Final home match before the break, give it your all for victory!

　On the 5th day of the Nabisco Cup qualifiers, we will face Urawa Reds at home. Although we have lost four consecutive matches and the possibility of advancing in the qualifiers has disappeared, Coach Garo declared, "We will use the players in the best condition," committing to fielding the best lineup at this time. The players also stated, "We cannot continue to lose like this" and "To improve our level, we will not treat this as a meaningless match," maintaining high motivation as they aim for victory in the last home game before the break.

　Suzuki is suspended due to accumulated warnings. Kanazawa, who has returned from injury, will make his first appearance of the season as the left side back. Also, Ozawa will be starting for the first time, partnering with Lucas in midfield. Konno and Inoha will form a double pivot, while Toda and Kawaguchi will be the two forwards, challenging Urawa with a 4-4-2 formation that positions the midfield in a box shape.

　Urawa, having won all four matches in the Nabisco Cup, has already secured a spot in the Final Round. The Japan national team DF Tsuboi, Mitsunobu, and MF Ono are absent, and MF Ponte is also out due to injury. Therefore, the DF consists of Uchida, Toru, and Hironobu. In midfield, Sakai and Hasebe play as holding midfielders, with Hirakawa on the right, Soma on the left, and Yamada in the attacking midfield position. They approached the match with a 3-5-2 formation featuring a two-top of Nagai and Washington. The match, held at the rainy Ajinomoto, started at 19:00 with Urawa's kickoff.

Lucas utilizes Ozawa's stamina and gains momentum

　From the early stages, there was intense competition, and a back-and-forth battle continued. The first to seize a big chance was Tokyo. In the 8th minute, Tokunaga on the right sent a direct through pass to Lucas in the center, who then set up Ozawa to skillfully break into the right area and take a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Urawa also had a chance in the 12th minute, as Washington's hold-up play led to a right cross from right MF Hirakawa. The shot taken by MF Yamada, who received the ball free in the left area, was saved by Shiota.

　In the 15th minute, Urawa DF Tulio tried to advance after a one-two with Tokyo MF Yamada in the Tokyo area, but Lucas quickly returned to cut it off. In the 20th minute, from a pass from Inoha to Ozawa, Tokunaga sprinted down the right side with a dribble. It seemed like he had earned a corner kick after colliding with the pursuing Urawa DF, but it resulted in a Urawa goal kick. Both teams were unable to create decisive chances, but the tense back-and-forth continued.

　Among them, Ozawa and Lucas utilized their mobility, allowing Tokyo to dominate the match. Tokunaga on the right boldly attempted to break through, while Kanazawa on the left calmly connected passes and joined the attack at the right moment. Up front, Toda secured the ball, drawing out Ozawa and Lucas. In the 26th minute, they pressed into the Urawa area with numbers, launching a wave attack starting from Ozawa, Tokunaga, and Lucas, but they were unable to take a shot. In the end, from a throw-in, Lucas shot from just outside the left side of the area, but it went over the bar.

　In the 28th minute, a free kick was taken from about 25 meters to the right of the goal, and Jean aimed directly but it went to the left. In the 39th minute, another free kick was taken from the middle of the opponent's half, and Ozawa unleashed a powerful shot, but it went wide to the right. In the 42nd minute, after cutting off a ball from Urawa, Toda sprinted towards the goal. In a one-on-one situation with the GK, the opposing GK made a save. However, he picked up the rebound and passed to Lucas in the left area, but the shot was once again blocked by the GK. Unable to convert the clear chances, the first half ended at 0-0.

The intense battle filled with determination ends in a scoreless draw.

　Tokyo showed a passionate performance in the second half. At the start, Tokunaga broke through on the right side. He sent a fast ground pass from a deep position towards the goal, but it did not reach Kawaguchi, who was waiting. In the 47th minute, Ozawa headed a cross from Tokunaga, but he couldn't make solid contact. In the 56th minute, Urawa's right MF Hirakawa attempted to dribble through the area, and the loose ball fell in front of the free MF Yamada in the right area. This crisis was saved by Shiota's brave advance, and they managed to defend without losing focus.

