Aiming for 2 or more goals, facing the 2nd Round away

Levain Cup Semifinal Round - Urawa Reds will face the second match, away.

In the first match, Tokyo took the lead but suffered a comeback defeat. In order to advance to the final round, a victory by 2-0 or a victory with 3 or more goals is required in this second match.
Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA also said, "If we don't score 2 goals, nothing will happen. The way we play won't change, but we will approach the game more aggressively." He is determined to fight with a focus on both offense and defense, and with the mindset of "attacking from the front".

As a result, there were changes in the lineup from the first match, with Hirayama in the front line, Kawano on the right side, Kajiyama in the defensive midfield, and Hashimoto as the center back.

On the other hand, Urawa, who can advance even with a draw, made changes to the starting lineup, with UGAJIN as one of the three center backs, AOKI and ENDO as the double defensive midfielders. KOROKU as the forward, and MUTO and TAKAGI as the shadow midfielders.

Although the rain that was falling in the morning has stopped, the wind is blowing and the weather feels chilly. The match started at 14:04 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Outplayed and conceding two early goals

Tokyo tried to press from the front line, but they allowed the opponent to dominate the ball from the beginning.
2 minutes: Tokyo is fouled by holding back with a foul when FW Kojiro KUSUKAMI of the central FW tried to face forward with a long ball from Urawa to MF MUTO. Although there was a distance, the shot directly aimed by Urawa MF Takagi from here bounced and hit the right post. A chance that was almost created just after the start.

3 minutes: Tokyo quickly switches to the front line, Nakajima dribbles the ball to the left area, and takes a shot, but it is saved by the goalkeeper.
16 minutes: Urawa, left MF Sekine's shot from the center was blocked by Yoshimoto. From here, Nakajima dribbles and expands to the left Hirayama. Hirayama creates a pause and bypasses the opponent's DF, breaking through to a close distance to the left area goal. East rushed into the near side, but... the last pass from Hirayama flowed to the far side. Even after that, when they took the ball, they launched a quick counterattack, but the movement and coordination of the front line were not enough, and there were scenes where they couldn't attack.

22 minutes: Unable to stop the combination of a direct pass from the right side to the center by Urawa, FW Koroki scored after receiving a through pass from MF Takagi in the central area, allowing the first goal, 0-1.
27 minutes: Nevertheless, Nakajima receives a foul and earns a free kick just outside the penalty area on the left. East aims for it, but it hits the wall and results in a left corner kick. From here, Ogawa connects with a short pass, and finally Tanabe on the left side throws it into the front line, but it is caught by the goalkeeper and cannot be finished.

Although they show the attitude of heading towards the goal, they often lose the ball due to a lack of coordination in the front line, leading to a counterattack by Urawa.
38 minutes: From a quick and wide development by Urawa, a ground cross was put between Tokyo GK and DF by MF Komai, who went up on the right side, and FW Okazaki slipped in here... and we lost the second goal easily... Now it's 0-2.

43 minutes: In an attempt to score a goal, Hirayama broke through on the right side, and Kawano made a run into the far side, creating what seemed like a chance, but it was ruled offside.
44 minutes: East received a free kick from the right area near the goalpost, and sent a kick just past the far post. Hirayama tried to head it in, but couldn't finish it.
Additional time: Urawa commits a handball foul by the goalkeeper outside the area and earns a free kick from the left area just before the handball. Ogawa passes the ball to Kajiyama in the area with a ground pass. From here, he tries to trickily attack Hashimoto on the left front line, but it ends in a mistake.

Urawa was outperformed in terms of quick starts and transitions, and ended the first half with a 2-goal deficit.

Nakashima scores a goal to retaliate, but fails to secure points and is eliminated

Nathan BURNS was substituted for Tanabe in the second half. He formed a two-top with Hirayama, with Kawano and Nakajima on the sides. Higashi moved to a slightly advanced defensive midfield position, and they tried to regroup with a 4-4-2 formation.
47 minutes: Midfielder Kajiyama cuts off the Urawa ball. Immediately, Higashi deploys to the left front line and Ogawa overlaps and sends a cross. Nathan Burns on the far side receives it, cuts back the opponent and breaks through vertically, sending a decisive final pass in front of the goal, where Higashi rushes in. Although the timing was slightly off here, they tried to counterattack with momentum.

