The big match of the first half of the 2nd stage, facing the top team Urawa Reds!

　The 6th match of the 2nd stage will be played at home against the current leader, Urawa Reds. Urawa has won 5 consecutive matches in this stage, being the only team among the 16 teams without a loss, and is currently the most powerful team. In particular, their scoring ability of 21 goals in 5 matches is remarkable. Among them, FW Emerson, who is at the top of the scoring rankings, has scored in 5 consecutive matches, making his attacking power a significant threat. However, we cannot easily give up on victory. This will be a crucial match that cannot be lost in order to advance to the top and win the title. It can be said that it is a major showdown in the first half of the 2nd stage, especially in terms of stopping Urawa's dominance.

　Tokyo returned from injury and Toda, who scored a goal as a substitute in the previous match, started as the right midfielder. Lucas, who missed three games due to injury, was on the bench. On the other hand, Urawa lost key players Tsuboi and Yamase due to injury. Alpay, who received accumulated warnings, was suspended. In addition, Buchwald, the coach, was absent due to personal reasons, which caused some concerns at the start. Emerson, forward Nagai, and midfielder Mitsushu formed a 3-4-3 formation.

As planned, the first half ends scoreless.

　Tokyo was the first to attack boldly at the start. A through pass was made to Toda, who had run behind the right side DF from Kelly. Then, Kaji, who had advanced in attack, won a corner kick, and in the first minute, Jean scored a header from the right corner kick. In the 6th minute, Toda sprinted down the right side, and Baba crossed the ball to the far side, but the opponent's DF blocked it. However, they skillfully exploited the space on Urawa's side and attacked with an advantage.

　But in the 8th minute, Emerson, who received a long ball, evaded Jean with a one-touch and turned forward, breaking through the front line. Although Kaji quickly returned to prevent any danger, he showed the fear of a "one-shot". In the 13th minute, he sprinted down the left side of Tokyo with a dribble, and Shigeyoshi escaped with a corner kick. In the 14th minute, Nene, the defender, headed the ball from the right corner kick. The high shot slightly curved to the left.

　Both teams set up compact formations and pressed each other in the midfield, and the game progressed quickly. In the 18th and 19th minutes, Keri passed the ball to Kaji, who crossed it. In the 20th minute, Tokyo attacked from the right side, connecting passes between Keri, Kaji, and Toda, and creating crosses. However, just when it seemed like they were on the offensive, in the 22nd minute, Urawa used a wedge pass to penetrate the goal area. Kanazawa took a direct shot from inside the area, following a lofted ball sent by Baba from the front line. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the target, but they showed a good attacking shape from the left side as well.

　In the 36th minute, Urawa created a decisive scene. Mitsutoshi advanced from the Tokyo defense and passed to the right side. MF Yamada cut back inside the right area and took a left-footed shot. The ball hit the post and did not go in, but it was a tense moment. On the other hand, Tokyo also had a chance in the 42nd minute when Toda jumped in from the center to meet Kaji's cross with a header, but the ball went to the left of the goal. In the 44th minute, Kelly, Baba, Kondo Yu, Kanazawa, and Miura connected one after another and approached the Urawa goal with fast passing, but in the end, they were caught offside. However, Tokyo brought about the desired development and ended the first half with a 0-0 score.

Lucas, who returned from injury, scores a valuable opening goal!

　Both teams had 4 shots each in the first half. The game was intense with rapid exchanges of attacks and defenses, but it ended in a draw. During halftime, Coach Hara's instructions were to "remember to prepare defensively even when attacking. Don't drop the defensive line too much. Exploit the space behind the opponent's defense." Tokyo, showing the same fighting spirit as in the first half, immediately started the second half with Yusuke Kondo dribbling and earning a free kick in front of the goal. In the 48th minute, there was another attacking opportunity from Miura's interception, resulting in a free kick slightly to the left of the goal. However, Yusuke Kondo and Jean both aimed directly for the goal but missed the target.

　Tokyo, who did not allow Urawa to create decisive chances by playing tightly, also couldn't create many decisive scenes themselves. In the 51st minute, Yusuke KONDO was replaced by Lucas, who made his first appearance since the Tokyo V match in the 3rd section on August 29th. And then, one minute later, the long-awaited goal was born.

　In the 52nd minute, Imakono, who advanced on the right side, took a corner kick. Bamba put a liner ball into this right corner kick, and Lucas in the center made a perfectly timed header shot! The ball shook the net and scored a valuable opening goal with Lucas' first touch.

Urawa wins with perseverance in a breathless offense and defense! Achieving a valuable victory

　Carrying the behind, Urawa also launched an attack. In the 58th minute, FW Tatsuya TANAKA was substituted for DF Uchidate. Nagai on the right MF, Mitsushu on the left, Yamada on the right MF and Hirakawa on the left MF dropped back to a 4-4-2 formation to challenge the counterattack. However, Tokyo today moved well without losing concentration and their combination play was also effective. They continued to press against Urawa's passers and receivers, stealing the ball and connecting to their own attack. However, in the 69th minute, Urawa also launched a quick attack and MF Suzuki saw an opening in the front and took a middle shot from the midfield. The tense development of being immediately attacked if they showed any gaps continued.

