After the break, we will face the strong Urawa team.

　The second stage resumed after a two-week break. In Sec. 10, we will face the Urawa Reds, who are currently in second place, at home. This will be the fourth match against Urawa this season, including the Nabisco Cup. So far, we have one win, one draw, and one loss, making it an even record, but it is a match that neither side can afford to lose in order to stay in the championship race.

　Despite the difference in rankings, the current situations of Urawa and Tokyo are quite similar. Urawa achieved a spectacular victory with a 6-1 win against Shimizu in the Nabisco Cup semifinals during the league break, while Tokyo also had a big win with a 5-1 victory against Kashima in the previous league match. Following this, three players from Tokyo—Dohi, Kaji, and Mobu—were selected for the Japan national team, while Urawa also called up Yamada and Tsuboi amid a tough schedule. In the match against Tunisia, Kaji and Mobu played the full match as right back and center back, respectively, while Yamada and Tsuboi did the same in the match against Romania. Additionally, Ishikawa, along with Suzuki and Tanaka from Urawa, participated in the U-22 Olympic team training camp, making this break a crucial period to watch. Tokyo will be missing Abe, while Urawa will be without GK Tsuzuki and DF Nikiforov due to suspensions. The match started with Urawa's kickoff under the rain that began to fall before the game.

First goal conceded by Emerson's strike

　Tokyo pressed immediately after the start. After connecting passes between Kelly and Amaral, 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 showed noticeable passing mistakes, and the ball did not settle, lacking decisive chances. At 12 minutes, Jean rushed out for a free kick by Miyazawa but was called offside. Tokyo sent long balls from their own half to the front line but was caught offside five times by the 17th minute. The first shot combined from both teams was by Amaral. At 22 minutes, Ishikawa dribbled up the center of the opponent's half and made a through pass to Amaral on the right side of the penalty area. He shot from a tight angle but was saved by the goalkeeper. At 23 minutes, Urawa forward Emerson took a shot from outside the area. At 26 minutes, Kaji made a daring dribble forward, received a return pass from Ishikawa, and crossed. Although it became a mis-kick, the trajectory almost threatened the Urawa goal.

　Tokyo is gradually starting to create chances from the attack initiated by FW Tanaka and Emerson on the right side. In the 30th minute, Tanaka from Urawa breaks through the right side, and Emerson takes a volley shot from a negative cross, but Dohi makes the save. In the 34th minute, Tokyo has a big chance. Miura receives a through pass from Ishikawa, evades the defender in the penalty area, and rushes towards the goal, sending a last pass to Ishikawa, who surged up from the right. It seemed that Ishikawa, who attacked at high speed, was brought down by the GK, but there was no whistle. The ball spilled out, leaving the goal wide open, but a desperate clearance from the opposing defender prevented a shot.

　It was after missing a great chance. In the 39th minute, Urawa stole the ball in their own half, and Hasebe, the defensive midfielder, sent a long through pass to Emerson at the front line. Receiving the ball on the right side of the area, Emerson was marked by Moniwa, but with a feint that utilized his speed, he broke through in an instant and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot from a tight angle. The bullet shot, which was almost too fast to see, broke through Doih's near side and spectacularly hit the back of the net.

　Tokyo had been doing well to contain Urawa's two-top attack up to this point, but they allowed the opening goal from Emerson's super goal, which they couldn't stop even though they knew it was coming.

A perfect setup to equalize by attacking the sides!

　However, in the 43rd minute, Tokyo created another decisive scene. After an interception by Kanazawa, Ishikawa received a pass on the right side and launched a quick attack, cutting into the center, delivering a well-timed through pass in front of the goal. Kelly found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper at close range, but his shot was unfortunately saved, leaving them trailing by one goal as they headed into the second half.

　As the second half began, the instructions from Coach Hara during halftime to "use the side change to attack more from the sides" quickly came into play. In the 47th minute, Kelly held on to the right side and won a corner kick. When Miyazawa took the right corner kick, his sharp kick was cleared by the opposing defender just in front of Jean, resulting in an own goal that was absorbed into the Urawa goal. Although it was an unexpected turn of events, Tokyo created the chance as intended and equalized, gaining momentum. In the 50th minute, Amaral, who had drifted to the left side, attempted to break through, and when he passed it back, Miyazawa crossed. Kelly's precise header shot was met with a narrow save from the GK, resulting in a corner kick.

　In the 53rd minute, Tanaka from Urawa surged up the left side, and after a cross from MF Suzuki, Emerson unleashed a powerful shot from directly in front of the goal, but it hit the post. After escaping this danger, Tokyo overwhelmingly picked up the loose balls in midfield and attacked the Urawa goal. In the 56th minute, Kanazawa received a cross-field pass from Miyazawa, dribbled forward, evaded two defenders, and took a shot. Following that, a wide attack saw Miyazawa flow left to Kaji in the center, who delivered a tremendous cross. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa broke free on the right side from Miura's through pass, but the cross just missed Todaka. In the 61st minute, Amaral took a shot from a throw-in on the right side, but it went wide of the goal.

