Today, I want to break through Urawa's wall at the National Stadium

League matches resume with the Emperor's Cup in between. Sec. 25 is approaching, and Urawa Reds will face off against the home team at National Stadium. In the previous league match, they secured a victory against Hiroshima. In the Emperor's Cup, they struggled but managed to win in extra time with a goal from Hirayama, achieving consecutive victories. They will now build on the gains from this victory and enter the final stages of the league. However, in the matches against Urawa, although all three matches from last season ended in draws, they have not been able to achieve a victory in the league matches for 15 consecutive matches since 2005. Today, they want to show Tokyo's determination at home in National Stadium and secure 3 points.

Urawa, on the other hand, is currently in second place with 46 points. Their record in August is 4 wins and 2 losses, but they boast an outstanding scoring ability with their attacking style, and their total of 46 goals scored so far is second only to Kawasaki in the league. On the other hand, Tokyo has been facing opponents with a 3-back formation such as Hiroshima and Yokohama Musashino, so they will also approach this match with a 3-back formation, with Takahashi leading the defense in the center.

The Urawa match, which has been a good match many times before, is likely to be a fierce game where both teams are tightly locked. However, coach Popovic says, "It is in such matches that the slightest difference will determine the outcome. Therefore, what is necessary for victory is to maintain concentration for 90 minutes and minimize mistakes. By minimizing mistakes, we want to surpass Urawa and secure victory," indicating that the outcome of the game will be influenced by the outcome of each situation.

The humidity is so high that it feels like it's about to rain, and the weather is hot and humid. However, amidst a crowd of 34,756 people, the match started at 18:35 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Mori Shige, Hyun Soo JANG, took advantage of the set play opportunity and scored his first goal of the season!

The game started early. In the 8th minute, Lucas, who received Kanda's kick, was fouled and won a free kick on the right side of the opponent's field. From here, Ota sent a sharp kick to the front line, and Chang Hyun Soo jumped in and scored a dynamic header goal. Despite struggling with Urawa's fluid positioning and unique passing, Chang Hyun Soo scored the opening goal of the season with his first goal. In the 12th minute, they launched a counterattack, and Higashigawa entered the right area from Hasegawa's pass in the center. He took a decisive shot, but it only resulted in a corner kick after hitting the opponent's defender.

However, after that, Urawa dominated the ball and created chances through the participation of midfielder Kashiwagi and the defense. In the 13th minute, Urawa defender Makino entered the left area after a loose ball from midfielder Nasu's shot. He feinted the defender and brought the ball to the finish. In the 19th minute, Urawa forward Koroki evaded the press and entered the left area. He received a last pass from midfielder Kashiwagi, but did not allow forward Haraguchi to finish at the last moment. The defense handled the situation calmly. Then, they moved Takahashi to the midfield and gradually built up the rhythm by pushing the whole team forward.

31 minutes, Lucas turns inside from the right side, hits it to the east in the area and receives a return pass, then goes further to the center. He shoots from a one-two with Watanabe in front of the area. In the 36th minute, Lucas is fouled on the right front line and gets a free kick. This time, Higashi takes it and Morishige in the far post stabs a powerful header! Morishige also marks his first goal of the season and extends the lead in the exact same way as the opening goal, ending the first half.

Shun HIRAYAMA scores a valuable go-ahead goal! Securing a dramatic match victory after 9 years

The formation was changed to a 4-back and it seemed like they had grasped the flow, but in the 6th minute of the second half, MF Kashiwagi dribbled through the center after receiving a counter from Urawa. Mori Shige tried to hold him back, but committed a foul, giving Urawa a free kick. MF Kashiwagi took the kick and it was headed by DF Makino, who dove into the far post, resulting in a goal. In the following 53rd minute, Urawa's MF Hirakawa crossed from the right and MF Nasu dove in, causing Tokyo to lose in a similar fashion and quickly allowing the opposing team to equalize.

