The crucial match of the first half of the 2nd stage, facing the top-ranked Urawa Reds!

　In Sec. 6 of the 2nd Stage, we will face the Urawa Reds, who are currently at the top of the standings, at home. Urawa has achieved five consecutive wins in this stage. They are the only team among the 16 that has not lost, making them the most formidable team right now. Their scoring ability is impressive, having scored 21 goals in five matches. Notably, forward Emerson, who is at the top of the scoring rankings, has scored in five consecutive matches, making his attacking power a significant threat. However, we cannot easily give up on victory. This match is crucial for our rise in the rankings and for winning a title; we absolutely cannot afford to lose. It can be said that this is a major match in the first half of the 2nd Stage, especially to stop Urawa's runaway lead.

　Toda, who returned from injury and scored after coming on as a substitute in the last match, starts as right MF. Lucas, who missed three matches due to injury, is on the bench. On the other hand, Urawa is missing key players DF Tsuboi and MF Yamase due to injuries. DF Arpai is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Additionally, Coach BUCHWALD is absent due to family reasons, starting with some concerns. Emerson, FW Nagai, and MF Mitsutaka form a nearly three-top setup in a 3-4-3 formation.

A planned development, returning to the second half scoreless

　Right after the start, it was Tokyo that boldly attacked. A through pass from Kelly reached Toda, who broke into the space behind the right side DF. Following that, Kaji advanced and won a corner kick, and in the 1st minute, Jean made a header from the right corner kick. In the 6th minute, Toda sprinted down the right side, and Baba headed the cross back from the far side, but the opposing DF blocked it. However, they effectively exploited the space on Urawa's side and attacked with an advantage.

　However, in the 8th minute, Emerson received a long ball, evaded Jean with a one-touch move, and faced forward, breaking through to the front line. Thanks to Kaji's quick return, the situation was resolved, but the danger of a "one-shot" was demonstrated. In the 13th minute, he sprinted down the left side of Tokyo, and Shigeno managed to escape to a corner kick. In the 14th minute, from the right corner kick, DF Nene executed a header. The high shot narrowly veered to the left.

　Both teams set up a compact formation and pressed each other in midfield, leading to a fast-paced match. In the 18th and 19th minutes, Kaji received a pass from Kelly and made a cross. In the 20th minute, Tokyo attacked from the right side with a sequence of passes from Kelly to Kaji to Toda, resulting in another cross. However, just when they seemed to be on the offensive, in the 22nd minute, they were attacked in front of the goal from a pass play using a wedge by Urawa. Kanazawa connected with a floated ball sent forward by Baba and took a direct shot from inside the area. Unfortunately, he couldn't hit the target, but they also showed good attacking shape from the left side.

　In the 36th minute, Urawa created a decisive scene. Mito attacked from within Tokyo's territory and made a cross-field pass to the right side. MF Yamada cut back on Moniwa in the right area, moved inside, and took a left-footed shot. The ball hit the post, and although it did not result in a goal, it was a tense moment. On the other hand, in the 42nd minute, Kaji's cross was met by Toda, who jumped in from the center and headed the ball, but it went to the left of the goal. In the 44th minute, Kelly, Baba, Yusuke KONDO, Kanazawa, and Miura connected in quick succession, advancing towards Urawa's goal with fast passing, but ultimately fell into an offside position. However, they managed to bring the game to the development they aimed for, and went into halftime at 0-0.

Lucas returns from injury with a valuable opening goal!

　The number of shots in the first half was four for both teams. The back-and-forth action was intense, but the match remained evenly matched, leading to a continuation of the battle into the second half. Coach Hara's instructions during halftime were, "Even when attacking, do not forget to prepare for defense. Do not drop the defensive line too low. Let's exploit the space behind the opponent's defenders." Continuing from the first half, Tokyo displayed spirited play, and shortly after the start of the second half, Yusuke KONDO made a driving run with the ball, earning a free kick in front of the goal. In the 48th minute, there was also an attack following a steal by Miura, resulting in a free kick slightly to the left of the goal. However, both KONDO and Jean aimed directly for the goal, but missed the target each time.

　Tokyo displayed tight play and did not allow Urawa to create decisive chances, but conversely, they struggled to create significant scenes themselves. In the 51st minute, Lucas, who had not played since the match against Tokyo V on August 29, was brought on to replace Yusuke KONDO. Then, just one minute later, the long-awaited goal was scored.

　In the 52nd minute, Konno advanced on the right side and won a corner kick. Baba delivered a line drive ball from this right corner kick, and Lucas headed it in at the perfect timing from the center! The ball shook the net and went into the goal! Lucas scored a valuable opening goal with his first touch.

A tense battle ends with a hard-fought victory for Urawa! A valuable win achieved.

　Carrying a deficit, Urawa also began to take the initiative. In the 58th minute, FW Tatsuya TANAKA was brought on to replace DF Uchida. With Nagai on the right MF, Santos on the left, Yamada on the right MF, and Hirakawa dropping back to the left MF, they challenged with a 4-4-2 formation for a counterattack. However, today's Tokyo moved well without losing focus, and their coordinated plays functioned effectively. They continued to apply pressure on Urawa's passers and receivers, stealing the ball and transitioning to attack. However, Urawa also launched a quick attack in the 69th minute, with MF Suzuki seeing an open space and taking a long-range shot from midfield. The tension continued with a development where any momentary lapse would be immediately exploited.

