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

　Sec. 12 will be an away match against Urawa Reds at Saitama Stadium 2002. As the final stages of the 1st stage approach, this is a crucial match for Tokyo, currently in 6th place with 18 points, as they cannot afford to drop points to remain in the upper ranks. On the other hand, Urawa, currently in 8th place with 17 points, faces the same situation. Tokyo has won all four of their past encounters against Urawa, but this only intensifies Urawa's desire for revenge. Moreover, like Tokyo, Urawa has not lost at home this season. The enthusiasm for victory from both ends of the stands, heating up before kickoff, suggested that a tough match was anticipated.

　Today in Tokyo, Amaral is on the bench, with Abe at the top, Toda on the left, Kelly in the center, and Ishikawa on the right. The right side back is Tokunaga, a specially designated player (currently attending Waseda University), starting again from the last match. Coach Hara said, "While Kaji's strength is to push forward aggressively, today I wanted to utilize Tokunaga's good feeds to create opportunities from the side." On the other hand, Urawa's ace, Emerson, is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Despite the high humidity of 84 percent, the daytime heat has eased, and the match started with Tokyo's kickoff.

Urawa takes the lead, but neither side can create chances.

　The ball exchanged back and forth since the start of the match, but in the 3rd minute, Kanazawa was brought down on the left side, earning the first free kick. Miyazawa kicked the ball, and Shigeno headed it in front of the goal, but it went over the goal. In the 5th minute, Miyazawa connected with Miura after winning the ball in their own half, passing to Ishikawa who surged up the right side. Ishikawa received the ball just past the center line, dribbled past several opposing defenders, attempted a central breakthrough, and charged into the penalty area to shoot with his left foot. However, he was closed down by a defender and couldn't control it well, narrowly missing to the left, showcasing an aggressive attack. Immediately after that, Jean's back pass to the goalkeeper was intercepted by Urawa forward Tanaka, creating a dangerous situation. Doih's quick reaction saved the day, 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 had a chance in the 10th minute when DF Yamada cut in from the right side and made a backward pass in front of the goal. MF Uchida, who ran in, took a mid-range shot. In the 13th minute, FW Nagai's hold-up play led to another shot from Uchida. In the 14th minute, MF Hasebe picked up a loose ball that Kanazawa had cut and took a shot. In the 18th minute, MF Suzuki's cross from the right side found Nagai, who headed the ball. None of these attempts were on target, but Urawa maintained an advantage in ball possession.

　In the 26th minute, Abe received a pass from Kelly and took a shot from near the penalty arc. Following coach Hara's instruction to "keep running into space," he aimed behind the opposing defenders, but was caught offside in the 35th and 41st minutes, failing to create opportunities as he wished. Urawa also lacked precision in their play, with Yamada's long-range shot in the 28th minute going straight to Doih. Suzuki's long-range shot in the 38th minute also went over the goal. In the 42nd minute, Hasebe's cross was cleared by Jean. In the 43rd minute, Nagai was allowed to enter the left area and sent a backward pass in front of the goal, but Shigeno cleared it with a header. In stoppage time, from a throw-in on the right side, Tokunaga's cross was met by Toda, but the goalkeeper caught it. Both teams lacked the finishing touch, and the match went into halftime at 0-0.

Amaral brings in Baba and goes for the win, but……

　In the second half, it was Tokyo who attacked first. Within seconds of the start, they swung the ball to the side after winning it in midfield, and Ishikawa delivered a fast cross between the defensive line and the goalkeeper. Next, Jean passed the ball forward after an interception. However, Abe was offside. In the 48th minute, Miyazawa took a free kick from about 40 meters in front of the goal. They couldn't finish it, but in defense, in the 46th minute, Nagai's header was cleared by Jean. Following that, Tanaka's dribble was persistently cut off by Ishikawa. In the 49th minute, on the right side, Nagai passed to Suzuki, who advanced into the penalty area, but Shigeno and Toda quickly closed in to defend, leaving no openings for Urawa.

