A crucial match that neither side can afford to lose. Challenging Urawa away.

　In the 12th round, Tokyo will face Urawa Reds at the away Saitama Stadium 2002. As they enter the final stages of the 1st stage, it is a crucial match for Tokyo, who currently sits in 6th place with 18 points, to stay in the top ranks. On the other hand, the situation is the same for Urawa, who is currently in 8th place with 17 points. Urawa has won all 4 of their past matches against Tokyo, but they surely have a strong desire for revenge. Moreover, this season, just like Tokyo, Urawa has not lost a single match at home. As the kick-off approaches, the determination for victory can be felt from both ends of the stands, and it is expected to be a tough match.

　Today in Tokyo, Amaral was on the bench, with Abe at the top, Toda on the left, Kelly in the center, and Ishikawa on the right. Right-back Tokunaga, who was designated as a special player in the previous match (while attending Waseda University), started the game. Coach Hara said, "It's one of Kaji's strengths to keep pushing forward, but today we wanted to utilize Tokunaga's good feeds to create opportunities from the side." On the other hand, Urawa's ace Emerson was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Despite the high humidity of 84%, the heat during the day had eased as the game kicked off in Tokyo.

Although Urawa has the upper hand, both teams are unable to create chances.

　The ball has been going back and forth since the start of the game, but in the 3rd minute, Kanazawa, who had moved up the left side, was fouled and earned the first FK. Miyazawa kicked the ball and Shigeta headed it in front of the goal, but it went over the goal. In the 5th minute, Miyazawa and Miura connected after taking the ball in their own half, and passed it to Ishikawa who ran up the right side. Ishikawa, who received the ball around the center line, dribbled past the opposing DF one after another and attempted to break through the center, rushing into the penalty area and shooting with his left foot. The shot was deflected by the DF and unfortunately missed to the left, but it showed an aggressive attack. However, immediately after that, Jean stole the back pass to the GK and almost caused a big pinch for Urawa FW Tanaka. Tsuchi's dive saved the situation, but it was a moment of panic. In the 8th minute, Kanazawa sent a through pass to the front line, but Abe was offside.

　Urawa took 10 minutes, DF Yamada cut in from the right side and made a minus pass in front of the goal. MF Uchidate ran in and took a middle shot. In the 13th minute, Uchidate took a shot from FW Nagai's post-play. In the 14th minute, Kanazawa cut the loose ball and MF Hasebe picked it up for a shot. In the 18th minute, FW Nagai took a heading shot from MF Suzuki's cross from the right side. Although they were unable to hit the target, Urawa had the advantage in ball possession.

　At 26 minutes, Abe received Kelly's pass and took a shot from near the penalty arc. As instructed by coach Hara to "run into the space," Abe aimed for the back of the opponent's defense, but at 35 and 41 minutes, he was caught offside and unable to create chances as he wanted. Urawa also lacked precision in their play, and at 28 minutes, Yamada's middle shot was saved by Doi. Suzuki's middle shot at 38 minutes also went over the goal. At 42 minutes, Hasebe's cross was cleared by Jean. In the 43rd minute, Nagai was allowed to enter the left area and sent a negative pass to the goal, but Shigetaka cleared it with a header. In stoppage time, Tokyo's Toda tried to score from a cross by Tokunaga from the right side, but the GK caught it. Both teams lacked a finishing touch, and the first half ended 0-0.

Amaral, Bamba is put in and the game is on the line...

　In the second half, Tokyo was the first to attack. In the first few seconds, they swung the ball to the side after taking it in the midfield, and Ishikawa sent a fast cross between the DF line and the GK. Then Jean passed it to the front line after an interception. However, Abe was offside. In the 48th minute, Miyazawa took a free kick from about 40m and sent it to the goal. They couldn't finish it, but in the 46th minute, Nagai's header was cleared by Jean. Then Tanaka's dribble was cut off by Ishikawa's persistence. In the 49th minute, Nagai on the right side and Shuzo and Toda quickly defended against Suzuki's attack towards the penalty area, not giving Urawa any chances.