　Tokyo faced a critical crisis in the 75th minute. Urawa's Nagai attempted to break through the center from the right side and took a shot. This deflected off Tokyo's defense and spilled in front of Emerson, who immediately rushed towards the ball, but Doih was a step quicker, throwing his body out and clearing it with a slide! The cleared ball was picked up and approached the goal, but they managed to defend this crisis with calm play.

　In the 71st minute, Miura was replaced by Miyazawa, and in the 77th minute, Baba was replaced by Abe, but the intense back-and-forth continued. Both teams displayed their fighting spirit, aiming for victory. In the 78th minute, Nagai from Urawa broke through on Tokyo's left side and delivered a low cross. Although Tokyo's defense barely cleared it, they remained pinned in front of the Tokyo goal, launching wave after wave of attacks. In the final stages, they were on the defensive, but as a united team, they held firm with a committed defense, preventing any goals. With their spirited play, they secured a clean sheet and achieved a hard-fought victory. Due to the goal difference, they ranked 6th, but narrowed the point gap to the top position to 5, achieving a valuable win.

【Player Comments】《Lucas》"It was frustrating to watch the match from the sidelines due to injury. I'm happy to win with my goal today. Before the match, we all talked about how losing here would eliminate our chances for the title. Every match is tough, but winning against the top team gives us confidence. There is still a chance for the championship, so I want to focus on each game and fight hard. I'm no longer worried about my injury, and my match sense is coming back. I believe I will improve as I play more matches." 《Jean》"We talked about trying to defend as a team to avoid creating one-on-one situations as much as possible. Learning from our previous match, we made sure to keep our eyes on the ball until it went out and until the whistle blew. I tried to shorten the distance with Jean more than usual, and we both made an effort to cover each other. I think we were able to keep a clean sheet because everyone was focused and responded well to the calls. The team atmosphere is good. Anyway, I want to win against Kashima next and continue winning one by one after that."

　【Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference】 "Urawa was on a nine-match winning streak in official matches, and the first of those was against Tokyo in the final match of the 1st stage. Since we were the ones who triggered that winning streak, I told the players that we should end it with our own strength this time. Urawa indeed has explosive power. In the last few matches, once they score first, they quickly go for two or three more goals. However, conversely, they haven't experienced many close matches, and it was rare to have a scoreless first half, so I wanted to bring it to a close contest. Also, I thought today would be a battle of quick transitions. Urawa tries to utilize Emerson's speed, and their transition to attack is fast after regaining possession. They defend well from the front and quickly pass the ball to the forwards. If we lose in the speed of transition when the ball is taken away and Emerson is utilized, even if we have several defenders, there was a possibility of being outrun and conceding a shot. Therefore, we tried to slow down the vertical speed as much as possible. I think the midfielders Miura, Konno, Toda, and Baba were also tracking back well. Baba and Yusuke Kondo, who have been holding their ground lately, showed some signs of fatigue, so I was considering bringing in Lucas, Abe, and Miyazawa at crucial moments. I thought about bringing Lucas on right from the start of the second half, but I wanted to confirm our approach at halftime and hold off a bit longer before bringing him in. Lucas has good foot skills and can receive and hold the ball up front. I sought that role from him. However, since Nene and Tulio also have strong foot skills, I told him to run into space as much as possible while holding the ball up front and to utilize Kelly and others. I think the players who came on as substitutes did well in a tough match. I thought it wouldn't be good for Urawa to run away with the game, so I was glad we were able to stop them. Since we have a match coming up soon, I want to switch our mindset and focus on the next match against Kashima. (In response to the question about whether the actual transition was slow) There may have been a desire on both sides to connect a bit more during attacks, but the fear of being caught out if we lost possession might have taken precedence. When we got congested on one side, we wanted to switch to the opposite side, but there was fear, and we couldn't make the switch. I want to improve the quality of those plays."

　[Summary of Coach Engels' Press Conference] "I think both teams were able to play a good match. It was fast and intense. For about the first 20 minutes, we couldn't cope with the opponent's pressure and couldn't create good plays. However, after that, we gradually found our rhythm. If Yamada's shot had gone in at that time, the outcome might have been different. The second half started similarly, and I wondered when the pace would drop, but both teams maintained a fast tempo and fight until the end. A key moment was when Lucas conceded a goal from a corner shortly after coming on. From there, we took the initiative. We replaced a defender with a forward, aimed to spread the play from the outside, and wanted to utilize Nagai and Mitsunobu. We also faced Tokyo's counterattacks, but we almost grasped the pace, especially creating good plays from the right side, leading to some good scenes. However, Tokyo also fought hard, sliding and putting their bodies on the line, defending their goal until the end. We need to analyze the reasons for our defeat calmly, but the next match is on the 26th. I want to switch mentally as quickly as possible and head into the next match from zero."