Entering the away Saitama Stadium in what can be called a decisive match in the 12th round

Facing Urawa Reds away in the 12th round, which accounts for two-thirds of the 1st stage. The previous round ended with the second goalless draw of the season. Although there were regrets about conceding the first goal by being caught off guard, the team showed a resilient attitude and regained their rhythm until the end. Despite suffering their second loss in the league, they are currently in 2nd place, one game ahead of Urawa Reds in 1st place and G Osaka in 3rd place, and continue to compete for the top positions. This round will be a direct confrontation with the league leaders. Coach Massimo considers it "the most important match of the season so far" and will lead the team with high motivation away from home.

In this section, Mita is starting in the midfield and Hayashi is starting in the center of the front line. Muto, whose condition was a concern, is also named in the starting lineup, and the front line will be led by Muto, Hayashi, and Higashi as the top three. In addition, Nakajima has made the bench for the first time since the 5th section against Shonan.

Urawa, who has not lost a single game in the first stage of 10 matches, is currently leading in both points and goal difference. In the previous match, they conceded 4 goals against Sendai, making their total goals conceded the same as Tokyo's at 8, but their total goals scored are 18. In order to defeat this opponent, they will need to utilize aggressive defense from the front line according to the situation. They should also compete in the attacking and defending on the sides without losing, and continue to show the attitude of "going for a goal if there is an opportunity" for the entire 90 minutes.

At Saitama Stadium, they have been winless for 10 seasons since 2004 (2 draws, 8 losses), but in 2012 and 2013 they both ended in a draw. Also, Tokyo has not lost a single game away this season. Since the draw at the opening game at Expo'70, they are currently on a 5-game winning streak. They will overturn the negative data from the past, work hard together, and strive to take victory, even if it's a tough battle.
　
The morning rain has stopped, but before the start, there was a slight mugginess. The match started with Urawa's kickoff at 15:34.

Trailing by two goals in the first half...

Pressed by Urawa's speed and power from the start. In the 5th minute, Urawa's FK led to a quick connection, and left MF UGAJIN put in a low, fast left cross from FW Okazaki. MF Lee, who had run behind Tokyo's DF, stretched his leg and was directly combined, resulting in an early goal. After that, the opponent did not overlook Tokyo's mistakes, took the ball and expanded it wide, and there were scenes where they were forcefully brought to the finish.

Tokyo advanced to a high position from the left side after a 24-minute combination play, and Ota sent a cross to earn a right corner kick. In the 25th minute, Mutoh headed the ball high from this corner kick, but it went wide to the right. Tokyo's only shot in the first half was this one. In the 28th minute, Takahashi was substituted for Mita. They formed a double pivot with Yonemoto and Higashi on both sides. They tried to change the flow of the game with Mutoh and Hayashi as the two forwards. At the same time, they did not lose in the intensity of the ball contest and gradually created more time to possess the ball.

However, in the 33rd minute, from a pass exchange between Hayashi, Muto, and Ota, Muto was fouled and awarded a free kick outside the left area. However, this free kick was blocked, leading to a quick counterattack from Urawa. In the 36th minute, Morishige made a well-timed attack and exchanged passes in the front line. Yonemoto on the right side sent a high cross into the area, but it was intercepted by Urawa's defense, leading to a counterattack. Canini cleared both situations, but struggled against Urawa's quick transitions.

In the 42nd minute, Urawa FW Koroki was contained in the central front line and was unable to press the quick pass from here. The side was changed from the center to the left, and MF UGAJIN crossed and MF Sekine jumped into the right area freely. They scored a direct shot and conceded the second goal. This is the first time this season that they have conceded two goals in the first half and turned to the second half.

Maeda scores his first goal, but suffers bitter consecutive defeats due to conceding goals

The second half was expected to be a comeback, but in the 47th minute, despite pressing in the midfield, Urawa MF Kashiwagi was able to evade and pass vertically on the right side. MF Sekine was able to break through on the right front line and deliver a ground cross. Urawa MF Muto was able to get in front of Canini and score with one touch... We conceded the third goal in the same way as the first half, being attacked on the side.

Still without giving up, in the 52nd minute, Kajiyama from the right area sent a floating ball into the area. Muto dropped it and passed it to Hayashi in front of the goal, but it went too far into his feet... He couldn't control it and couldn't take a shot. In the 54th minute, Takahashi from the left area entered a shooting position but was blocked. In the 59th minute, Maeda was substituted for Hayashi. Immediately after, Morishige headed from the left corner kick, but it went over the bar.

Against Urawa, who widened the lead, Tokyo also had moments of ball possession, but they couldn't break through the intense tackles and defense, and in the 66th minute, Nakajima, who made his first appearance this season, came in. He entered the right side, and Yonemoto moved to the midfield. In the 74th minute, Maeda beautifully headed Ota's early cross from the east into the net, GOAL!! He scored his first goal in Tokyo and tried to ignite a counterattack from here.

However, in the 76th minute, they were intercepted near their own left area while trying to connect, and Urawa MF Umezaki dribbled to the center. The middle shot from just outside Urawa's right area pierced through the course and went into the upper left corner... Nevertheless, in the final stages, Nakajima actively made moves and the combination play in the front line became visible. In the 81st minute, Nakajima broke through to the area from a one-two with Higashi, but couldn't bring it to a shot. In the final stages, they had consecutive chances for a corner kick, and in the 89th minute, Maeda shot from a right corner kick and tried to push the ball that bounced in the area, but was blocked by Urawa DF and GK at the last moment. In additional time, Higashi made a cut-in and earned a corner kick. However, they couldn't push the ball that rose high in front of the goal into the net with a header, and immediately after that, the time was up. They fought with determination until the end, but they conceded goals repeatedly by being attacked from the sides and suffered a complete defeat with the most goals conceded this season... They ended up suffering a bitter consecutive defeat.

[Player Comments]
"Maeda"
"I'm happy to score my first goal, but I couldn't change the flow of the game. I think Urawa had the pace from the first half. I tried to be the starting point in the front line and quickly attack the opponent's back, but I feel frustrated to lose in this way."

"Nakajima"
"I am very disappointed with the loss. Personally, being able to participate in this kind of match is the first step. Urawa played good soccer and it was difficult. I had confidence that I could change the flow of the game, but it didn't result in a victory, which is frustrating. If I have another chance, I want to work hard starting from tomorrow's practice to be able to play better. I want to become a trusted player and show my difference."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a difficult game from the beginning. We lacked compactness in the midfield and conceded a goal. After that, we allowed chances from simple ball losses and fell behind by three goals, but the team kept running and fighting for the full 90 minutes. It is clear that Urawa played deserving of the victory today, while we played poorly. We need to review and correct the scenes where we conceded goals. However, it was good to see that we showed fighting spirit even after conceding four goals. The number of scoring opportunities was not significantly different, and I think it could have been a high-scoring game, but soccer that produces many goals is not what we aim for. There are times when we cannot play the soccer we aim for, but we will continue to move forward on our own path. Today, Urawa's performance deserved the victory. (What was the intention behind correcting the midfield structure early in the game?) In the early stages of the game, we were unable to connect passes in open spaces and created a difficult situation by losing the ball. The intention was to correct that aspect."

[Urawa Petrovic Coach Press Conference Summary]
"I thought Tokyo would be a tough opponent, but the players fought hard and controlled the game. They played deserving of a victory. The score opened up, but I think it was a tough match. The overall defense was fantastic, but today wasn't anything special, we have always been able to defend like today except for the previous match. We can have fast vertical attacks because we have players who can do it. For 20 years, I have always focused on playing our own attack rather than adjusting to the opponent's tactics."