Aiming for consecutive wins at home, to make up for the frustration of playing away

　The 21st round of the league will be held, and we will face Urawa Reds at home. In the previous round against Nagoya, we defended our one-point lead with a focused battle and earned three points for the first time since the June 8th match against Verdy (Section 6 of the Nabisco Qualifiers). This round, we will aim for a consecutive victory with the confidence we gained from that match, playing our own style of football.

　However, Tokunaga injured his ankle and was unable to perform at 100% (according to coach Shirofuku), resulting in his first absence of the season. As a result, Konno was placed at left back and Nagatomo, who had just returned from the Olympics on the 14th (Thursday), started at right back. The midfield will be set up with the same formation as the previous match, with Hayashi and Asari as the double pivot.

　Urawa Reds, who are currently in second place with 34 points, will face Emerson LEAO. In the previous match against Kashiwa, they were caught up in the final minutes, and although they have been in great form with 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 3 matches, everyone recognizes their individual abilities. This match will see the return of forward Tatsuya TANAKA from injury, who will start in the lineup. Midfielder Ponte will also make a comeback and will be on the bench. In order to break through Urawa's strong defense, they will need to take control on the wings and push back the opponent's wing backs. Cabore, Hirayama, Emerson, and Ishikawa will need to aggressively exploit the spaces and create more chances.

　In the away game, we suffered a frustrating defeat of 0-2, so in order to overcome that frustration, we will aggressively attack and aim for victory! Despite various areas in Tokyo being hit by localized heavy rain, Ajinomoto Stadium can be seen with some clear skies. The match started at 6:34 PM with a kickoff in Tokyo.

They dominated the ball and attacked without giving Urawa any freedom...

　Tokyo dominated the ball, not allowing Urawa to play freely from the beginning. They passed the ball around and attacked. Shortly after the start, Emerson ran up the left front line from Hirayama's wedge, but it didn't reach Ishikawa in the center. The ball cut by the DF floated to Cabore in the left area, but his header was not successful. Still, Emerson tried to create chances by taking advantage of Cabore's runs and sending through passes frequently.

　8 minutes, Hayashi, who exchanged passes with Ishikawa, entrusted the ball to Emerson in the center and entered the right area. A perfect through pass from Emerson, but he couldn't shoot due to the quick approach of Urawa DF Tatsuki Iwao. In the 13th minute, Urawa launched a counterattack from a corner kick, and Sasaki crossed from the left side. Ishikawa jumped and volleyed the ball into the middle, causing a disturbance from both sides. However, Cabore in the center was unable to receive the ball as he was competing with Urawa DF Tatsuki Iwao and fell down. There was no foul from Urawa.

　At 27 minutes, Cabore dribbled into the area from the left and pulled the DF, sending a minus last pass to Hirayama who was closing in. However, the timing was off and Hirayama couldn't touch it. The combination and accuracy were lacking in the final moments, and they couldn't create a decisive scene. On the other hand, Urawa's first shot of the day came at 32 minutes from FW Tatsuya Tanaka's middle shot. At 34 minutes, Emerson → left area, and Imakano entered the center with a last pass. It was cut off by Urawa DF and became loose in the left area, where Cabore ran in, but was a step too late and was defended. At 35 minutes, Imakano took a powerful middle shot from a 45-degree angle on the left, but Urawa DF Tatsuya TANAKA headed it clear and it went out for a throw-in.

　Tokyo struggled to find a rhythm and failed to capitalize on their attacking opportunities. They lost possession while on the offensive, leading to a quick counterattack from Urawa's DF. In the 38th minute, Hirayama, Cabore, and Hayashi failed to connect in the midfield, allowing Urawa to regain possession. Urawa's FW Nagai passed to FW Takahara, who had snuck behind the offside line, and faced off against Tokyo's DF Shioda in a 1-on-1 situation. Takahara took a decisive shot, but it hit the left post. Urawa's MF Soma also took a shot from the rebound, but it was blocked by Sato, saving Tokyo from a dire situation.

　In the 44th minute, Asari advanced into the center of the area from Cabore's post. He shot while being surrounded by opponents, but the momentum was weak and the GK caught it. Immediately after, Urawa FW Tanaka Tatsu's middle shot was saved by Shioda and escaped to a CK. This Urawa's left CK flowed to the far side, and Emerson tried to make it his ball. However, it was taken back as he tried to attack, and Urawa counterattacked again. FW Tanaka Tatsu's through pass was received by FW Takahara, and it was again a 1-on-1 with Shioda. However, the shot hit the bar...! With the help of the opponent's mistake, they avoided conceding and ended the first half with a 0-0 score.

Lost without scoring a goal, unable to break through Urawa's solid defense after conceding the first goal.

　In the second half, Tokyo's passing suddenly stopped and they were pushed back by Urawa. In the 49th minute, FW Tatsuya TANAKA took a shot from a right throw-in by Urawa, hitting the post... Following that, FW Tatsuya TANAKA broke through the right area from a floating pass by Urawa MF Abe and took a close shot. In the 60th minute, Kajiyama was substituted for Asari in an attempt to change the flow. In the 62nd minute, Cabore broke through the right side and sent a floating cross after cutting back the opponent's DF. Kajiyama was there in front of the goal, but missed the volley...

