Facing the strong Urawa after the break period

　After a two-week break, the second stage resumes. In the 10th round, Urawa Reds, currently in 2nd place, will face off against them at home. This will be the 4th match between the two teams this season, including the Nabisco Cup. So far, they have each won, drawn, and lost once, making it a crucial match for both teams to stay in the race for the championship.

　Despite the difference in rankings, the current situation of Urawa and Tokyo is very similar. Urawa achieved a big win with a 6-1 victory over Shimizu in the semifinal round of the Nabisco Cup during the league break, while Tokyo also had an explosive attack with a 5-1 win over Kashima in the previous league match. After that, three players from Tokyo, Doi, Kaji, and Shigetaka, were selected for the Japan national team, while Urawa also had Yamada and Tsuboi called up despite a tough schedule. In the Tunisia match, Kaji and Shigetaka played the full game as right back and center back, respectively, while in the Romania match, Yamada and Tsuboi also played the full game as right back and center back. In addition, Ishikawa and Suzuki from Urawa participated in the U-22 Olympic team training camp, making this break period a highly anticipated match. Tokyo will be without Abe, while Urawa will be missing GK Tsuzuki and DF Niki Forofu due to suspension. The match started with Urawa's kickoff as rain began to fall before the game.

Conceded the first goal with Emerson's strike

　Tokyo pushed forward immediately after the start. Kelly and Amaral connected, and Ishikawa ran into the space on the right side and sent a cross, but the opposing defender cut it off. However, after that, both teams had noticeable passing errors and lacked the finishing touch. In the 12th minute, Jean flew out to Miyazawa's free kick, but was offside. They sent a long ball from their own half to the front line, but were caught offside five times in the first 17 minutes. The first shot for both teams was by Amaral. In the 22nd minute, Ishikawa dribbled into the center of the opposing half and passed through to Amaral on the right side of the penalty area. He took a shot from a difficult angle, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 23rd minute, Urawa FW Emerson took a shot from outside the area. In the 26th minute, Kaji made a bold dribble and received a return pass from Ishikawa to cross. It was a mis-kick, but the trajectory threatened Urawa's goal.

　Tokyo gradually starts creating chances from the right side, while Urawa's FW Tanaka and Emerson lead the attack. In the 30th minute, Urawa's Tanaka breaks through the right side and crosses the ball, but Emerson's volley is saved by Tsuchi. In the 34th minute, Tokyo has a big chance. Miura receives a through pass from Ishikawa and dribbles past a defender in the penalty area, then sends a final pass to Ishikawa who has run up from the right side. Ishikawa, who has attacked with great speed, appears to have been fouled by the goalkeeper, but there is no whistle. The ball bounces and the goal is wide open, but the shot is unable to be taken due to the desperate clearance by the opposing defender.

　It was what happened after missing a close chance. In the 39th minute, Urawa, who had taken the ball in their own half, sent a long through pass to Emerson, the midfielder. Emerson, who received the ball on the right side of the area, was marked by Shigetaka but quickly escaped vertically with a feint using his speed, and then took a shot with his right foot from an impossible angle. The bullet-like shot, which was too fast to see, broke through the two defenders and powerfully pierced the net.

　Tokyo, who had been doing a good job of containing Urawa's two top attackers, ended up conceding the first goal due to Emerson's unstoppable super goal, even though they knew it was coming.

Equalized with the intended shape of attacking the side!

　However, in the 43rd minute, Tokyo creates another decisive scene. Ishikawa, who received a pass on the right side from Kanazawa's interception, launches a quick attack and cuts into the center. A well-timed through pass is made in front of the goal. Kelly faces the GK in a 1-on-1 situation at close range, but the shot is unfortunately saved, and they go into the second half trailing by one point.

　In the second half, the instructions from manager Hara during halftime to "use side changes and attack more from the sides" immediately paid off. In the 47th minute, Kelly stuck to the right side and won a corner kick. When Miyazawa took the corner kick, the sharp kick was cleared by the opposing defender in front of Jean, who was positioned in the center, and ended up as an own goal, pulling the ball into the Urawa goal. It was an unexpected turn of events, but Tokyo, who had created a chance as planned and scored an equalizer, gained momentum. In the 50th minute, Amaral, who had moved to the left side, attempted to break through and passed back to Miyazawa, who crossed the ball. Kelly's precise header was saved by the GK at the last second, and the ball was cleared for a corner kick.

　In the 53rd minute, Urawa's Tanaka ran up the left side and crossed to MF Suzuki, who then passed to Emerson in front of the goal. Emerson took a powerful shot, but it hit the post. Tokyo then picked up the loose balls in the midfield and attacked Urawa's goal. In the 56th minute, Kanazawa received a pass from Miyazawa on the side and dribbled past two defenders to take a shot. Then, Miyazawa passed to Kaji on the right after drifting to the left, resulting in a wide attack. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa broke through on the right side after receiving a through pass from Miura, but his cross narrowly missed Toda. In the 61st minute, Amaral took a shot from the right side after a throw-in, but it missed the goal.

