I want to break through Urawa's wall today at the National Stadium.

The league resumes with the Emperor's Cup in between. In the 25th round, we will face Urawa Reds at our home, National Stadium. In the previous round, we achieved victory against Hiroshima. In the Emperor's Cup, we struggled but managed to win in extra time with a goal from Hirayama, securing consecutive wins. We will use this victory as a solid foundation and enter the final stages of the league. However, in the past three matches against Urawa, all ended in draws, and in the league, we have not been able to achieve victory since 2005, with 15 consecutive losses. Today, we must show our determination at home in National Stadium and aim for all 3 points in this match.

Urawa, on the other hand, is currently in second place with 46 points. Their record in August was 4 wins and 2 losses, but they boast an outstanding scoring ability with their attacking style, and their total of 46 goals so far is second only to Kawasaki in the league. In contrast, Tokyo has faced three backline opponents in Hiroshima, Yokohama Musashino, and now will face another with Takahashi leading the central defense in a three-back formation.

The Urawa match, which has been a good match many times before. It is likely to be an intense match where both teams are firmly locked in, but coach Ranko POPOVIC says, "In such a match, the slightest difference will determine the outcome. Therefore, what is necessary for victory is to maintain concentration for 90 minutes and minimize mistakes. I want to minimize mistakes and definitely surpass Urawa and grab the victory," it seems that the outcome of the match will determine the outcome.

The humidity is so high that it seems like it's about to rain, and the weather has become hot and humid. However, in the stands, a record-breaking 34,756 people gathered for the game, which kicked off in Tokyo at 6:35 PM.

Mori Shige and Hyun Soo Jang score their first goal of the season, taking advantage of a set play opportunity!

The match started early. In the 8th minute, Lucas, who received Kanda's kick, was fouled and earned a free kick on the right side of the opponent's field. From here, Ota sent a sharp kick to the front line, and Chang Hyun Soo jumped in to score a dynamic header goal. Despite struggling with Urawa's fluid positioning and unique passing, Chang Hyun Soo's first goal of the season gave them the lead. In the 12th minute, they launched a counter attack and Hasegawa moved up the center, passing to Higashi who entered the right area. He took a decisive shot, but it hit the opponent's defender and resulted in a corner kick.

However, after that, Urawa dominated the ball and created chances through the participation of MF Kashiwagi and DF players. In the 13th minute, Urawa's MF Nasu entered the left area after a loose ball from a middle shot. He feinted past the DF and brought the ball to the finish. In the 19th minute, Urawa's FW Koroki entered the left area after evading the press and received a last pass from MF Kashiwagi, but he did not shoot at the last moment and instead passed to FW Haraguchi in front of the goal. The defense remained calm and dealt with the situation. Then, they pushed Takahashi up to the midfield and gradually created a rhythm by pushing the whole team forward.

31 minutes, Lucas cuts inside from the right side, receives a return pass from East in the area, and then moves towards the center. He shoots after a one-two with Watanabe just outside the area. In the 36th minute, Lucas is fouled on the right side and earns a free kick. This time, East takes the kick and Morishige scores a powerful header from the far post! Morishige also marks his first goal of the season and extends the lead in the same way as the opening goal, ending the first half.

Hirayama scores a valuable go-ahead goal! Dramatic victory after 9 years

Changed the formation to 4 back and it seemed like we had grasped the flow, but in the 6th minute of the second half, MF Kashiwagi dribbled through the center after receiving a counter from Urawa. Mori Shige tried to hold him back, but committed a foul, giving Urawa a free kick. MF Kashiwagi took the kick and DF Makino jumped in to head the ball into the far side, resulting in a goal. In the following 53rd minute, Urawa's MF Hirakawa crossed from the right and MF Nasu jumped in, causing Tokyo to lose in a similar fashion and quickly allowing the opposing team to tie the score.

However, they continued to attack without looking down, and the intense offense and defense continued. In the 60th minute, Urawa MF Haraguchi used his speed to break through the area and take a decisive shot, but Gonda saved it with his left hand! After surviving the pinch, Tokyo also created a chance in the 63rd minute. They connected from the right side, and Watanabe passed to the right front line. Higashi broke through to the right area and faced the GK in a one-on-one situation. However, his shot was saved by the GK. In the 68th minute, Ota dribbled down the side and Watanabe met his last pass in front of the goal, but the shot hit a DF and resulted in a corner kick.