Unable to secure additional points despite grasping the rhythm

　In the 66th minute, Asari was brought on to replace Miura. Shortly after, Amaral received a long pass from Jean, turned, and shot. In the 68th minute, Toda and Ishikawa utilized their speed to evade a one-two in front of the goal, but were cut off by a well-read defense from Suzuki of Urawa. However, they couldn't score, and as they missed their chances, the momentum gradually shifted to Urawa. In the 70th minute, Emerson's free kick from straight in front of the goal was blocked by the wall. In the 72nd minute, Emerson, who advanced on the right side for Urawa, was closely marked by Shigeno and Kanazawa, allowing Suzuki to get a shot off from inside the area, but it went just slightly to the right. Tokyo connected this goal kick and launched a counterattack, with Amaral taking a shot. However, this one also went wide to the left.

　In the 74th minute, starting from Emerson, the ball was played from Yamase to the left to Tanaka, then to the right to Suzuki. Emerson, who made a run for a through pass, evaded the mark from Shigeno and found himself free in front of the goal. Although the final pass didn't connect and he couldn't take a shot, it created a decisive scene. In the 75th minute, a clearance from Emerson's left cross was met by midfielder Hasebe, who made a powerful shot from inside the area. Doih's saved ball was also helped by the post, narrowly escaping the crisis.

　In the final stages, both teams exchanged quick counterattacks, but Tokyo struggled to connect with the final pass. In the 81st minute, Baba was brought on for Ishikawa, and in the 87th minute, Suzuki replaced Amaral, but they could not create any decisive chances. In the 89th minute, Jean's long pass found Toda, who passed to Kelly in front of the goal, but he was surrounded by defenders before he could bring the ball deep into the area. Despite a fierce attack during stoppage time, they could not take a shot against Urawa's solid defense, and the match ended. The intense battle concluded in a 1-1 draw.

【Player Comments】<Moniwa> "In the situation where we conceded a goal, I was beaten by Emerson, and it was a match I regret. However, unlike before when I would get down after conceding due to a mistake, today I didn’t lose my spirit. I asked the attackers to somehow make up for my mistake, and in the second half, we kept a clean sheet defensively. I believe that is the gain from going to the national team. We have not given up on winning yet, so I want to fight carefully for each match." <Ishikawa> "I was careful about the opponent’s counterattacks, but I regret losing the ball at a critical moment. We had some good attacking chances but couldn’t finish them. Urawa’s defense was solid, and marking Amaral and Kelly was strict. We wanted to play fast football by developing from there, but the timing and decision-making between the passer and receiver are still issues. However, by continuing the movements of ‘this is what I want to do,’ the timing should improve. My condition is getting better. I believe it is important to repeat and continue."

[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "We had this many fans come to watch, and I wanted to create more goal scenes. The rain that started before the match caused rough ball touches. That was the same for Urawa, which was somewhat helpful, but passes didn’t connect. When Tokyo is playing well, they use side changes and attack starting from the fullbacks, but on the slippery pitch in the first half, some weak clearances by Moniwa and Jean repeatedly went to the opponent, so we had no choice but to kick forward. However, Urawa allocated many players to the back, so it was difficult to break through. Also, we feared losing the ball on side change passes and then being caught on the counterattack. We paid close attention to Emerson and Tanaka, but once they faced forward and entered the penalty area, they could score with a single strike. We tried to avoid letting them get into that position, but our response after losing the ball was slow. At halftime, I told the team not to be afraid of the one-goal difference. We can’t win without scoring, so I said we should carefully attack the sides a bit more to break through. Kelly took a corner kick on the right side, Miyazawa delivered a good ball, and an own goal was born. After that, we moved Toda to the center, and Kanazawa or Miyazawa advanced on the left side. When we lost the ball, Yamada came forward, which risked passing to Emerson, but by deliberately putting Toda in the center, we aimed to score. We wanted all three points, but we will do our best for the next match."

[Urawa - Coach Ofuto's Press Conference Summary] "In the first half, we started off a bit unsettled. The players were focused, but we lacked effectiveness in ball distribution and the speed of our passes, leading to a frantic game. From around the 20th to 25th minute, we settled down, but we still couldn't create chances until we scored from Emerson's individual skill. In the second half, we managed to create space well on the right side, where Emerson, Suzuki, and Yamada broke through, allowing us to create many chances. By putting pressure on the opponent, we created situations to attack. There were some unfortunate shots that hit the post, but ultimately we couldn't secure an additional goal. However, thinking back to last season, we often lost games like this. Drawing 1-1 like this is an acceptable result. It should lead us into the next match against Kashiwa."