52 minutes: Urawa MF Takagi → right DF Moriwaki expands to the right front line. MF Komai is freed and almost creates a decisive opportunity. In the center, Muroya, Yoshimoto, and Hashimoto desperately tried to stop it... Urawa MF Aoki is further connected to the right area, and Ogawa can't help but foul against MF Komai.
53 minutes: With this penalty kick given, Urawa FW Koroki scores a hat-trick, and we concede the third goal, making it 0-3.
54 minutes: Despite being at a disadvantage, Nakajima fought hard and took a dribble shot from the left area, but it was saved by the goalkeeper, resulting in a left corner kick.

60 minutes: We were preparing to substitute Maeda for Hirayama, but Yoshimoto, who was injured in the contact play just before that, was unable to continue playing. Takahashi will replace him here. The second substitution card is used.
62 minutes: Nathan BURNS aimed a shot from the right side, but it slipped through the hands of the Urawa GK for a moment, and Nakajima followed up, but it was quickly caught again. Then, Nathan BURNS entered the left area, turned around and took a shot, but it was also blocked by the GK's save.
77 minutes: Substitute Mizunuma, who came on, sends a short cross from the right side, but it narrowly misses Hirayama. We earned a left corner kick, but couldn't convert it into a finish.
80 minutes: Nakajima -> Nathan BURNS dribbles forward. He connects with Hirayama in front of the area and in the center, and Hirayama chooses a pass to the left area. However, the coordination with the surrounding players was not in sync, and no one could react.

81 minutes: Hirayama on the left side passes the ball forward to Higashi, who delivers a low and fast cross into the goal area. Nakajima slides in and stabs the ball into the net, making it 1-3.
85 minutes: Finally, Nakajima retaliated with a goal, as Nathan BURNS and Nakajima launched a counterattack from Ogawa's pass. Nakajima once again aimed for a shot from the center of the opponent's field, but narrowly missed to the right...

Additional time: Nakajima in the opponent's territory reverses and aims for the goal, earning a right corner kick. Nakajima himself takes the kick, and further picks up the clearance and puts in a right cross, but Urawa defends and time is up...
Although they showed a counterattack posture, Urawa fought without panicking in both offense and defense and could not surpass it.
As a result, we ended up with two consecutive losses and were eliminated in the semifinals of this season's Levain Cup.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"No player gives up during the game. Soccer is unpredictable, so we should aim for a goal as long as there is a possibility. However, we only scored one goal, and the team lost because we lacked strength. We have known the high level of Urawa since we played against them before. Nevertheless, we needed to play with confidence, without fear, and look forward. This team has many talented players. We need to mentally and physically utilize their abilities on the pitch. Personally, I still lack quality and speed. I want to improve the quality by being conscious of the game in daily practice, training to perform in the game, and raising the level."

《East》
"If we lose 1-2 at home, the second away game will be really challenging... That's what it means. Today, in every aspect, the opponent was superior. I believe it was a match where we had to acknowledge our defeat in terms of quality, individual abilities, and team strength. Even those who were watching, I think they felt the same way. However, it's not too late. What do we aim for and how do we continue to grow? We need to accept the reality and think about our next steps from here."


[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"I wanted to advance to the final of the Levain Cup, but I couldn't produce results, which is regrettable. I feel sorry for the fans and supporters who had expectations. Today, we were in a situation where we had to score two goals, but the timing and way we conceded were bad, and it ended up disrupting various things. We tried to create situations where we could steal the ball from the front, but there were many scenes where the gap between the front and back opened too much and the opponent took advantage. Today, I think the difference in team strength and individual abilities of Urawa was clearly evident. However, we have to accept this reality. I appreciate the players' attitude and their determination not to give up until the end. How we accept this frustrating result and move forward is important. It's obvious, but I want us to reflect on it as a team."
"The start of the game today was very good. We had won the first away game 2-1, but instead of playing with the advantage in mind, the players showed a strong determination to win and move forward. We were able to score goals from a good flow and take a 3-0 lead. We played according to our plan for a long time. In the last 15 minutes, our energy dropped and there were some moments where our balance was disrupted, but it's natural to run out of power towards the end when we played aggressively from the beginning. Nevertheless, throughout the game, we showed a strong attitude of winning and fighting for the next step. I think we played well enough to deserve the victory."