Seeking revenge away, aiming for consecutive victories at home

　Sec. 21 of the league will be held, facing Urawa Reds at home. In the previous match against Nagoya, we defended our 1-point lead with a focused battle and obtained 3 points for the first time in an official match since the Verdy match on June 8th (Sec. 6 of the Nabisco qualifiers). In this match, we aim to achieve consecutive victories based on the confidence we gained from that match and play our own style of soccer.

　However, Tokunaga injured his ankle and decided that he would not be able to perform at 100% (according to Coach Shirofuku), so he was absent for the first time this season. As a result, Konno played as a left back, and Nagatomo, who had just returned from the Olympics on the 14th (Thu), started as a right back. In the midfield, the formation was the same as the previous match, with Hayu and Asari forming a double pivot.

　Urawa Reds, who are currently in second place with 34 points, will face their opponent. In the previous match against Kashiwa, they were caught up in the final moments, and although they have been in good form with 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 3 matches, everyone recognizes their individual abilities. In this match, forward Tatsuya Tanaka, who has recovered from an injury, will start. Midfielder Ponte will also make a comeback and be on the bench. To break through Urawa's strong defense, they need to take control on the sides and push the opponent's wing-backs. Cabore, Hirayama, Emerson, and Ishikawa need to aggressively exploit the spaces and create more scoring opportunities.

　In away games, we suffered a frustrating 0-2 defeat, so we will aggressively attack to seek victory and overcome that frustration! Amidst localized heavy rain in various parts of Tokyo, Ajinomoto Stadium, where clear skies can be seen. The match started at 18:34 with Tokyo's kickoff.

They did not allow Urawa to move freely and attacked while dominating the ball, but...

　From the beginning, Tokyo did not allow Urawa to play freely and dominated the ball. They attacked by passing the ball around. Shortly after the start, Emerson ran up to the left front line from Hirayama's wedge. However, it did not reach Ishikawa in the center. The ball cut by the defender floated to Cabore in the left area, but he couldn't finish the header. Still, Emerson tried to create chances by taking advantage of Cabore's runs and frequently sending through passes.

　8 minutes, Hanyu, who exchanged passes with Ishikawa, entrusted the ball to Emerson in the center and entered the right area. A perfect through pass came from Emerson, but he couldn't shoot before the quick approach of Urawa DF Tatsuki Sekigawa. In the 13th minute, Urawa launched a counterattack from a corner kick, and Sato made an early cross from the left side. Ishikawa on the right front jumped and sent a volley into the middle, shaking from left and right. However, Cabore in the center competed with Urawa DF Tatsuki Sekigawa and couldn't receive the ball as he fell. There was no foul by Urawa.

　In the 27th minute, Cabore dribbled into the area from the left and attracted the attention of the defenders. He then sent a minus last pass to Hirayama, who closed in near the goal. However, the timing was off and Hirayama couldn't make contact. The combination and accuracy were lacking in the final moments, and they couldn't create a decisive scene. On the other hand, Urawa also had their first shot of the day in the 32nd minute, when forward Tatsu Tanaka took a shot from the middle. In the 34th minute, Emerson made a last pass to the center after advancing into the left area. It was cut off by the Urawa defenders, causing a loose ball in the left area. Cabore ran in, but was a step too late and the defense held firm. In the 35th minute, Konno took a powerful shot from a 45-degree angle on the left, but Urawa defender Tatsuya Tanaka cleared it with a header, resulting in a throw-in.

　Tokyo struggled to find a rhythm and failed to capitalize on their opportunities. They lost possession while on the attack, leading to a dangerous counterattack by Urawa's defenders. In the 38th minute, Hirayama, Cabore, and Hayashi failed to connect in midfield and Urawa took possession. Urawa forward Nagai passed the ball to Takahara, who had managed to break the offside line, and he faced off against Shioda in a one-on-one situation. Takahara took a decisive shot, but it hit the left post... The rebound resulted in a shot by Urawa midfielder Soma, but Sato blocked it, saving Tokyo from a desperate situation...

　In the 44th minute, Asari advanced into the central area from Cabore's post. Despite being surrounded by opponents, he took a shot, but it lacked power and the goalkeeper caught it. Immediately after that, Saltada saved a middle shot from Urawa FW Tanaka Tatsu, and it escaped to a corner kick. Urawa's left corner kick flowed to the far side, and Emerson tried to make it his ball. However, it was taken back as he tried to launch an attack, and Urawa counterattacked again. FW Takahara flew out on a through pass from FW Tanaka Tatsu, and once again faced Saltada in a one-on-one situation. However, the shot hit the crossbar...! With the help of the opponent's mistake, they avoided conceding a goal and ended the first half with a 0-0 score.

Unable to break through Urawa's solid defense and suffered a defeat with no goals scored

　In the second half, Tokyo suddenly became unable to connect passes and was pushed back by Urawa. In the 49th minute, FW Tatsuya TANAKA took a shot after circling around from Urawa's right throw-in, hitting the post... Next, FW Tatsuya TANAKA broke free into the right area from a floating pass by Urawa MF Abe and was able to take a close shot. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Asari in an attempt to change the flow. In the 62nd minute, Cabore broke through the right side and sent a floating cross after cutting back the opponent's DF. Kajiyama closed in on the goal, but missed the volley...

　In the 67th minute, Urawa connected a pass and attacked from the left side of Tokyo. Saitoh cleared the ball once, but it hit Urawa MF Ponte and the ball went to Tokyo's central midfielder Suzuki. Suzuki quickly sent a lofted pass to the left front line, and Soma, who had run behind Tokyo's defense, scored a volley shot, finally allowing a goal... In the 71st minute, Akamine was substituted for Ishikawa. Hayashi aimed for an equalizer with a formation where Hayashi supported the right side.

