<Match Review>
A match at Ajinomoto Stadium where FC Tokyo faced the Urawa Reds, who have experience on the world stage. For Tokyo, it was a game to avenge the frustration felt two months ago in the away match and to show a strengthened team with new additions.
This week, Motoki NAGAKURA, who is on loan from Urawa, was unable to play due to contractual reasons. Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI formed a starting lineup that replaced 10 players except the goalkeeper from the Emperor's Cup 3rd round match against Oita Trinita held two days earlier. Seung-gyu KIM was positioned at the back, and the defensive line featured J.League Best Eleven veterans from right to left: Yuto NAGATOMO, Alexander Scholz, Masato MORISHIGE, and Naruki Muroya. The double pivot in midfield was formed by Takahiro KO and Kento HASHIMOTO, while the attacking midfield included attackers Keita ENDO and Kota TAWARATSUMIDA. Up front, Keisuke SATO and Marcelo RYAN were deployed as the two strikers. Keita YAMASHITA, who had recovered from injury, was named on the bench for the first time since the J1 League Round 6 match against Fagiano Okayama on April 6.
On the other hand, Urawa, having experienced the frustration of three consecutive losses at the FIFA Club World Cup, is expected to show a fierce battle as they aim to demonstrate their experience against the world on the J-League stage. Both teams absolutely want victory in this important game, which kicked off at 7:03 p.m.
1st HALF—An early goal as planned, but consecutive goals conceded
The blue-red eleven, showing a focused start, immediately brought excitement to Ajinomoto Stadium. In the 6th minute of the first half, Nagatomo regained control high on the right side and delivered a left-footed cross, which Endo skillfully headed across to the opposite side, giving Tokyo the lead. Just like in the previous away match, they succeeded in taking the lead early on.
Tokyo continued to play aggressively even after taking the lead. In the 13th minute of the first half, they applied coordinated high pressing to win the ball, and finally, from Sato, the last pass was made to Nagatomo who was overlapping. Although the ball went over the crossbar, they created a scoring opportunity with a bold attitude.
However, in the 15th minute of the first half, after the right side was broken through and a cross was allowed, the loose ball contested in the center was picked up, and Yasui scored a grounded mid-range shot to equalize.
Then, in the 20th minute, Watanabe broke away on a counterattack and scored a one-on-one against the goalkeeper, resulting in a goal conceded. The space left by Scholz falling was exploited to break through, allowing the opponent to take the lead.
Tokyo launched a counterattack without losing heart. In the 24th minute of the first half, after Endo's free kick was deflected, Tawara Tsukida took a one-touch volley without letting the ball drop. Although this was stopped by the opposing goalkeeper's excellent save, Tokyo immediately pressed forward into Urawa's territory.
Tokyo does not ease up on the attack. When Tawara Tsukida shows dribbling trying to cut through a narrow area, Endo creates a decisive chance for RIAN with a sharp through pass while turning around. In the 39th minute of the first half, RIAN breaks free again after exchanging passes with Takao and aims with his left foot. While spending more time pressing into the opponent’s territory, they continue to create big chances but fail to score. They want to change the game by converting these good opportunities properly.
In the 4 minutes of first-half added time, Hashimoto pressed back near the right sideline and stole the ball, delivering a pinpoint cross to RIAN, whose header seemed to score. However, with VAR support, Hashimoto's play was judged a foul, and the goal was disallowed. Despite creating many chances, the team went into halftime trailing by one goal.
2nd HALF—Pressing with a solid attack to secure a brilliant come-from-behind victory
The second half began with no substitutions for either side, and the Japan national team returnee wearing number 33 impressed on the left side. In the 7th minute, Tawara Tsukida won the ball just before the halfway line, carried it forward himself into a vast open space, then suddenly increased his speed and drove at high pace into Urawa’s territory. He slipped into a pocket and crossed centrally with the outside of his right foot, where Endo rushed in. It was a decisive moment, but the shot went wide to the left of the goal and did not score. Tawara Tsukida continued to make an impact in a short time with daring forward runs and shots cutting inside.