In the 73rd minute, Hirayama and Ishikawa were substituted. Urawa's energy level began to drop and they tried to break through with player substitutions, but the game became intense with back and forth movements due to the spaces that opened up. In the 81st minute, Yonemoto quickly moved up the field after stealing the opponent's goal kick. A long pass was sent to Hirayama who had broken through behind the defense, but his trap failed. The game seemed to be heading towards a draw, but they didn't give up and in the 90th minute, Nemanja VUCICEVIC was substituted. It was right after that. Ota earned a free kick near the half line on the right side and sent a long kick up front. Hirayama, who was near the goal, headed it in with a low posture to take the lead.

In stoppage time, Urawa's chance was defended by focusing on Konda, Morishige, and Hyun Soo JANG, while on the other hand, Ishikawa and VUCICEVIC countered to finish the game. This was the first victory in 9 years and 16 games since the 2004 2nd stage in the league match against Urawa.


[Player Comments]
"Hirayama"
"I was conscious of getting into a position where I could score because Hirokazu was kicking good FKs from the first half and I thought there would be a chance to score. We were caught up in a tie, but the supporters kept cheering us on and there was no atmosphere of being satisfied with a draw. I want to respond to the expectations of those around me and I'm glad we were able to win in the midst of that support. Today's victory is important, but it's not the end here. I want to score for the team to win next time."

"Hyun Soo JANG"
"We were able to win in the end, but it wasn't perfect. I have always been conscious of scoring since training. A good ball came from Ota and I was able to time it well. We started with a 3-back formation, so I thought it was important for each person to have a sense of responsibility for taking care of the back and dealing with 1-on-1 situations. I think everyone showed their strength and we were able to slide well even when we switched to a 4-back formation. We have won 3 consecutive games in official matches and we have a strong desire to win the next one as well. I want to do my best for the team to win."


[Coach Ranko POPOVIC's Press Conference Summary]
"It was a typical Tokyo vs Urawa match. Both teams showed high-quality plays and it was a back-and-forth game, but in the end we came out with a victory. I always tell my players that soccer is a game that requires using your head, and today they proved that by scoring with their heads (laughs). Looking back at the game as a whole, we couldn't find our rhythm in the beginning. However, we were able to score an early goal and after changing our system, the momentum shifted in our favor. Even after switching to a 4-back formation, we didn't encounter any problems and we were able to play our usual game. We did concede some goals due to careless fouls, but there are also areas for improvement in our one-on-one plays."

We led by two points and then let the opponent come back to life. However, after the tie, we controlled the game. Urawa's only chance was MF Haraguchi's shot, but it was brilliantly saved by Gonda. On the other hand, we created three clear chances, but we couldn't capitalize on them. It looked like Hirayama scored from Doi's cross, but it was not allowed. Still, I am satisfied that we ended with a victory. I think it is important for the Japanese soccer world to continue playing high-quality games in this kind of atmosphere, and I want to continue playing many more games like this. Seven years until the Tokyo Olympics. If we can continue to show games like today, I am confident that the J-League will become even more exciting and the number of fans and supporters will increase even more than now."


[Urawa Petrovic's press conference summary]
「敗れてしまったので何を話しても批判されるが、私としては浦和の方がベターなプレーができていたと思っている。ボールのないところでの動きだしやタイミングがうまく出た試合ではあった。同じような形で3失点したが、責任や間違い探しをすればキリがないので、アンラッキーだったとコメントしたい。川崎戦と今日はいくつかの新しいトライをしたが、それは両試合で非常に機能した。我々が今後戦っていく中で大切なポイントになるはずだし、我々の力になるはず。興味深い良いゲームができた。残り15分間で運動量が落ちる選手がいたことは気になるが、そこには今後取り組んでいきたい。セットプレーに関しても修正しなければいけないが、今日のようなゲームを続けることで我々は正しい方向に進んでいくと思う」