A match to bounce back from the toughness of the away game and change the bad flow

　Sec. 22 of the league will be a match against Urawa Reds away. In the previous match against Kashiwa, it was a spirited game where we created many chances, but we suffered a defeat. However, after three consecutive defeats since the league resumed, today's match is crucial to break this bad streak and somehow seize the opportunity to rise up.

　There was a one-week interval from the previous match, but Makoto, Hirayama, and Kajiyama left the team for the activities of each Japan representative, and the overall practice was limited to only two days in reality. Still, Makoto and Kajiyama prepared their condition and started the game. The starting lineup remains largely unchanged from the previous match, with Lucas and Akamine as the top two, Ishikawa and Rychely on both sides, and Makoto serving as the center back. In addition, Kurisawa, who has not played since the Kashima match on June 30, replaced Baba, who was suspended, and Evaldo, who injured his leg during the Olympic representative training camp on May 9, was on the bench.

　Urawa, on the other hand, has risen to the top with 43 points in the previous round. Their strong defense is a characteristic, boasting the fewest total goals conceded in the league with 16. Against Urawa's defense, which has height and strength, Coach Hara said, "Just throwing long balls won't break them down." Therefore, we want to try to win the ball at a high position and quickly distribute it to the sides to make use of Ishikawa and Rychely's speed. Urawa's attacking lineup is without FW Washington, but Coach Hara is cautious, saying, "FW Tatsuya Tanaka and Nagai as the two top players can play speedy soccer." MF Ponte, in the attacking midfield position, creates opportunities with dribbles, while Tatsuya Tanaka and Nagai make runs during that time. Also, we need to be careful of the counterattacks that come quickly from long balls.

　Tokyo wants to press from the front, match the intensity, and pick up loose balls to create attacks. The battle for second balls will also be a decisive factor in the game. It is expected to be a tough match away against the league leaders, Urawa Reds. Manager Hara said, "We cannot win unless we have a stronger mentality than Urawa. We want to come together as a team and overcome the difficult conditions with aggression, even though it's an away game."

　The match started at Saitama Stadium 2002, where the scorching heat of the day finally eased. Although the humidity remained, the wind started to blow. It kicked off with Urawa's kickoff at 19:04.

Create a good shape and take the lead, but let the opponent capitalize on two scoring opportunities...

　From the beginning, we pressed forward and didn't let Urawa have any freedom, launching quick attacks. In the 11th minute, we intercepted the ball in our own half and immediately sent it to Akamine on the front line, winning a throw-in. Rychely, who had been drifting to the right, cut into the area and sent a minus pass to Ishikawa in front of the goal, creating a chance. However, the shot was too close to the Urawa defender and was blocked. But Urawa also quickly sent the ball from their defensive line to the front line, gaining momentum from a sharp counterattack. In the 15th minute, we quickly connected passes from a throw-in in our own half, and midfielder Yamada crossed the ball. Tatsuya Tanaka, who was free, jumped in and made a perfect header, but it was saved by Shioda and resulted in a corner kick.

　If Tokyo can hold on to this pinch, they will regain their rhythm and create chances by expanding the ball to the side from Kajiyama as the starting point. In the 23rd minute, Akamine dropped Kajiyama's left cross, and Lucas cut inside from the right side and took a shot. In the 24th minute, Tokunaga jumped into the ball sent by Kajiyama to the far post from a free kick earned on the left side. In the 30th minute, Lucas in front of the goal tried to receive a left throw-in. Despite being pushed by the opponent's defender and having the ball poked from behind, Ishikawa followed up with a looping shot. Although none of them resulted in a goal, they created good opportunities and formed an attacking shape.

　In the 32nd minute, Kajiyama -> Rychely connected with Lucas on the left side, and Lucas advanced with a dribble. He sent a through pass to Rychely who broke through into the area. Facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, Rychely's shot grazed the goalkeeper and rolled forward, and Akamine pushed it in for a goal! With a well-coordinated attack, they scored against the solid defense of Urawa. They wanted to build momentum after taking the lead, but as the players reflected after the match, they were unable to press from the front and the whole team ended up dropping back instead.

　And in the 36th minute, Urawa's right to left side change was received by left MF Hirakawa, who made a breakthrough into the area. He dodged Tokunaga who was facing him and sent a ground cross to the front of the goal. Fujiyama tried to clear it, but Urawa FW Tanaka quickly entered and kicked it into the goal. The equalizer caused some panic, and in the 39th minute, Urawa's Hirakawa cut back Tokunaga again and this time sent a floating cross. DF Horinochi jumped in with his head and scored. Tokyo had been playing well, but Urawa took advantage of their chances and scored two goals in just 4 minutes, ending the first half.

Trailing by one point, they launch a full-scale attack but it doesn't bear fruit

　It was a second half where we wanted to approach the counterattack without losing our momentum, but Urawa started off with a speedy attack and pushed us back. In the 47th minute, Rychely broke through to the front line from Shioda's long kick and entered the area, but was stopped, and Urawa midfielder Suzuki quickly countered. Ponte carried the ball to the area. In the 50th minute, Urawa forward Nagai became a wedge and Ponte passed to the front line with one touch. Tatsuya TANAKA broke free and took a shot, but it was saved by Shioda and resulted in a corner kick.

　In an attempt to change the flow of the game, Hirayama was substituted for Rychely in the 56th minute. They aimed to increase the attacking opportunities by creating more chances up front. In the 59th minute, Hirayama was fouled slightly to the right of the opponent's penalty area, resulting in a free kick. Hirayama headed the ball from a low position, following Kajiyama's quick kick. They almost seized the momentum for a counterattack. However, in the immediate 60th minute, Yamada contested the goalkeeper's kick and the ball was carried forward to the front line. In an attempt to connect with the ball, Urawa forward Tatsuya TANAKA was marked by Konno and collided with each other. Both players fell, but in the meantime, Urawa midfielder Ponte quickly reacted to the rolling ball. He broke free in front of the goal and effortlessly scored the third goal...