At this point, an accident occurred for Tokyo. Endo, who had scored the opening goal and was involved in many chances, was forced to be substituted due to injury. In the 13th minute of the second half, Soma ANZAI came on as a substitute and took the right attacker position.
The blue and red, who had been creating many close chances while holding the initiative, finally shook the net. Tokyo, pressing from the right side, in the 22nd minute of the second half, Lukian controlled a right-footed cross from Nagatomo in the center and kept possession, then turned and struck with his left foot. The shot deflected off an opposing player, went over the goalkeeper’s head, and was swallowed by the goal. This equalizer, born from Nagatomo’s assist following the opening goal, finally brought joy from Lukian, who had been involved in many decisive chances since the first half, and Tokyo leveled the match.
Looking to gain momentum all at once, Tokyo made substitutions in the 30th minute of the second half, bringing on Teruhito NAKAGAWA, who could become the team’s “lubricant,” in place of Sato, who had been working hard up front, and Leon NOZAWA, who can battle both offensively and defensively, replacing Tawara Tsukida, who had repeatedly tried to break through on the left side. They energized the pitch aiming for the go-ahead goal.
While Tokyo pressed forward with a solid attack, Urawa aimed for a decisive strike on the counter. Supported by the incredible atmosphere created by the 35,687-strong crowd, a tense and intense battle continued. Tokyo created a scoring chance with Nozawa’s volley while turning around, and Urawa’s Thiago SANTANA also broke through sharply to shoot. Both shots narrowly missed the goal, but each came very close.
In the 39th minute of the second half, Anzai took a direct volley with a bicycle kick motion from a right cross by Nagatomo in the center. However, this also went wide to the left of the goal, and they could not score the go-ahead goal.
Coach Matsuhashi's final substitution choices were Yamashita, making his return match, and team captain Kei KOIZUMI. Both were brought onto the pitch replacing Hian and Takao.
Then, in the 43rd minute of the second half, the go-ahead goal that turned Ajinomoto Stadium into a frenzy was born. Nozawa took a half-volley shot at a loose ball that was deflected away from Anzai's left corner kick. The ball hit an opponent, became a floating ball, and headed toward the goal, where Nakagawa rushed in. He used his body to push in the opponent's clearance and scored the comeback goal, with the three substitutes at the center, FC Tokyo finally turned the match around.
During the 8 minutes of added time displayed in the second half, a back-and-forth battle unfolded, but Tokyo maintained their concentration and held on until the final whistle. They played soccer full of passion both offensively and defensively, securing a thrilling late comeback victory that brilliantly avenged the frustration they experienced away from home.
At the moment the match ended, the players on the pitch all showed passionate guts poses, and the victory anthem of the "City That Never Sleeps" echoed throughout Ajinomoto Stadium. The fans and supporters who continuously backed the team with the best atmosphere, the players who showed a spirited comeback victory—this was a great win achieved with united blue and red hearts.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC TOKYO>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Kim Seung-gyu
DF Sei MUROYA/Masato MORISHIGE/Yuto NAGATOMO/Alexander Scholz
MF Takahiro KO (41st minute second half: Kei KOIZUMI)/Kento HASHIMOTO/Keita ENDO (13th minute second half: Soma ANZAI)/Kota TAWARATSUKIDA (30th minute second half: Leon NOZAWA)
FW Keigo SATO (30th minute second half: Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Marcelo Hian (41st minute second half: Keita YAMASHITA)
SUBS
GK Masataka KOBAYASHI
DF Teppei OKA/Kanta DOI/Kosuke SHIRAI
MANAGER
Rikizo MATSUHASHI
GOAL
6th minute of the first half: Keita ENDO / 22nd minute of the second half: Marcelo RYAN / 43rd minute of the second half: Teruhito NAKAGAWA
<Urawa Reds>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Shusaku NISHIKAWA
DF Hirokazu ISHIHARA/Danilo BOZA/Marius HOIBRAATEN/Yoichi NAGANUMA (28th minute second half: Takuya OGIWARA)
MF Samuel GUSTAFSSON/Kaito YASUI (39th minute second half: Taishi MATSUMOTO)/Takuro KANEKO (28th minute second half: Takahiro SEKINE)/Ryoma WATANABE/Matheus SAVIO (17th minute second half: Thiago SANTANA)
FW Hiiro KOMORI (17th minute second half: Yusuke MATSUO)
SUBS
GK Ayumi NIEKAWA
DF Rikito INOUE
MF Tomoaki OKUBO/Genki HARAGUCHI
MANAGER
Maciej SKORZA
GOAL
15th minute of the first half: Kaito YASUI / 20th minute of the first half: Ryoma WATANABE
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q. Please give us a summary of today’s match.