　In the 51st minute, Amaral was replaced by Asari due to concerns about injury, and in the 53rd minute, Abe was replaced by Kelly. The game is progressing with a speedy development as they take risks. In the 56th minute, Urawa aims for a goal from Suzuki's FK. Immediately after that, Tokyo's Kelly → Ishikawa crosses to the center where Amaral and Toda are waiting, but they fail to connect. In the 59th minute, Amaral receives Ishikawa's pass and goes for a forceful shot, but the GK catches it without much power. Then, Miyazawa swings from Amaral's post to the right side, and Kelly connects with Tokunaga's cross on the far side, but the ball goes over the line. In the 53rd minute, Miyazawa receives Tokunaga's pass and crosses, but Amaral is offside. In the 68th minute, Jean heads from a short corner in the center, but the Urawa DF clears it.

　At 70 minutes, Bamba was substituted for Toda, with the instruction to "not defend, but attack". At 73 minutes, Ishikawa crossed the ball from a throw-in, and Bamba attempted a direct shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. At 75 minutes, Urawa made a counter-attack, with Suzuki making an early cross. Substitute midfielder Chishima slid into the goal area, but was unable to make contact by a hair's breadth, and neither team was able to convert their chances into goals.

Kelly's heroic goal secures a hard-fought victory!

　However, in the 83rd minute, Amaral was fouled in front of the goal and Miyazawa aimed directly for the goal with a free kick. The sharp ball was saved by the opponent's GK Tsuzuki, and they escaped with a corner kick. However, Miyazawa kicked the left corner kick again and Shigetani headed it back in from the right side of the area. In the midst of the chaos in front of the goal, Kelly shot the ball! The ball went in despite being blocked by a defender! Tokyo finally scored the long-awaited opening goal with their persistent attack!!

　Tokyo, who never let up their attack, saw Kelly break away on the right side from a counter just after taking the lead and cross it in front of the goal. However, the GK caught it and allowed Urawa to counter. In the 86th minute, Chishima's shot went over the goal. In the 87th minute, Urawa attacked the area from the left side, but Asari held on and didn't allow a shot. Immediately after, a FK was given just outside the area, but Yamada's direct shot went over the bar. In the 89th minute, Yamada was allowed to dribble and Suzuki crossed it in from the right side, but it was cleared in the center. Then, Suzuki picked up Jean's clearance and took a shot, but even with Urawa's fierce attack in the 4 minutes of added time, the defense held strong and secured the victory! Despite a tough match, they were able to get 3 points away and continue their winning streak.

【Player Comments】《Kelly》"It was an important game for both teams, and I knew it would be difficult. I'm happy that we were able to win by defending well and counterattacking as planned. Since joining FC Tokyo, I have never lost to Urawa, so I was confident going into the game. But not just this game, winning gives the team more confidence. I want to share this victory with everyone."《Moino》"In the first half, Ishikawa and Toda did a good job defending, but as a whole, we were a bit too defensive. Our top priority was to stop Urawa's speed and counterattacks. It was tough, but we fought with the mindset that we were letting them have the ball, and I think we were able to make adjustments in the second half."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "Urawa's strengths are players like Nagai, Tanaka, and Yamada who can move forward quickly and make plays, but since today was an away game, we thought that if we let the opponent have possession in the first half and take our time, it wouldn't be easy for them to break us down. However, we ended up dropping back too much and leaving Naito and Suzuki free in the midfield. We wanted to make adjustments and be patient, and in the second half, we wanted to bring in Amaral and play at Tokyo's rhythm. In that process, we created a few chances where Amaral would receive the ball and play it directly to Kelly, and we wanted to create more opportunities like that... Although it wasn't a great performance, the fact that we were able to get 3 points is the biggest takeaway from today. Also, like in the previous game, our substitutes and players who came on during the game fulfilled their roles well, and that makes me happy."

[Urawa Ofto Coach's Press Conference Summary] "In preparation for today's match, we talked about not jumping into the game when the opponent is holding a knife. We gave them one or two chances, but we were able to avoid them for a long time in a good way. We tried to attack from the side and put the ball into the space behind the back line, and we created some dangerous situations, but we couldn't break through the center with high balls. The opponent was strong in aerial battles. We only conceded one goal from a loose ball from a corner kick, but other than that, we were in control of the game. However, we couldn't create many chances. Even though we were moving the ball well, we couldn't move forward or take advantage of the space behind, because the opponent was in a good position and ready to defend. We needed passes that could break through the side and stop the opponent's momentum, but we couldn't execute them well. Tokyo did a good job sealing our chances."