Facing Urawa, the top team, and utilizing the challenges from the previous match

Sec. 15 of the league is held. Away game against Urawa Reds. In the previous match against Hiroshima, we conceded a goal from a free kick near the end of the game. It was a shocking defeat as we had shown strong defense until then. We also created chances on the attacking side through counterattacks, but the players admitted that "we lacked aggressiveness" and expressed their regrets. They will face this match with the lessons learned from this bitter defeat.

This round, Kaga is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Therefore, Hyun Soo JANG will be placed as a center back, and Takahashi will be placed as a defensive midfielder. On the other hand, Watanabe has recovered from injury and will start. Lucas will be on the bench, and Ishikawa has improved his condition and made it onto the bench as well.

Urawa, on the other hand, is currently in 2nd place. They are 3 points behind the leader and have been on a great streak, going undefeated in the last 6 league matches and 8 matches including the Nabisco Cup. With a formation of 3-6-1, they have a lineup that includes FW Koroki as the lone striker, and players like Haraguchi, Kashiwagi, and Marcinho Rishardes in the shadow positions, who can individually break through with coordination. Although they have a similar style to Hiroshima, considering the versatility of their attack, it should be more difficult to narrow down their targets.

It is expected to be an intense match, but we want to maintain our perseverance, press from the front, and prolong Tokyo's possession time to compete. We will challenge the game without hesitation, even though it is an away game against Urawa, who is in the top position. The match started at 19:35 with Urawa's kickoff at Saitama Stadium, where you can still feel the high humidity even after the sun sets.

Showing an aggressive attitude in both offense and defense, Hikaru MITA scores the first goal of the league!

Showed an aggressive fight from the start. Pressing from the front, they were able to suppress and steal all of Urawa's vertical passes, leading to quick counterattacks. In the 11th minute, a cross from Urawa's right MF Hirakawa was met by MF Kashiwagi running into the center of the area, but Hyun Soo JANG cut it off at his feet. With that momentum, the ball flowed to the left side and a pass was connected to the front line, but it ended up going to Urawa. However, Watanabe intercepted the pass and took it up himself, expanding to the right.

Mita, who received the ball, cuts inside with a dribble towards the right corner of the area and aims for the goal. The ball grazes the opponent's defender, changing its trajectory and goes into the near side of the net. Mita's bold attitude pays off as he scores his first goal in the league, giving his team the lead!

After that, Urawa tried to break through the center while moving the ball. Tokyo intercepted it and continued with a quick attack, creating an exciting offense and defense. In the 28th minute, Watanabe intercepted a loose ball in the midfield and quickly launched a counterattack. However, the pass to Mita, who had jumped out to the right side while taking care of the offside line, did not connect as it was one beat late.

After 30 minutes, we were shaken by Urawa's skillful passing, but we did not lose our tenacity in the final line. In the 33rd minute, Watanabe picked up Urawa's DF clearance on the right side and took a sharp shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's great save. In the 35th minute, from Urawa's MF Kashiwagi's early cross, FW Koroki headed the ball, but it was saved by Gonda. In the 42nd minute, in a situation with Urawa's right corner kick, DF Makino changed the direction with a header, but it narrowly missed FW Koroki in the far post. We survived the crisis and ended the first half with a one-goal lead.

Expanded the lead with Hasegawa's goal, but couldn't hold on to the 2-goal advantage...

Tokyo took the first chance in the second half as well. In the 55th minute, Urawa MF Suzuki was substituted for MF Marcio Richardes due to injury. In the 56th minute, Watanabe passed to Mita, who ran into the center from the right front line. Mita attracted the opponent's DF near the right area and made the last pass to Hasegawa in the left area. Hasegawa accurately judged the opponent's sliding and calmly scored to the lower left to make a goal. Tokyo succeeded in scoring an additional point with a coordinated and speedy attack.

