Seeking victory in the home opening game

Ventforet Kofu will face off against Ajinomoto Stadium in the home opener of Sec. 2.
The opening match against Kashiwa ended in a draw, unable to secure a victory. However, we demonstrated a battle that adapted to the situation. In order to make the valuable 1 point earned away from home, we want to maintain the attitude of not giving up until the end and strive to take 3 points at home.

This week, Morishige and Gonda will be active as members of the Japan national team until the 5th. Training in Tokyo will only be held for 2 days. In addition, Hirayama and Yukino have been called up to the U-22 selection team for the first match of the J3 League this season, and they will be heading to their activities. The starting lineup for this match will be the same as the one against Kashiwa. On the other hand, Yonemoto, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, and goalkeeper Koi will be on the bench.

Kofu, who is entering their third season under coach Jo Fukuhara, faced difficulties in their opening match as their home stadium was unavailable due to heavy snowfall. The match was hastily relocated to the National Stadium. Despite suffering a 4-goal defeat against Kashima, coach Massimo stated, "Until conceding the first goal, Kofu functioned well both offensively and defensively for about 20 minutes. I believe that is their true strength, and they are definitely not an easy opponent to beat."

Kofu will use FW Morita as the front line in this round, with new signing FW Cristiano and Shimoda serving as shadows in a 3-4-3 formation. They are a team that excels in moving the ball and has high individual tenacity and defensive awareness, boasting a strong defense. For Tokyo, the key will be how to break through that. We want to surpass Kofu by enhancing the unity of all members and reducing mistakes, and lead to victory.

It was a calm and sunny day, but the wind was cold at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started with Kofu's kickoff at 15:03.

Edu scores his first goal! Brave attitude brings the opening point

Kofu created a chance right after the start. Right MF Fukuda crossed the ball and central FW Cristiano headed it. He was allowed to shoot freely, but the shot was caught firmly by Kanda. In the 5th minute, Tokyo exchanged passes between Watanabe and Higashio on the right side, and midfielder Takahashi passed the ball to the front line. Edu, who had circled around from the right to the center, received the ball and dribbled it out to take a mid-range shot. The ball was blocked by the opponent's defender, but it changed direction and rolled to the feet of Kofu's goalkeeper. The ball seemed to be held back at first, but it slipped out of the goalkeeper's hands and rolled into the goal. Edu's bold attitude created his first goal since joining and gave the team the lead.

Took the lead early in the game and then settled into a calm match. There were moments where the ball was allowed to be held by the Kofu defense line, but they did not let the ball be carried forward and safely progressed the game. However, Tokyo, while dominating the ball, lacked coordination and connection, and could not create chances. In the 20th minute, Muto broke free from the opponent's defense on the left side and advanced powerfully. He broke through to the sideline and sent a minus pass to Edu in the center of the area, but it was slightly off target.

In the 33rd minute, Kaga stole the opponent's ball and quickly connected with Edu, Watanabe, and Muto from their own half. Higashi crossed from the right, but there weren't enough players in the center and no one touched it. In the 35th minute, Kofu FW Morita received a vertical pass and turned to shoot. It missed the frame, but Kofu was able to connect passes smoothly and find their rhythm towards the end. However, they couldn't bring it to a finish. In the first half additional time, Takahashi -> Mita -> left Muto became the starting point, connecting with Ota who went up on the outside with a heel. Ota carved the side with speed and made the final pass to Watanabe in front of the goal. They created a decisive opportunity, but Watanabe's shot was blocked by Kofu's DF with a sliding tackle.
The number of shots in the first half ended up being 2 each, and they went into the second half with a one-point lead.

Conceded a goal in response to Kofu's counterattack and ended in a draw

In the early stages of the second half, Tokyo launches a strong attack similar to the Kashiwa match. In the 46th minute, Higashi reacts to the loose ball sent by Morishige to the front line. He takes a direct shot from just outside the area. In the 47th minute, Mita -> Muto sprints down the left side. He enters the area and faces the defender, cutting inside and creating a scoring opportunity. Although he slips and cannot finish the shot just before shooting, he picks up the rebound and persistently continues the attack. Takahashi then unleashes a powerful shot from the left side, but it hits the post...

Kofu brought in MF Mizuno in the 58th minute. In the 61st minute, Tokyo replaced Watanabe with Ishikawa. In the immediate 63rd minute, Takahashi, Mita, and Muto skillfully connected on the left side, and Ota crossed the ball. Higashi collected the ball near the right area and took a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's one-handed save. In the 65th minute and beyond, they had consecutive chances for a corner kick, but they were unable to fully capitalize on them.

In the second half, Kofu pressed aggressively from the front line, but Tokyo's defense also responded well and did not allow them to enter dangerous areas. However, in the 72nd minute, during a right throw-in situation for Kofu, midfielder Mizuno's long throw was headed down by forward Cristiano and midfielder Marcinho Paraná ran into the goal area and took a shot. It hit the left post, but the rebound was taken by Mizuno again, who crossed the ball. From there, forward Cristiano, with his back to the goal, scored with a bicycle kick... resulting in a goal against Tokyo.

After conceding a goal, Muto was replaced by Yonemoto. Takahashi formed a double pivot in midfield, with Higashi and Ishikawa on the wings. Then, in the 80th minute, Hirayama was brought on. We aimed to take the lead in a full team effort, but Yonemoto and Ishikawa's shots in the final moments failed to hit the target. We were caught off guard in a momentary lapse and conceded an equalizer, resulting in a disappointing draw at home.


[Player Comments]
""
"I could hear the voices of many fans and supporters at home. I am happy that everyone supported me. It wasn't a great goal, but it still counts as a score. I think I finally opened the door, so I want to score more goals from now on. The next match is away, but I want to grab a victory to continue the fight in the future."

《MoriShige》
"It would have been good if we could have ended it with a 1-0 score, but we conceded a goal when the pace dropped in the second half. If we could have scored an additional goal early on, it would have made things easier. We took the lead but ended up slowing down the pace ourselves. We couldn't press the ball easily, spent a lot of time defending, and ended up being attacked by Kofu. I think it's necessary to increase the number of times we go for the ball ourselves."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"We were able to do what we wanted in the first half, and we were even better in the second half. After conceding a goal and equalizing, we became more aggressive because we wanted to score a second goal as a team. I think it was necessary for the whole team to stay calm and maintain balance from there. It's disappointing because we wanted to win for the fans, supporters, and everyone involved with the club who created a wonderful atmosphere in the stadium. However, it's still early in the season, so we will instill what the team needs to do from here and believe that we can achieve results that will make everyone happy."

[Kofu - Hiroshi JOFUKU Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"Due to the snow, we were unable to practice much this week, and the difficult preseason of two weeks has been extended. However, because of that, I think it was good that we were able to focus on getting the team in a state where we can play matches rather than lingering on the shock of the opening game. Yesterday, MF Elsinho got injured and we had to change the lineup at the last minute, but the players did what they had to do. It was good that many supporters came from Yamanashi and we were able to earn 1 point by fighting with them. However, if we don't become a team that can win when we do what we have to do, we will be involved in a tough battle for survival like last season. I want us to become a team that creates more scoring opportunities than the opponent and earns 3 points."