　However, in the 74th minute, Cabore → Hirayama made a short drop, and Hayabusa ran into the area and created a good opportunity for a shot, but it went wide to the right. In the 77th minute, Kawaguchi was substituted for Cabore. They tried to strengthen the front line and launch a counterattack. In the 79th minute, Kajiyama made a move from the right area, and Akamine → Kajiyama → Kawaguchi in the center took a shot. The loose ball rolled to Hirayama in the right area, and he took a free shot, but it was also off target. In the 85th minute, Emerson → Nowano, who overlapped, sent a cross, and Hirayama at the far post headed the ball, but it hit the goalkeeper in the face.

　In the 87th minute, Hayu passed a right corner kick to Kajiyama with a short pass, and Kajiyama entered the right area. He took a shot after cutting back against the DF, but it was blocked by the DF... Despite launching a fierce attack by gathering the ball in the front line, they couldn't break through the solid defense of Urawa DF, who took the lead with one goal and tightened their defense. Every cross was consistently repelled and the game ended. They ended up with no goals and suffered a frustrating defeat at home...

　[Player Comments]《Emerson》"I think we were able to play well in the first half and control the flow of the game, but we conceded a goal in the second half. I thought it would be a very difficult match if we fell behind today, but this is the result we got. Of course, I wanted to turn it around, but we couldn't. We lost 2-0 in the away game, and including today, we have been conceding goals when we make mistakes. That's one issue. Furthermore, we haven't scored a single goal against them. We had chances, but not converting them is a problem. We can only continue to practice to improve in those areas. The league continues, so we want to keep fighting."《Nagatomo》"I think we were able to play our style of football from the first half, but in the second half, I struggled with marking and we conceded a goal, which is frustrating. Urawa has a high quality of counterattacks, and I felt that’s why they are at the top. It was a match right after returning from the Olympics, but my condition is completely fine. I think there were some misalignments in parts like the offside trap, but other than that, I had no concerns about our coordination. We have been having frustrating matches, but it’s at times like this that we need to hold on. I want to reflect on myself and keep going. We couldn't utilize the sides well today, so I think I need to demand more from myself and initiate plays from the sides. We have tall players in the middle, so if we can deliver good crosses, we can score. It depends on me. With the determination to never lose to the enemy in front of me, I want to present a victory to our supporters in the next match."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "First of all, I want to apologize to the supporters and fans. I take full responsibility for the results. Of course, Urawa played a wonderful match and won, but I feel very sorry for the Tokyo supporters and fans who spent their time and money to come and ended up feeling hurt after hearing Urawa's song after the match. Regarding the content, the players did well to maintain a high line and create a defensive pace that prevented the three Urawa forwards from working, aiming to play our own style of football. There were some moments of confusion regarding whether it was offside or not, which made our defense a bit unstable, but we defended well in areas outside of our own mistakes. However, there were mistakes when trying to connect from clearances, and there were also easy mistakes in the build-up. We panicked when those were exploited. It was precisely from such mistakes that we conceded goals, and I feel that we still lack strength. In the second half, there were continued easy mistakes and difficult passing decisions. We lost the ability to confidently connect the ball from the defensive line, so we brought in Kajiyama. In terms of attack, that calmed us down, and we tried to create our time again. However, just before we conceded, both the receiving side and the passing side showed signs of fear and lack of confidence. This is not just a problem between the passer and receiver; positioning and various other factors are involved. Ultimately, I thought that the number of battles in front of the goal would increase, so I brought in Akamine. Akamine has the ability to momentarily evade opponents in front of the goal and can score with both his feet and head. As long as the opponent's line does not drop and there is space, Ishikawa's movement behind the defense was effective and he did well, but I made that judgment based on how much the opponent was dropping back."

　[Summary of the press conference by Urawa's coach GERT ENGELS] "The start was a very tough game. Tokyo had a strong awareness of defense with many players involved, and there were many quick counters in the first 25 minutes. Due to the pitch conditions, we struggled to connect our plays, and it was mostly running and fighting. After the 30-minute mark, we were able to connect our passes. There was also a shot from FW Takahara that hit the post and the bar. In the second half, we were able to play with almost the same rhythm. We advanced the game in the opponent's half, there were side changes, and there was a moment when FW Tatsuya TANAKA's shot hit the post. There were various scenes, but we finally scored with a wonderful goal. In the end, we dropped back too much, leading to more battles close to the area. The defense in that area was very good, but considering the offense, we could have held the ball a bit more comfortably. Once we entered the opponent's half, it naturally became easier to score on the counter. If we could have approached the ball a bit more in the front line, it would have made things easier in the back as well. There were some close counter scenes, and it would have been good if we could have connected better there. However, looking at the 90 minutes, the result of 1-0 is important. Gaining 3 points with zero goals conceded is significant. Considering it was an away game, I am satisfied. (Today, the movements of FW Nagai and FW Tatsuya TANAKA behind the final line stood out, but was it in response to Tokyo's flat defensive line?) It wasn't specifically in response to Tokyo, but I thought we needed to be aware of it. Even if the opponent drops back, if there is even a little space behind, we aimed to take advantage of it. If we reach it, it becomes a chance. If we don't reach it, it becomes the opponent's goal kick. If the ball at our feet is intercepted, it immediately leads to the opponent's counter. Therefore, targeting behind is something we have been focusing on in recent practices. FW Tatsuya TANAKA is a player with that characteristic."