　Without giving up, in the 63rd minute, Fukunishi was substituted for Asari. Then, in the 68th minute, Fukunishi was fouled in the left corner area, earning a free kick. Lucas played a short pass from this free kick, and Kajiyama shot the ball towards the goal. Imano, who had jumped out here, slightly changed the angle with his right foot and pushed it in! As the counterattack mood increased, in the 71st minute, a through pass was made from Fukunishi to Akamine on the left front line. Akamine crossed the ball on the ground in front of the goal, and Hirayama shot it! They created a decisive opportunity, but it narrowly missed the target. In the 76th minute, Kurizawa was substituted for Ishikawa. Both teams launched a quick attack, but Tokyo calmly passed the ball between Kajiyama, Kurizawa, and Fukunishi, and continuously delivered the ball to the front line from the sides.

　In the 82nd minute, Lucas and Fukunishi connected in front of the Urawa goal, and Kurisawa, who had drifted to the left, crossed the ball, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 87th minute, Hirayama dropped Kanazawa's cross, but no one was able to follow up on the loose ball. In the 88th minute, Lucas headed the ball from Tokunaga's right cross. Then, Hirayama, who received Kurisawa's pass on the right, circled inside and took a shot, but it was cut off by the Urawa defenders... Unable to score an equalizing goal against Urawa's solid defense, the game ended. Despite not being discouraged by the top-ranked Urawa, they played with great determination, but ultimately lost due to a difference in finishing ability. It was their fourth consecutive loss.

　【Player Comments】《Shioda》"I don't think we allowed any decisive chances until we conceded. We pressed high from the front, the full-backs pushed forward from the side change, and we were able to compete near the penalty area. The opponents must have been uncomfortable with that. However, after taking the lead, the whole team dropped back. We wanted to create opportunities by simply targeting the space behind the opponent's defenders and building from the front, but we couldn't unify our intentions during that period and ended up playing defensively. We wanted to somehow turn things around. Hiroshima in the next match also has fast players in the front. We want to discuss and make adjustments together, and strive in the same direction. I apologize for not being able to win despite the support of many fans who came to the away game. We must definitely meet their expectations in the next match."《Kurisawa》"I received a lot of balls in the midfield and was thinking of building from there. The cross reached Hirayama, but we only had one focal point. I think it would have been better if we had connected more passes and cleverly pulled out the opponent's defenders from a slightly deeper position, and then played the ball inside. I regret that our passing game was neither here nor there, whether to connect passes or immediately send the ball in. However, it was my first appearance in a while, but my motivation was high. Although the results haven't come, we have no choice but to prepare for the next match with a strong mindset."

　[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Match against top-ranked Urawa. Despite being on a losing streak, we all talked about approaching the game with an aggressive mindset. In the first half, we utilized both sides well after changing sides and created some good opportunities with the involvement of our fullbacks. And we were able to score. After taking the lead, we wanted to continue playing in our own rhythm. However, Urawa's one chance came from a side change, with MF Hirakawa facing forward and FW Tanaka Tatsuya scoring from a cross. During that time, it's not that our players were being careless, but Urawa's finishing ability was higher and we conceded two goals and were turned around. We were superior in the midfield battle, but Urawa always manages to score when they need to. In the second half, we wanted to change sides and use our fast players up front to create a numerical advantage of 2v1. But then we conceded a third goal. In the scene where Imakawa and FW Tanaka Tatsuya got tangled up, only MF Ponte reacted to the loose ball. That's the difference between us and Urawa right now. (Is it a difference in individual abilities?) Urawa's FW Tanaka Tatsuya, Nagai, and MF Ponte have the ability to take the ball all the way to the finish line on their own. It's a fact that they have speed and high attacking power. That's why our back four had no choice but to focus on those three players. Apart from the goals we conceded, Imakawa, Fujiyama, and our fullbacks did a good job in defense. When we had the ball, Tokunaga and Kanazawa would push forward, giving us an advantage, but when we had to defend, there was a lot of movement up and down. Having players like Ishikawa and Rychely in attacking positions also put a burden on our fullbacks. Along with that, Urawa's finishing ability was better than ours. (Why was Rychely substituted?) It's not that he was playing poorly, in fact, he and Ishikawa were doing well together. The problem was his physical condition. So we brought in Hirayama to create a playmaker in the middle rather than attacking from the sides. Urawa's defense is strong against crosses, so Lucas took up a position on the left and we wanted to use Hirayama and Akamine as targets up front. We had a period where we lost momentum, but in the last game against Kashiwa and today's game against Urawa, although we didn't get results, I think Tokyo's style of play is starting to come back. We want to continue this momentum, including scoring two goals. We want to fix our finishing accuracy and continue to fight in the next game."

　[Urawa · Ojek Director's Press Conference Summary] "We were able to get 3 points, but FC Tokyo played good football and it was a very tough game. In the first half, we started the game well and were able to play speedy football. However, it collapsed in the middle of the first half and we conceded the first goal. Fortunately, we were able to regain our composure and turn the game around just before the end of the first half. In the second half, we started with concentration and scored the third goal. Tokyo made three substitutions and tried to score with a set piece. In response, we were able to create many chances on the counter. We couldn't score an additional goal and it was a really tough game. MF Hirakawa has been injured this season and hasn't been able to participate in training. It was difficult for him to find a position within the team. However, he has been improving since playing for the satellite team. He is a player who can do something for us. The gap with second place doesn't matter at this point. The season is still long, so we want to focus on our own game instead of thinking about other matches."