　In the 67th minute, the ball was passed to Urawa and they attacked from the left side of Tokyo. Sasaki cleared it once, but it hit Urawa MF Ponte and the ball went to Tokyo's MF Suzuki. Suzuki quickly sent a lob pass to the left front line, where MF Soma had run behind Tokyo's DF and scored a volley shot, finally conceding a goal... In the 71st minute, Akamine was substituted for Ishikawa. Hayashi aimed for an equalizer with a formation where he followed the right side.

　However, in the 74th minute, Cabore → Hirayama's short drop, Hanyu ran into the area and made a good shot, but it went wide to the right and couldn't be caught. In the 77th minute, Kawaguchi was substituted for Cabore. Attempting to counterattack by thickening the front line. In the 79th minute, Kajiyama made a move from the right area, Akamine → Kajiyama → Kawaguchi in the center was in a shooting position. The loose ball from the DF rolled to Hirayama in the right area, and he took a free shot, but it also went wide. In the 85th minute, Emerson → Inoue, who overlapped, sent a cross and Hirayama at the far post headed it, but it hit the goalkeeper's face.

　In the 87th minute, Hanyu passed a right corner kick to Kajiyama, who then made a short pass and entered the right area. He made a sharp turn to evade the DF and took a shot, but it was blocked by the DF... Despite launching a fierce attack and gathering the ball in the front line, they were unable to break through the solid defense of Urawa DF, who were leading by one point. Every cross was rejected and the game ended. They suffered a disappointing defeat at home, unable to score any points...

　【Player Comments】《Emerson》"In the first half, I think we were able to play in our own flow, but we conceded a goal in the second half. I knew it would be a difficult game if we were to concede first, but that's how it turned out. Of course, we wanted to turn the game around, but we couldn't. In the away game, we lost 2-0, and we have been conceding goals when we make mistakes, including today. That's one of our problems. Furthermore, we haven't been able to score a single goal against them. We had chances, but they didn't result in goals, which is a problem. We have to keep practicing and improving in those areas. The league is still ongoing, so we want to keep fighting."《Nagatomo》"I think we were able to play our own football from the first half, but in the second half, I made a mistake in my marking and we conceded a goal, which is frustrating. Urawa's quality on the counter is high, and I could feel that they are a top team. It was our first game back from the Olympics, but our condition was not a problem at all. There may have been some miscommunication in terms of offside traps, but other than that, our teamwork was not a concern. We have been having frustrating games, but this is the time to dig deep and push through. We want to reflect on ourselves and keep going. Today, we couldn't use the wings effectively, so I think we need to demand more from ourselves and create opportunities from the wings. We have tall players in the middle, so if we can deliver good crosses, we can score. It's up to us. We want to win against our opponents in front of us and give our supporters a victory in the next match."

　[Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary] "First of all, I would like to apologize to the supporters and fans. I take full responsibility for the result. Of course, Urawa played a great game and won, but I feel very sorry for the Tokyo supporters and fans who have spent their time and money to come and support us, and who were made to sing Urawa's song and feel disappointed after the game. As for the content, the players did a good job of creating a defensive pace that prevented Urawa's front three from doing their job and playing our own football. There were some moments where we were confused about whether it was offside or not, and our defense became a bit unstable, but overall we defended well except for our own mistakes. However, there were some mistakes in trying to connect from clearances or in the passing game. We were caught off guard and panicked. We conceded from those mistakes and I feel that our team still lacks the necessary strength. As for the second half, there were more easy mistakes and difficult decisions in passing. We lost confidence in connecting from the defensive line, so we brought in Kajiyama. On the attacking side, we tried to regain our composure and create our own opportunities. However, in the time leading up to the goal, both the defenders and attackers were afraid and lacked confidence in their play. This is not just a problem between the passer and receiver, but also involves positioning and various other factors. In the end, we thought there would be more back-and-forth in front of the goal, so we brought in Akamine. Akamine has the ability to quickly get past opponents and score with his feet or head in front of goal. While there was space behind Ishikawa as the opponent's line did not drop back, he did a good job of making runs, but we made the decision based on how much the opponent was dropping back."

　[Urawa Gert Engels Press Conference Summary] "It was a tough game from the start. Tokyo had a strong defensive mindset and had a lot of quick counterattacks in the first 25 minutes. Due to the condition of the pitch, we were unable to connect passes and had to rely on running and fighting. After the 30-minute mark, we were able to connect passes. There was also a shot from FW Takahara that hit the post and crossbar. In the second half, we were able to maintain a similar rhythm. We were able to control the game in the opponent's half and there were also chances, such as FW Tanaka's shot hitting the post. There were various scenes, but we were finally able to score a great goal. Towards the end, we dropped back too much and there were more battles in the area. Our defense in that area was very good, but if we had been able to keep possession a little more, it would have been easier. If we were able to enter the opponent's half, it would have been easier to score on the counterattack. If we were able to approach the ball a little more in the front line, it would have been easier in the back. There were some close counterattack scenes, but if we had been able to connect better, it would have been better. However, the most important thing is the 1-0 result after 90 minutes. It is a big deal to get 3 points without conceding any goals. I am satisfied considering it was an away game. (Today, FW Nagai and FW Tanaka's runs behind the final line were noticeable. Was this because of Tokyo's flat DF line?) It wasn't specifically because of Tokyo, but I thought it was something we needed to be aware of. Even if the opponent drops back, if there is even a little space behind, we will try to exploit it. If we succeed, it becomes a chance. If we don't, it becomes the opponent's goal kick. If we lose the ball at our feet, it can quickly turn into a counterattack for the opponent. That's why we have been focusing on attacking the space behind in recent training sessions. FW Tanaka is a player who possesses that characteristic."