header didn't connect. In the 41st minute, Kawaguchi was substituted for Baba who injured his right ankle. We formed a two-top with Lucas and focused on launching quick attacks using space instead of forcing ball possession. The back and forth battle continued, but the first half ended 0-0.

Despite the struggle, decorate the final league match with a victory!

　In the second half, Tokyo also struggled against Kofu's strength in ball contests and quick transitions. They positioned Lucas as an attacking midfielder and Kawaguchi as the lone striker, with Kawaguchi running into the spaces on the left and right sides to gradually create chances from there. In the 53rd minute, Kawaguchi broke through on the right side and was fouled as he cut inside, earning a free kick in the left corner of the area. Ishikawa's free kick was blocked by the wall, but it was connected and sent to the center, where Suzuki Norio shot the loose ball from the chaos in front of the goal. However, it missed above the frame. In the 56th minute, Kawaguchi persistently contested with Kofu's defenders on the right side and won a corner kick. Ishikawa's corner kick was initially cleared, but it was connected and Kajiyama dribbled inside, and Kanazawa, who had moved up to support from the left, took a shot, but it went wide of the goal.

　In the 61st minute, Rychely was substituted for Kanazawa. He started to deploy wide attacks, utilizing his speed. In the 62nd minute, Ishikawa dropped the left cross from Rychely, and Lucas ran in from behind to take a shot. The opportunity was created, but there was no momentum, and the goalkeeper caught the ball. In the 67th minute, Kajiyama → Lucas → Rychely passed the ball on a counterattack, and Rychely dribbled up from near the edge of the area and took a shot, but it went over the crossbar. In the 70th minute, Ishikawa jumped out to the front line from Fujiyama's pass and crossed the ball, resulting in a corner kick. From here, they persistently picked up the second ball and attacked into the Kofu's territory. However, Ishikawa, who had closed in on the center of the goal, was too close to the goalkeeper and couldn't finish the shot. They continued to connect from there, but in the end, Kajiyama's through pass went out of bounds.

　Both teams launched quick attacks, and in the final stages, it became a back-and-forth of counterattacks. In the 80th minute, Tokyo's Kawaguchi broke through on the right side and delivered a sharp cross. However, Rychely and Lucas in front of the goal couldn't connect. Kofu's Yamazaki broke through to the front of the goal in response to a vertical pass. The shot, a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, was saved by Shioda, but before that, a foul was called on Yamazaki's play. Shioda was injured but quickly returned. As the back-and-forth battle continued, in the 86th minute, Rychely on the left side passed to Tokunaga on the right, who dribbled inside and played a through pass to the forward line. Lucas, who broke free in response to this, was fouled inside the penalty area and won a penalty kick. In the 87th minute, Lucas himself calmly converted the penalty kick and finally scored the opening goal.

　Still, Kofu continues to attack without giving up. In the 88th minute, a decisive header from DF Akimoto is unleashed from Kofu's FK, but the goal is saved by Shioda's splendid save. In the 89th minute, Asari is substituted for Kajiyama to strengthen the defense. Kofu raises crosses in front of the goal and attacks with multiple players, but they defend the one point scored by Lucas' PK as a united team and secure victory in the final match. They finished the league season in 12th place.

　【Player Comment】《Lucas》"We were held scoreless until a tough time, but it was good that we were able to score an important goal and win. Kofu had higher motivation than expected, but it was also good that we were able to endure in the first half. In the second half, when Nobu and Rychely came on, we were able to push forward with more players on offense. Towards the end, Kofu's stamina dropped, and I think we were able to create chances as well. (You ran to Coach Hara right after scoring the goal?) Not just me, but all the players on the team are grateful to Coach Hara. I wanted to express that feeling, but even if someone other than me scored a goal, they would surely run to the coach's side."《Shioda》"This victory was thanks to everyone's perseverance. I think the mentality of persevering and not giving up towards the goal was the factor that allowed us to win a tough game. In the first half, we tried to take the initiative, but we were easily played by Kofu and kept in their front line. As a result, we became stretched out. In the second half, we were able to compact ourselves to a certain extent and create chances. (There were many fine plays, right?) Recently, Fuji-san told me, 'You don't have (good) luck,' so I'm glad I was stopped (laughs). Looking back on this season's league, there were various things, but I was happy to receive support even in difficult times. We didn't have enough strength and ended up with this result, but I am proud that we were able to fight with this team. The Emperor's Cup is a tournament, so I want to focus on winning no matter what. Therefore, we will raise the quality of our play and fight with the determination to win even in tough situations like today."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Although Kofu has been relegated to J2, today's match was the final match of the J1 league, so I expected Kofu to showcase their characteristic style, and I conveyed that to the players as well. I think today's match was exactly that. Kofu played to their strengths, connecting short passes and launching fast attacks. We had discussed countering that by also connecting passes like Kofu and quickly expanding to the sides once we regained possession. However, even though we understood that, it didn't work out well due to the opponent's pressure. Baba injured his ankle in the first half and seemed to be struggling, so I substituted him. I instructed Kawaguchi to make runs into space and send the ball there once we won it back. That changed the momentum. As for defense, it seemed like we were still carrying the unpleasant feeling from the previous match against Omiya, where we conceded a goal near the end, but Shioda and others defended well for us. Especially in the first half, they defended well. I think Kofu played really great soccer. Kajiyama had a slight bruise from training, so he wasn't in top form. However, we made adjustments regarding his partnership with Imamura and the distance between them at halftime, and I think he improved in the second half. We were able to score with a penalty kick in the end, and I'm glad we could finish the final match with a victory. (How do you evaluate this year?) If I talk about that, it will become really long (laughs). I'm very disappointed that we couldn't achieve the results that the fans were expecting. However, amidst the injured players and those who were absent due to national team duties, the remaining players had a tough competition and I think each of them was able to grow. This will definitely lead to the future. The league season has ended, but the Emperor's Cup is still ongoing, so we will continue to do our best."

　[Summary of Kofu Oki's press conference] "We wanted to score in the first half. That led to Tokyo's comeback in the second half. It ended up being a similar result to the previous match. The league season is over, but we are still in the Emperor's Cup, so we want to do our best. We are very grateful to the fans. I think the club has grown, including the club staff and sponsors. Also, I think it is my treasure to have met many people, including the players."