However, they continue to attack without looking down, and the intense offensive and defensive battle continues. In the 60th minute, Urawa MF Haraguchi used his speed to break through into the area and took a decisive shot, but Gonda made a save with his left hand! After surviving the crisis, in the 63rd minute, Tokyo also created a scoring opportunity. They connected from the right side and Watanabe made a through pass to the right front line. Higashi broke through to the right area and faced the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. However, the shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 68th minute, Ota dribbled past the defender on the side and Watanabe made a final pass to the goalmouth, but the shot hit the defender and resulted in a corner kick.

In the 73rd minute, Hirayama and Ishikawa were substituted. Urawa's energy also began to decline, and they tried to break through with player substitutions, but there were spaces available, leading to intense back and forth exchanges. In the 81st minute, Yonemoto stole the opponent's goal kick and quickly moved forward. A long pass was sent to Hirayama who had broken through behind the defense, but the trap was unsuccessful. The possibility of a draw was in the air, but they didn't give up and in the 90th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was substituted. It happened immediately after that. Ota obtained a free kick near the halfway line on the right side, and he made a long kick towards the front line. Hirayama, near the goal, met the ball with a low header and scored to take the lead.

In stoppage time, Urawa's chances were concentrated around Genta, Morishige, and Hyun Soo JANG, defensively, while on the contrary, Ishikawa and VUCICEVIC launched counterattacks to seal the game. Urawa achieved a victory in the league match for the first time in 9 years and 16 games since the 2004 2nd stage.


[Player Comments]
"Hirayama"
"I thought there would be a chance to score because Kousuke was kicking good free kicks from the first half, so I was conscious of getting into a position where I could score. We were caught up in a tie, but the supporters kept cheering us on and there was no atmosphere of settling for a draw. I wanted to respond to the expectations of those around me and it was good to be able to win amidst that support. Today's victory is important, but it's not the end here. I want to score again in order for the team to win in the next match."

"Hyun Soo JANG"
"We were able to win in the end, but it wasn't perfect. I have always been conscious of scoring since training. I received a good ball from player Ota and was able to score at the right timing. We started with a 3-back formation, so I thought it would be important for each individual to have a sense of responsibility for covering the back and also for the one-on-one situations. I think everyone exerted their strength and we were able to slide and defend well even when we switched to a 4-back formation. We have won 3 consecutive matches in official games, and our desire to win the next match is even stronger. I want to do my best for the team to win."


[Coach Popovich's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a typical Tokyo vs Urawa match. Both teams showed high-quality play and it was a back-and-forth game, but we came out with the victory. I always tell the players that football is a game that requires using your head, and today they scored goals using their heads as well (laughs). Looking back at the overall game, we couldn't find our rhythm in the beginning. However, we scored an early goal and after changing our system, the momentum shifted in our favor. Even after switching to a 4-back formation, we didn't encounter any problems and we were able to show our true style of play. We did concede goals due to careless fouls and there are areas for improvement in our individual play."

We took a 2-point lead and then let the opponent come back. However, after it became a tie, we controlled the game. Urawa had only one chance, which was a great save by goalkeeper Gonda. On the other hand, we created about three scoring opportunities but couldn't capitalize on them. It looked like Hirayama scored from a cross by Tokunaga, but it was not allowed. Still, I am satisfied that we ended with a victory. I think it is important for Japanese football to have high-quality matches in this kind of atmosphere, and I want to continue having many matches like this. Seven years until the Tokyo Olympics. If we can continue to show matches like today's, I am confident that the J-League will become even more exciting and the number of fans and supporters will increase."


[Urawa Petrovic Coach's Press Conference Summary]
"I will be criticized no matter what I say because we lost, but personally, I think Urawa played better. It was a game where we moved well without the ball and had good timing. We conceded three goals in a similar way, but there's no point in blaming ourselves or looking for mistakes, so I want to say it was unlucky. We tried some new things in the Kawasaki game and today, and they worked very well in both matches. They should be important points for us as we continue to fight in the future and they should contribute to our strength. It was an interesting and good game. I'm concerned about some players who had a drop in their physical performance in the last 15 minutes, but we will work on that in the future. We also need to make adjustments in set plays, but I think we are moving in the right direction by continuing to play games like today."