A. I am very happy that we were able to win today thanks to the players who fought without giving up until the very end, and the fans and supporters who back us.
Q. In the second half, the team maintained possession and played the style of soccer you aimed for. Was that as you had anticipated as the coach?
A. It may have been as rehearsed, but the next stage beyond what we conveyed to the players during rehearsal rarely happens easily. Focusing on attacking mainly from the sides is a key point in firmly building up the groundwork in the center. Although it felt like we stayed there throughout, there were several moments when we could have passed through the center, but the challenges toward that were very few. Because we didn’t get into those spaces, the distance between the attacking players up front didn’t close much. I think there were few moments when players entered between the opponent’s lines, slipped through, or stretched into those gaps. However, I believe the actions taken with clear intent were done very well.
Q. Especially considering the clear chances in the first half, how do you view the fact that the match ended up like this because those chances were not converted?
A. The more I talk about it, the more it sounds like an excuse, but while I am confident that we have created many scoring opportunities in numerous games this season, we have struggled to finish them off. To move up, we have no choice but to convert those chances. Today, we had several opportunities in the first half but failed to capitalize. I watched the game thinking about the finishing ability of the forwards, the predictions on how to build collective relationships with this content, the continuity of properly taking positions, and ultimately, if there are no players in the right spots, it leads to not being able to break through and score goals.
That is something we absolutely had to finish, so at halftime I strongly told the players, 'Get the result,' and sent them out with that message. Then Marcelo RYAN scored that goal, and we gained a bit of rhythm. Additionally, at halftime I said, 'Now the stage is set.' Regarding how we were defeated last time, I usually don’t use words like revenge or getting even, but here I said, 'Let me say this: we will definitely get even. Play firmly with the thought that in the end, we will be the ones smiling.' With that mindset, they fought in the second half, and I think they are truly cool players.
Q. Today as well, you placed Sei MUROYA at left side back and used Yuto NAGATOMO at right side back, which seemed to be effective. What was the intention behind this?
A. The intention was, of course, that Urawa has strong players on both sides and also in the center, so considering the current situation, I thought this balance was good and selected them accordingly. Both players delivered very good performances. Especially NAGATOMO provided the assist for the first goal and was able to deliver crosses like that. He has been doing a very good job on the right side this season.
However, both Mr. Muroya and Kosuke SHIRAI primarily play on the right side, and since there are many players who specialize there, honestly, it is difficult to deploy them in that position. On the left side, we have Kashif BANGNAGANDE, so the selection was made to balance that and how to neutralize the opponent’s strengths, as well as to consider what kind of performance we can deliver offensively, achieving a balanced deployment.
Q, In the previous away game against Urawa, when you suffered a come-from-behind loss, you mentioned mental challenges. What was the most important factor in changing the team's mentality for today’s match?
A, Rather than focusing on how to change the mentality heading into the match, it was more about managing the tight schedule since we had just finished the game against Oita Trinita and had a long-distance trip immediately after, so we were quite occupied with tactical adjustments. However, in the pre-game meeting today, I said, "I want everyone to remember once again how we played in the last match against Urawa. It wasn’t a bad game. We took the lead, extended it, but in the end, we ran out of energy. That won’t happen this time. We have to work to pull the result toward ourselves in today’s game." That was about the extent of the talk. Still, since the game took a turn against us again by halftime, I tried to convey to the players what I meant by saying, ‘The stage is set.’
