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 Comments】<Lucas> "We managed to keep a scoreless game until a tough period, but I’m glad I scored an important goal and we were able to win. Kofu showed higher motivation than expected, but it was good that we endured in the first half. In the second half, after Nobu and Rychely came in, we were able to commit more players to offense and push forward. In the end, Kofu’s stamina dropped, and I think we created chances as well. (You ran to Coach Hara right after the goal?) Like me, all the players on the team are grateful to Coach Hara. I wanted to express that feeling, and even if someone else besides me scored, I’m sure they would have run to the coach." <Shioda> "This victory was thanks to everyone holding on. The good mentality of persevering and not giving up while aiming for the goal was the key to winning this tough game. In the first half, we tried to press from the front, but Kofu easily cleared and kept possession up front. Because of that, we became stretched out. In the second half, we kept a more compact shape and I think we were able to create chances. (You made many fine saves, didn’t you?) Recently, Fuji-san told me ‘You don’t have (luck),’ so I’m glad I was able to stop them (laughs). Looking back on this season’s league, many things happened, but I was happy to have the support even during tough times. Our strength was not enough, and this is the result, but I’m proud to have fought with this group. The Emperor's Cup is a knockout tournament, so we want to focus on winning no matter what. To do that, we will raise the quality of our play and fight with the determination to absolutely win even in tough situations like today."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Although Kofu's relegation to J2 has been decided, since today was the final match of the J1 League, I thought they would show their true Kofu style, and I told the players that as well. I believe today's match was exactly that. Kofu used their specialty of connecting short passes and launching quick attacks. Against that, if we tried to connect passes like Kofu, we would get surrounded and lose the ball, so we talked about quickly spreading the ball to the sides once we gained possession. However, despite knowing this, the opponent's pressure made it difficult to execute well. Baba injured his ankle in the first half, and since it seemed difficult for him, we substituted him. I instructed Kawaguchi to make runs into space and thought about sending the ball there once we won possession. From there, the pace changed. Defensively, it seemed they were still carrying the unpleasant feeling from conceding a late goal to Omiya in the previous match, but centered around Shiota, they held up well. Especially in the first half, they defended well. I think Kofu played truly wonderful football. Kajiyama had a slight bruise from practice and was probably not in top form. However, at halftime, we adjusted the combination and spacing with Konno, and the second half improved. In the end, we scored from a penalty kick and were able to finish the final match with a victory, which I am glad about. (How do you summarize this year?) If I talk about that, it will get very long (laughs). We are very disappointed not to have achieved the results the fans expected. However, despite injuries and players missing due to national team duties, the remaining players were able to compete fiercely and each grew. This will definitely lead to the future. The league matches have ended, but the Emperor's Cup continues, so we want to keep working hard."

　[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."