　In the 51st minute, Asari was substituted for Miura, who was concerned about an injury, and in the 53rd minute, Amaral was brought in for Abe. The match progressed at a fast pace as they went for broke. In the 56th minute, Urawa aimed for a goal from Suzuki's free kick. Shortly after, Tokyo's Kelly crossed to Ishikawa, where Amaral and Toda were waiting in the center, but they couldn't connect. In the 59th minute, Amaral received a pass from Ishikawa and attempted a strong shot, but the goalkeeper caught it easily. Following that, after Amaral hit the post, Miyazawa switched to the right side, and Kelly connected with Tokunaga's cross at the far side, but the ball went out of bounds. In the 53rd minute, Miyazawa received a pass from Tokunaga and crossed, but Amaral was offside as he broke through. In the 68th minute, from a short corner, Jean headed the ball in the center, but Urawa's defense cleared it.

　In the 70th minute, Baba was brought in to replace Toda, with the instruction to "not fall back and keep attacking." In the 73rd minute, Ishikawa delivered a cross from a throw-in, and Baba made a direct shot as the ball dropped, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 75th minute, Urawa launched a counterattack, with Suzuki sending an early cross. Substitute midfielder Chishima slid in front of the goal but was unable to connect at the last moment, and neither side was able to convert their chances into goals.

A heroic goal by Kelly secures a hard-fought victory!

　However, in the 83rd minute, Amaral was fouled in front of the goal, earning a free kick, which Miyazawa aimed directly at the goal. The sharp ball was saved well by the opposing GK Tsuzuki, resulting in a corner kick. However, from the left corner kick gained, Miyazawa kicked again, and inside the area on the right, Shigeno headed it back. In the midst of a scramble in front of the goal, Kelly connected with the ball and shot! The ball was blocked by the defender but still went into the goal! Tokyo scored the long-awaited opening goal from their persistent attack!!

　Tokyo, not letting up on the attack, saw Kelly break down the right side immediately after taking the lead and deliver a cross in front of the goal. However, the goalkeeper caught it, allowing Urawa to counterattack. In the 86th minute, Chishima's shot went over the goal. In the 87th minute, Urawa attacked from the left side into the area, and although there was some chaos, Asari held firm and prevented a shot. Shortly after, a free kick was awarded just outside the area, but Yamada's direct shot went over the bar. In the 89th minute, Yamada was allowed to dribble, and Suzuki delivered a cross from the right side, but it was cleared in the center. Following that, Suzuki picked up a clearance from Jean and took a shot from distance, but Urawa's fierce attack in nearly four minutes of stoppage time was held off by a united defense, securing the victory! Despite a tough match, they earned three points away and achieved consecutive wins.

[Player Comments]《Kelly》"It was an important match for both sides, and I thought it would be difficult. I'm happy that we were able to win as planned by defending well and counterattacking. Since I joined FC Tokyo, we haven't lost against Urawa, which gave me confidence going into the match. However, not just in this match, gaining victories boosts the team's confidence. I want to share this victory with everyone." 《Moniwa》"In the first half, with Ishikawa and Toda returning to defend properly, we ended up being a bit too defensive overall, but we prioritized stopping Urawa's speed and counterattacks. It was tough, but we fought with the mindset that we were making the opponent play, and I think we were able to make adjustments in the second half."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Urawa's forwards, including Nagai, Tanaka, and Yamada, are characterized by their ability to attack with speed when they face forward. However, since today is an away game, I thought that even if we let the opponent have possession in the first half, it would not be easy for them to break us down if we took our time. But we ended up pulling back a bit too much, allowing Uchida and Suzuki in the midfield to be free. We needed to correct that and be patient, and in the second half, I wanted to bring in Amaral to change the game and shift to Tokyo's rhythm. Within that, Amaral created several chances by dropping the ball and passing directly to Kelly from Miyazawa, and I wanted to create more opportunities like that... Although the content was not good at all, the fact that we secured 3 points is the takeaway from today. Additionally, just like in the previous match, the substitutes and players who came on did their roles well, which makes me happy."

【Urawa - Coach Ofuto's Press Conference Summary】 "In preparation for today's match, we discussed how to build the game and not to jump into situations where the opponent is poised to strike. Although we gave away one or two chances, we were able to evade the opponent for a long time in a good way. We attacked from the sides and tried to put the ball into the space behind the back line, creating dangerous situations a few times, but we couldn't break through the center with high balls. The aerial battles were strong for the opponent. We conceded a goal only once, from a loose ball after a corner kick, but aside from that moment, we controlled the game. However, we couldn't create many chances. Although we were moving the ball well, we couldn't advance or get behind because the opponent was well-positioned and ready to defend. We needed to move the ball, break through the sides, and make passes that would stop the opponent's breath, but we couldn't do that well. Tokyo effectively sealed off our chances."