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 previous home game. Aiming for possession football, I tried to play simply and make runs into the penalty area. I was able to start and play for a long time, but my decision-making was still slow, and I couldn't fully get into the rhythm. It's disappointing that I couldn't produce results. I believe we must win at home, so I want to make that happen. To do so, I need to be able to finish well even with few chances. I wish I had been more involved in chances and taken more shots..." <Kanazawa> "I was playing while being mindful of my injury, but playing the full 90 minutes gave me confidence. Today, the coach strictly told us to review the basics again, such as intensity in duels. I think I was able to do that. I tried to maintain balance, receive the ball in good positions, and attack. This season, we aim to value the ball, increase possession, and connect short passes to reach the penalty area, and that is gradually happening. My desire to play in matches has grown stronger, so I want to give my all in training and prepare well."

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "I think we both played a high-level, good game. In the second half, we were able to control the game and had chances. At halftime, I told the players that 'this match will be decided by a narrow margin,' and both teams stayed focused and fought hard, resulting in a good game. In midfield today, we maintained a compact formation and marked the strong Urawa players aggressively, competing well. Besides midfield, Toda showed good play not only by moving into space but also by receiving the ball upfront as a wedge. (You only used one substitution?) Since the flow and shape were good, I wasn't considering substitutions. I checked Ozawa's fatigue level, and although he said he wasn't tired, I thought it was the limit and substituted him with Akamine. Kanazawa was brought in at the right time, returning from injury and with Suzuki suspended. He connected passes without mistakes and showed good positioning and covering. Mouniwa also played well. I believe he has the ability to join the Japan national team, but the coach who selects the team has his own ideas, so I want to respect that. I told Mouniwa to aim for 'four years from now,' and I think he has been able to reset his mindset."

　[Summary of Urawa BUCHWALD Coach's Press Conference] "We had already secured advancement from the qualifiers, but we wanted to top the group, so we absolutely wanted to win. On the other hand, FC Tokyo was also not in good form, so I think they came with the mindset to beat us here and gain momentum. That was evident from their aggressive and passionate play. Wet grass like today’s favors the attacking side, but the reason no goals were scored was because both teams' defenses worked hard. If either team had scored even one goal, the game might have become more aggressive. The 0-0 result made for an interesting match. I am satisfied with the players' fighting spirit, but I wish they had been a bit more precise in capitalizing on counterattack opportunities. Today, both MF Ponte and MF Ono were unavailable. I think the absence of MF Ponte, who can both score and assist, due to injury had an impact. However, Urawa’s strength lies in players stepping up to cover for anyone who is missing. This was proven when we won the previous match against Yokohama FM despite missing Ponte for about 60 minutes. So, although today ended in a draw, the absence of those players is not an excuse. The reason for the few clear chances was that the transitions between offense and defense were slower than usual. Even when there was space after winning the ball, the slow transition allowed the space to be closed down. Even when we tried to break out at speed, it was difficult to connect to an attack."