In pursuit of advancing to the Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round

　The Nabisco Cup Semifinal Round second match will see Urawa Reds host the game. Since the first match ended in a 2-2 draw, a decisive outcome must be reached today. This is a crucial game that cannot be lost as they vie for a place in the Semifinal Round. In the first match held on the 13th, Tokyo was missing Ishikawa, Suzuki, and Tokunaga due to the U-22 national team expedition, but today Ishikawa and Tokunaga will start. Similarly, Urawa will also have midfielder Suzuki in the starting lineup, making it a showdown with both teams at their best formation.

　The rain that had fallen in the morning stopped by the afternoon. Although the temperature was not high at 24.3°C, the match in Tokyo kicked off in a high humidity of 75 percent.

In the early stages, Urawa dominated, but Tokyo created many chances.

　In the 2nd minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack from the opponent's corner kick, but the side change pass from Toda through Amaral did not reach Ishikawa and went out of play. In the 6th minute, FW Emerson sent a heel pass into the space on the right side, and MF Yamada delivered a cross. FW Tanaka headed the ball but was offside. After that, they continued to threaten the goal mainly through corner kicks and free kicks, but while Tokyo allowed possession, they did not let the opponent create any decisive chances. In the 14th minute, Suzuki from Urawa picked up a cleared ball from a left cross and took a mid-range shot. This was the first shot for both teams combined.

　In the 21st minute, Tokyo matched Kanazawa's early cross, and Amaral's header was the first shot. Shortly after, Tokunaga, who made an overlap, sent a sharp ground cross, but Ishikawa, who received it inside, could not finish. In the 26th minute, this time Ishikawa attacked from the right and received a pass in front of the goal, where Amaral took a shot. In the 27th minute, they launched a quick attack, connecting Amaral to Toda, and Miyazawa took a mid-range shot from the defender's loose ball. However, all of them missed the goal.

　In the first half, both teams prioritized strict defense, playing without taking risks in their attacks as time passed. In the 35th minute, a long pass from Miyazawa reached the right side, where Ishikawa cut back past the opposing DF and delivered a final pass to Miura, who shot but was blocked by the DF. Immediately after, Tokunaga bypassed the sliding opposing DF and advanced with a powerful dribble, taking a bold and fierce shot as he entered the penalty area. In the 41st minute, Urawa's Emerson aimed directly at the goal from a free kick on the left side. In the 43rd minute, Emerson connected with a header from Yamada's right-side free kick. Including these two shots, Urawa had a total of three shots in the first half. Tokyo effectively contained the two forwards, Emerson and Tanaka, and ended the first half.

Caught off guard by Emerson

　Both teams are betting on the remaining 45 minutes to advance to the Semifinal Round. In the second half, Tokyo took control. In the 47th minute, Kelly made a dribble shot. In the 50th minute, Kanazawa overlapped on Kelly's cross-field pass. In front of the goal, Toda and Amaral were waiting, but the clearance by Urawa's defender was just a bit too quick, and they couldn't take a shot. In the 52nd minute, a defender cut off Miyazawa's through pass, winning a corner kick, and Amaral took a header shot, but it went wide. In the 54th minute, Toda boldly aimed for the goal from the right area, but the opposing goalkeeper caught it. In the 56th minute, Amaral, who had drifted to the right side, exchanged a one-two with Kelly and took a shot from a tight angle.

　Immediately after, Kelly takes a dribble shot, but the GK catches it. Urawa then launches a quick counterattack, and FW Tanaka shoots but misses the goal. In the 58th minute, a pass from Miyazawa to the left space is chased down by Toda, and Ishikawa, running in from the right side, attempts a forceful shot despite being in a difficult position with his back to the goal. The exchanges of counterattacks create a thrilling development, but Tokyo is overwhelmingly creating the chances.

　Urawa made a move here. In the 60th minute, they substituted MF Yamase for MF Hasegawa. It was right after that. Urawa's DF cleared a Tokyo goal kick, and Emerson received the ball in midfield, shifting it to the left while moving towards the goal. MF Uchida, who received the ball, sent a floating pass to the front line, and once again Emerson received it, charging towards the goal with a flowing dribble. He skillfully evaded the pursuing Tokyo DF and took a shot. The ball grazed Doih's hand and found the left side of the goal, allowing Tokyo to concede the first goal in just a matter of seconds.