[Player Interview]
<Yuto NAGATOMO>
Q, please review the game.
A, Matheus SAVIO, who faced me on the same side, was a significant threat. To effectively contain him, I focused not only on defending but also on participating in the attack myself to push his playing position back and use my stamina to press him into deeper areas. In our previous encounter, we suffered a frustrating come-from-behind loss to that opponent, so the team entered the match with the mindset of 'repaying the debt.' Although there were periods when we were trailing 1-2 as a team, we were able to maintain a generally good performance throughout.
Q, I think you greatly contributed to the victory with your two assists.
A, The players were well positioned in front of the goal, and I thought that as long as I delivered a good ball, someone would connect with it. I'm glad it led to a goal in a good way. Regarding the assist to Marcelo RYAN's goal, he skillfully turned and took the shot. I never expected that goal to have an assist, and I found out after the match (laughs).
Q: You joined the team from the East Asian E-1 Football Championship 2025 Final Round in South Korea (E-1 Championship). How do you feel about being able to show results?
A, I gained confidence by representing Japan in the E-1 Championship. Above all, I want to achieve the experience of lifting the cup in the E-1 Championship here in Tokyo as well. I've become addicted to it. I'm also addicted to the World Cup, and I'm gradually becoming addicted to lifting cups. I have set goals to win the league with Tokyo and to win the World Cup with the Japan national team, and I want to fuel my energy toward achieving both cups.
<Keita ENDO player>
Q, today’s match came after a very frustrating loss in the previous away game; looking back again, how do you feel about it?
A: It was thrilling, or rather, I think it turned into an interesting match. We had a frustrating loss in the previous encounter, so I’m glad we were able to get our revenge this time.
Q: Was this something the entire team was thinking about going into the match?
A: Yes, we were. In the previous match, we were leading 1-0 at halftime but then got overturned and lost, so it made us realize that we were being tested. From there, we thought we would also come back and overturn the result like the Urawa Reds did last time, so I’m glad we were able to do exactly that.
Q: In the previous match against Urawa, after scoring a goal, you said you wanted to score a goal that would lead the team to victory. Today, you scored a goal that contributed to the win. Looking back at the goal scene again, how do you feel?
A: I think I was able to build a good relationship on the right side with Yuto NAGATOMO and Alexander SCHOLZ, and from that development, I was able to head the ball with a good touch that slightly deflected off Nagatomo’s cross. Honestly, it was a goal that didn’t really feel like my usual style.
Q: Was it just a matter of making contact with your head?
A. Yes. The cross was quite fast, so rather than hitting it hard, I imagined just lightly making contact.
Q: Besides the goal, you also made passes behind to RIAN on the right side and built a good relationship with Nagatomo. Have you gotten more comfortable and found it easier to play?
A. I have played on the right side so far, and honestly, I felt that I hadn’t been able to perform well myself. Even so, I wanted to meet the expectations of Rikizo MATSUHASHI, who continued to use me. Today, I was able to leave a mark with one statistic, and personally, creating chances beyond just scoring gave me confidence.
<Marcelo RYAN>
Q: Please review the game.
A: There were both good and bad points. Overall, I think it was a good match. We had many chances, but there were also moments when we couldn't finish, and there was a period with an unpleasant flow after conceding a goal. However, it was good that we ultimately came from behind and won.
Q: There were many chances from the first half, but you were finally able to score in the second half.
A: I had two chances in the first half, but I regret not being able to finish them. Missing those opportunities made me switch my mindset to not get discouraged and to score, which led to the goal in the second half.
Q: I think equalizing at that time gave the team a good momentum.
A: I think my play was not bad, and I was able to move well. However, I also reflect on missing decisive opportunities. Now that the break is coming, I want to rest well and then train hard for the resumption of the league matches.