Unable to grasp the rhythm and score additional points

　Substituted Asari for Miura in the 66th minute. Immediately after, Amaral received a long pass from Jean, turned around and took a shot. In the 68th minute, Toda and Ishikawa used their speed to get past the defenders and exchanged passes in front of the goal, but were cut off by Urawa's Suzuki who read the play well. However, they were unable to score and gradually the momentum shifted to Urawa. In the 70th minute, Emerson's free kick from the front of the goal was blocked by the wall. In the 72nd minute, Emerson, who had advanced on the right side for Urawa, was marked by Mochizuki and Kanazawa, but Suzuki was left free in the penalty area and took a shot that narrowly missed to the right. Tokyo then launched a counterattack from this goal kick, and Amaral took a shot, but it also missed to the left.

　At 74 minutes, Emerson started the play and passed to Yamase, who then passed to Tanaka on the left and Suzuki on the right. Emerson made a run and received a through pass, evading Mori's mark and finding himself free in front of the goal. Although the final pass didn't connect and a shot wasn't taken, a decisive opportunity was created. At 75 minutes, Hasebe ran onto Emerson's left cross and took a powerful shot from inside the box. The ball was saved by Tsuchi and helped by the post, and the team managed to avoid a dangerous situation.

　In the final stage, Tokyo struggled to connect with their last pass despite both teams countering with fast attacks. In the 81st minute, Bamba was substituted for Ishikawa, and in the 87th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Amaral, but they were unable to create any decisive chances. In the 89th minute, Toda broke through on Jean's long pass and passed to Kelly in front of the goal, but he was surrounded by defenders as he brought the ball deep into the area. In stoppage time, Tokyo made a fierce attack, but they were unable to shoot against Urawa's solid defense, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

【Player Comments】《Mori》"In the scene where we conceded a goal, I was beaten by Emerson and it was a regrettable game. However, in the past, I would get down on myself after conceding a goal from a mistake, but today I didn't let my spirits drop. I asked the attacking players to make up for my mistakes and in the second half, we kept a clean sheet. I think that was a good result for the national team. We haven't given up on winning the championship yet, so we want to fight for each game."《Ishikawa》"We were aware of the opponent's counterattacks, but I made a mistake in a crucial moment and I regret it. We had some good chances in attack, but we couldn't finish them. Urawa's defense was solid and Amaral and Kelly marked tightly. We wanted to play fast football by creating another opportunity from there. The timing and decision-making between the passer and receiver are still areas we need to work on. However, by continuing to make the movements we want, the timing will eventually come together. Our condition is also improving. I believe it's important to keep repeating and continuing."

[Summary of Manager Hara's Press Conference] "We wanted to create more goal scenes with so many fans coming to watch, but the ball touch was rough due to the rain that started before the game. This also affected Urawa, but we couldn't connect our passes. When Tokyo is playing well, we use side changes to attack from the fullbacks, but in the first half, the slippery pitch caused some sloppy clearances from players like Shigeru Motonaga and Jean, which led to us having to kick the ball forward. However, Urawa had a lot of players in the back, making it difficult for us to break through. We were also afraid of losing the ball on a side change and getting countered. We were paying close attention to Emerson and Tanaka, but once they were able to turn and enter the penalty area, they could easily score with one swing. We were trying to avoid getting into that position, but our response after losing the ball was slow. At halftime, we reminded ourselves that we shouldn't be afraid of being down by one goal. We can't win if we don't score, so we talked about being more careful and breaking through the sides. Kelly took a corner kick on the right side, and Miyazawa kicked a good ball, resulting in an own goal. After that, we moved Toda to the center, and Kanazawa moved up on the left side, or Miyazawa would come out. There was a risk of Yamada coming forward and passing to Emerson, but we deliberately put Toda in the middle to go for the goal. We wanted to get three points, but we'll do our best for the next game."

[Urawa Ofto Coach Press Conference Summary] "In the first half, the start was not calm. The players were focused, but there were no effective ball distribution, passing speed, and other small details, and the game was rushed. From about 20 to 25 minutes, we settled down, but we still couldn't create chances, but we were able to score from Emerson's individual skill. In the second half, we were able to create space on the right side and Emerson, Suzuki, and Yamada were able to break through and create many chances. By attacking, we were able to put pressure on the opponent. There were some close shots that hit the post, but in the end we couldn't score an additional goal. However, when I think back to last season, we usually lost these kinds of games. It is an acceptable result to draw 1-1 like this. It should lead to the next game against Kashiwa."