Despite the fierce attack, we were struck down by a counterattack.

　First, Tokyo launches a fierce attack to try to score a point. However, in the 62nd minute, a pass to Toda, who broke through behind the DF from Kanazawa, is called offside. In the 64th minute, Miura advances into the left area from a short corner and sends a sharp cross, but the opposing DF cuts it off. In the 65th minute, a pass from Amaral near the sideline reaches Kelly, who then enters the right area and wins a corner kick. However, they cannot break through the thick wall of defenders from Urawa, who are all positioned defensively.

　At the 69th minute, Abe came on for Ishikawa. At the 72nd minute, a free kick was connected to the front line, and Kelly took a shot from straight in front of the goal. Abe also took a shot after picking up the rebound that hit a defender, but both just missed the goal. At the 76th minute, Suzuki was brought on for Miura. Miyazawa was positioned as the lone defensive midfielder, and Jean was pushed forward for a power play. Tokyo dominated the attack, while Urawa countered, making the game intense. Tokyo picked up loose balls and turned them into attacks. At the 86th minute, Kelly unleashed a powerful long-range shot from outside the penalty area, but it unfortunately hit the crossbar! At the 87th minute, Miyazawa boldly aimed for the goal but missed the target. At the 88th minute, Kanazawa took a well-controlled shot from the midfield range targeting the upper right of the goal, but the opposing goalkeeper saved it, resulting in a corner kick. Just after the display showed 3 minutes of stoppage time, Kanazawa crossed in front of the goal, and Abe took a shot from just outside the right goal area after picking up the defender's rebound. However, they still could not break through the defense to score.

　And it was about stoppage time. After clearing Tokyo's attack, Yamada on the right side passed the ball forward. Emerson and Shigeno competed for the ball around the halfway line, but Emerson seized the loose ball from Shigeno's clearance and sprinted towards the goal. After allowing a powerful shot, it went into the net. Tokyo suffered a painful second goal. Despite taking 17 shots without scoring, they conceded after being caught off guard when they were pushed forward. They suffered their first defeat against Urawa and their first home loss of the season, failing to advance to the Semifinal Round of the Nabisco Cup.

[Player Comments] {Moniwa} "Personally, I felt good, but I was reminded of the fear that one mistake can lead to a goal conceded."

It became clear. (Except for the moment of conceding a goal) we were able to fight with concentration, but we were broken through in man-to-man marking while taking risks to score. "Tokunaga" "I was conscious of attacking vertically. I think we were able to attack to some extent because Ishikawa created space for us... Regarding Emerson's goal, this is what decisive work looks like. Every match, the experience at a high level has been a learning opportunity."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "Last week, we had an unpleasant loss against Nagoya in the league, so we talked about switching our mindset and have been training accordingly. Although Emerson scored today, I think we executed our team's objectives well otherwise. However, when faced with such speed, there was a moment of hesitation, and we were caught off guard and conceded a goal. It's unfortunate, but the opponent was strong. Overall, it wasn't a bad performance, but the result is disappointing. We had the mindset and fighting spirit to win and advance to the Semifinal Round, but I think the fact that we drew after leading in the first match during stoppage time affected us today. We need to channel this frustrating feeling into the league matches. Urawa had 7 shots, and they scored 2 of them. Of course, we need to improve on aspects like shooting accuracy."

[Urawa Coach Offt's Press Conference Summary] "It was a typical cup match. There were many issues in front of the goal, and I think it was a thrilling and interesting match for the spectators, but it was a game of life and death, a critical game. We were able to take a one-goal lead, and after that, Tokyo came to score, which created some chances by exploiting the space. Ultimately, we wrapped it up with a 2-0 victory, but in the last 10 minutes, we dropped our defensive line back from our penalty area, creating space in front of the goal. We ended up facing a shot that hit the bar like Kelly's. However, looking back at the overall performance, I believe we have improved our finishing ability. We should be able to prepare well for the Semifinal Round."