　Tokyo faced a decisive pinch in the 75th minute. Urawa's Nagai attempted to dribble through the center from the right side and took a shot. The ball hit Tokyo's defense and ended up in front of Emerson, who was inside the area. Emerson immediately went towards the ball, but Doi threw his body forward a step ahead and cleared it with a sliding tackle! The cleared ball was also picked up and they were threatened in front of the goal, but they defended this pinch with composed play.

　In the 71st minute, Miyazawa was substituted for Miura, and in the 77th minute, Abe was substituted for Baba, but the intense battle continued. Both teams were determined to win with their fighting spirit. In the 78th minute, Nagai broke through Tokyo's left side and made a negative cross. Although Tokyo's defense barely cleared it, they stuck to Tokyo's goal and launched a wave of attacks. In the final stages, they were on the defensive, but the team came together and defended with their bodies, not allowing any goals. They sealed the key moments with passionate play and achieved a determined victory. Although their goal difference puts them in 6th place, they closed the gap to 5 points with the top team and secured a valuable win.

[Player Comments]《Lucas》"It was frustrating to watch the match from the sidelines due to my injury. I'm happy to win with my goal today. Before the match, we all talked about how losing here would eliminate our chances for the title. Every match is tough, but winning against the top team gives us confidence. There is still a chance for the championship, so I want to focus and fight in every match. I'm no longer worried about my injury, and my game sense is coming back. I believe I will improve as I play more matches." 《Jean》"We talked about trying to defend as a team to avoid creating one-on-one situations as much as possible. Learning from our previous match, we made sure to keep our eyes on the ball until it went out and until the whistle blew. I tried to stay closer to Jean than usual, and we made an effort to cover for each other. I think we were able to keep a clean sheet because everyone was focused and responded well to the calls. The team atmosphere is good. Anyway, I want to win against Kashima next and continue winning one by one after that."

　【Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference】 "Urawa was on a nine-match winning streak in official matches, and the first of those was against Tokyo in the final match of the 1st stage. Since we were the ones who triggered that winning streak, I told the players that we should end it with our own strength this time. Urawa indeed has explosive power. In the last few matches, once they score first, they quickly go for two or three more goals. However, conversely, they haven't experienced many close matches, and there have hardly been any scoreless first halves, so I wanted to bring it to a close contest. Also, I thought today would be a battle of quick transitions. Urawa tries to utilize Emerson's speed, and their transition to attack is quick after regaining possession. They defend well from the front and immediately pass the ball to the forwards. If we lose the speed of transition when the ball is taken away and Emerson is utilized, even if we have several defenders, there was a possibility of being outrun and conceding a shot. Therefore, we tried to slow down the vertical speed as much as possible. I think Miura, Konno, Toda, and Baba in the midfield were also tracking back well. Baba and Yusuke Kondo, who have been holding their ground lately, showed some signs of fatigue, so I was considering bringing in Lucas, Abe, and Miyazawa at crucial moments. I thought about bringing Lucas in from the start of the second half, but during halftime, we confirmed our approach and decided to hold on a little longer before bringing Lucas in. Lucas has good footwork and can receive and hold the ball up front. That was the role we sought from him. However, since Nene and Tulio also have strong footwork, I told him to try to run into space as much as possible while holding the ball up front and to utilize Kelly and others. I think the players who came on as substitutes did well in a tough match. I thought it would be bad if Urawa ran away with the game, so I was glad we were able to stop them. Since there is another match coming up soon, I want to switch our mindset and focus on the next match against Kashima. (In response to the question about whether the actual transition was slow) There may have been a desire on both sides to connect a bit more during attacks, but the fear of being caught out in a bad way might have taken precedence. When we were congested on one side, we wanted to switch to the opposite side, but the fear prevented us from making that switch. I want to improve the quality of play in that area."

　[Summary of Coach Engels' Press Conference] "I think both teams were able to play a good match. It was fast and intense. For about the first 20 minutes, we couldn't respond to the opponent's pressure and couldn't create good developments. However, after that, we gradually found our rhythm. If Yamada's shot had gone in at that time, the outcome might have been different. The second half started similarly, and I wondered when the pace would drop, but both teams maintained a fast pace and fight until the end. A key moment was when Lucas came on as a substitute and we conceded a goal from a corner kick right after. From there, we took the initiative. We replaced a defender with a forward, aimed to spread the play from the outside, and wanted to utilize Nagai and Mitsunobu. We also faced Tokyo's counterattacks, but we almost grasped the pace, especially creating good developments from the right side, leading to some good scenes. However, Tokyo also fought hard, sliding and putting their bodies on the line to defend their goal until the end. We need to analyze the reasons for our defeat calmly, but the next match is on the 26th. I want to switch mentally as soon as possible and head into the next match from zero."