　In the 58th minute, Lucas advanced with a dribble and took a shot with speed! It was on target, but was blocked by a great save from the opposing GK, resulting in a corner kick. Today's Tokyo had a good balance in midfield, and Konno aggressively pushed forward after winning the ball. In the 70th minute, he intercepted in the opponent's half and broke away towards the goal! Drawing in the approaching Urawa DF, he sent a final pass to Kawaguchi, who took a carefully aimed shot, but was again thwarted by the opposing GK's save... Following that, Ozawa persistently picked up the loose ball and took a long-range shot, but it went straight to the opposing GK. They continued to pick up second balls and kept attacking, but couldn't convert their chances.

　In the 75th minute, Lucas took a bold shot from outside the right area, but it went high. In the 82nd minute, Konno tried to take a mid-range shot with speed, but was closed down by the opposing DF. In the 84th minute, Lucas passed to Kanazawa, who attacked inside and sent a last pass to Toda, but it was cut off by the opposing DF. Tokunaga picked up the loose ball and delivered a cross, but Lucas's header did not connect. In the 85th minute, Toda ran onto a loose ball in front of the goal and took a daring shot despite a difficult position. It was saved by the opposing GK, resulting in a corner kick. Ozawa's right corner kick was cleared by Urawa DF... Despite continuing to mount a vigorous attack until the end, they could not break the deadlock. Ultimately, they played a passionate match on both offense and defense, successfully shutting down Urawa's attacks, but could not secure a goal, ending with just 1 point.

　【Player Comments】《Ozawa》"Today, everyone fought harder than in the last home game. While aiming for possession football, I tried to keep it simple and make runs into the box. I was able to play for a long time as a starter, but my decision-making was still slow, and I couldn't fully grasp the rhythm. I'm disappointed that we couldn't get a result. I believe we need to win at home, so I want to make that happen. To do that, I need to be able to convert even the few chances we get. I wish I could have been more involved in creating chances and taken more shots..." 《Kanazawa》"There were times when I was concerned about my injury, but playing for 90 minutes gave me confidence. Today, the coach was strict about confirming the basics, such as intensity in duels. I think I was able to do that. I tried to maintain balance and receive the ball in good positions to attack. This season, I aim to value the ball, increase possession, and connect short passes to reach the goal, and I feel like I'm getting there. My desire to play in matches has grown stronger, so I want to give my all in practice and prepare well."

　[Summary of Coach Garo's Press Conference] "I think we were able to have a high-level, good game. In the second half, we were able to control the game better and had chances. At halftime, I told the players that 'this match will be decided by a narrow margin,' and we both fought without losing focus, resulting in a good game. Today's midfield was compact, fiercely marking against a strong Urawa, and competing well. Besides the midfield, Toda not only played well in finding space but also showed good play receiving the ball up front, which I thought was good. (Did you only use one substitution?) I didn't consider substitutions because the flow and shape were good. I checked on Ozawa's fatigue level, and he said he was 'not tired,' but I thought it was the limit and substituted him for Akamine. Kanazawa was used at a timing that coincided with his return from injury and Suzuki's suspension. He connected passes without mistakes and showed good covering from good positioning. Shigeno also played well. I believe he has the ability to be in the Japan national team, but the coach who selected him must have his own thoughts, so I want to respect that. I talked with Shigeno about 'aiming for four years from now,' and I think he is able to switch his mindset."

　[Summary of Urawa Coach BUCHWALD's Press Conference] "We had already secured our place in the qualifiers, but we wanted to advance as group leaders, so we really wanted to win. Conversely, FC Tokyo was not in good form, so I think they came here with the mindset to win against us and gain momentum. That was evident from their aggressive and passionate play. The wet pitch today favored the attacking side, but the reason no goals were scored was due to the efforts of both teams' defenses. If either team had scored even one goal, the match might have developed more aggressively. Although the result was 0-0, it was an interesting match. I am satisfied with the players' fighting spirit, but I would have liked them to play a bit more precisely in capitalizing on counter-attack opportunities. Today, MF Ponte and MF Ono were both unable to play. I believe the absence of MF Ponte, who can score and assist, had an impact. However, Urawa's strength lies in the fact that when someone is missing, other players step up to fill that gap. This was proven when we won against Yokohama FM last time, even without Ponte for about 60 minutes. So, while we ended in a draw today, the absence of those players is not an excuse. The lack of decisive chances was due to slower transitions between offense and defense than usual. Even when there was space after winning the ball, the transition was slow, and the space was closed down. Even when we tried to push forward with speed, we struggled to connect it to our attacks."