In the 66th minute, Watanabe pressed the front line and intercepted a kick from the Urawa goalkeeper, causing it to float high in the air. East controlled it at his feet and moved it to the left area. Hasegawa ran into that area but drifted too far to the side and couldn't take a shot, so he returned it to East. From there, a last pass was sent to the right area, and Watanabe took a decisive shot while being free, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper's excellent save...

If you miss this big chance, you will be forced to defend against Urawa, who has continuously brought in attacking players. In the 76th minute, Lucas was brought in, but he couldn't effectively connect with the front line. In the 81st minute, Urawa connected directly vertically, and the forward KOROKU reversed with one touch. JANG Hyun Soo was avoided, and he was easily dribbled past in the left area, allowing a goal to be scored and allowing the opponent to catch up.

Unable to regain a bad rhythm from this goal, we were pushed back by Urawa and in the 86th minute, Urawa MF Haraguchi dribbled and cut back to Takahashi in the center, and with skillful control, he scored a goal from the right bottom, threading the needle between his teammate and Tokyo DF... In the final stages, Ishikawa and Nemanja VUCICEVIC were brought on, but we couldn't take the lead. Unable to hold onto a 2-goal lead, we ended up with a draw.


[Player Comments]
"Hasegawa"
"Scoring a goal is important, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't win. We had a disappointing game last time, so today we entered the game with the determination to do our best. Our defense was working well and we were able to connect in our attacks and move forward with momentum. However, we couldn't win. We have had many wasted games, but when we think about the whole year, we want to build on today's draw and move forward."

"Mita"
"I think I was lucky because the goal hit the opponent and went in. However, I'm really frustrated that I couldn't get a win when I got a chance to start in the Hiroshima game and today as well. I think the start of the game was good. I tried to play aggressively. (About the way of playing after leading by 2 points) I think we started to retreat too early with about 20 minutes left. It would have been better if we could go forward again and play aggressively. We lost our momentum and couldn't keep the ball in the back."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"We were able to show a high-quality game in terms of tactics and precision of play, and I think we had a good game, but we need to win firmly in this kind of situation. That is also a challenge throughout this season. I would like to sincerely congratulate Urawa for catching up, but we let them come back to life. I think it was an interesting game for everyone watching, but we cannot be satisfied with just 1 point."

Today, we faced the match with a young team, with an average age of 24. However, there were moments where our youth showed in the two goals we conceded. In order to win even with a young team, we must understand what we need to do and what we should do. Of course, everyone fought to win, but we lacked the understanding of what not to do in order to win. That's where we were vulnerable and conceded goals. On the other hand, being a young team, there is plenty of potential from here. I believe we could have shown more today, and I am confident that today's experience will lead us to the next level."

[Urawa Petrovic Coach Press Conference Summary]
"After watching the Tokyo vs Hiroshima match in the previous round, I was thinking about what kind of game we would play today. Tokyo approached today's match in the same way as the Hiroshima game. We also considered whether to defend firmly in our own half like Tokyo and Hiroshima and play defensively with counterattacks, or to continue playing the same way as before. We thought about it for a long time. We decided to attack as usual before the match, but as expected, the opponent defended deep in their own half and aimed to counterattack by taking our ball."

The opponent scored by inducing mistakes as planned. In consecutive matches and high temperatures like this, it is more difficult to play offensively than defensively. Concentration and precision in play are necessary. It is not an easy task. It is relatively easier to play defensively and disrupt the opponent's attack. Neither team wanted to play a boring defensive game. Although we were trailing, we took risks and launched dangerous attacks by playing aggressively. As the opponent also grew tired, the middle opened up and side attacks became effective by changing the players on the sides.

Even in a difficult situation, the players showed a strong determination and a desire to turn the tables no matter what. Personally, I believe Tokyo is a strong team, both in terms of individual player abilities and as a team. We were able to catch up with the team from a disadvantageous position and we might have been able to turn the game around if we had just 5 more minutes. I want to commend the efforts of the players."