End the 9-match winless streak at away Saitama Stadium

As May arrives amidst consecutive matches, the league's Sec. 11 is held. We will face Urawa Reds and head into an away game. In the previous match, we succumbed to a single corner kick from Nagoya and could not finish our last game at the National Stadium with a victory. However, Coach Massimo stated, "There are areas we need to improve, such as our defense against set pieces and not capitalizing on scoring opportunities, but we showed a willingness to prevent additional goals and to strive for a goal until the end. We want to correct what needs to be corrected and make a fresh start again."

This match comes just three days after the last one, and while the balance for approaching the game changes and there is bound to be some fatigue, each match has its own story. We have prepared anew as usual," he continued. Therefore, for this match, considering the strategy against Urawa and the consecutive matches, Kaga will be used as a center-back and Muto as a forward. On the lineup, it appears as 4-4-2, but Hirayama will be at the forefront, with Watanabe and Muto on the sides forming a three-top. Additionally, Takahashi will serve as a defender during defensive situations as we aim for victory.

Urawa is currently in 4th place with 19 points. Under the guidance of coach PETROVIC in his third year, they have developed a unique style with a 3-4-2-1 formation, where MF Abe serves as the starting point for build-up play, consistently competing at the top level. In particular, the front line includes players like FW Lee, MF Kuroki, and Haraguchi, who can break through individually, so first and foremost, we want to prevent them from getting to the finish. At the same time, in the previous match, Lee scored from a corner kick, pulling away from Yokohama FM, demonstrating their ability to win tough matches even in a solid game flow.

For Tokyo, the away match against Urawa at Saitama Stadium 2002 has not resulted in a victory for nine consecutive matches since 2004. However, in the last two seasons against Urawa, they have achieved 1 win and 3 draws, surpassing their opponent. To secure a tightly contested match, the coach emphasizes that "minimizing mistakes in both offense and defense is the most important." This is a match where they want to put an end to their dishonorable record by maintaining focus for the full 90 minutes.

In the middle of Golden Week, under perfect weather for watching a match, the game started at 16:04 with a kickoff from Urawa.

Unable to capitalize on early chances, Urawa gains the rhythm...

Immediately after the kickoff, we stole the ball from Urawa and launched a quick attack, with Muto breaking through to the left flank with a powerful dribble. In front of the goal, Watanabe connected with the last pass and took a shot. However, it was blocked by the opposing DF, resulting in a corner kick. In the 4th minute, Urawa switched sides from the left to the right flank. The ball went over Ota's head and reached Urawa's right midfielder Umezaki. A shot was taken from the right area, but Gonda saved it with his left foot. In the 7th minute, we applied pressure from the front, inducing a passing mistake from Urawa's DF, and Watanabe aimed for a mid-range shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.

In the early stages, both teams applied intense pressure to win the ball from each other. There were many moments of losing possession, leading to a frantic pace, but gradually they were unable to maintain their attacks. Although Urawa managed to find their rhythm for a while, the defensive awareness in midfield remained high, and in front of the goal, Takahashi and Kaga held firm, preventing any goals conceded.

On the contrary, taking advantage of Urawa's gap, in the 38th minute, Tokunaga's cross from the right side was collected by Watanabe just in front of the right area, and he immediately turned and took a shot, but it went to the right. In the 43rd minute, Muuto seized a loose ball in midfield and charged forward. Although he used his speed to outpace the opposing DF, he couldn't get a shot off inside the area. He turned back to Watanabe in the center, creating a decisive opportunity, but the shot went straight to the goalkeeper... They couldn't capitalize on the chances, but they showed no cracks in defense and went into halftime scoreless.

Took control and attacked, but once again conceded a goal from a set piece...

In the second half, Tokyo dominated the ball from the early stages. In the 48th minute, they circulated passes in the opponent's half, looking for chances, and Kaga advanced into space with a mid-range shot. In the 52nd minute, Takahashi supported the attacking line and moved forward. From there, they connected persistently, and Tokunaga on the right side cut inside, aiming for the goal just in front of the left area. However, the powerful shot hit the left post... In the 55th minute, Hirayama in the center of the area received a pass from the left side, broke through between the Urawa defenders, and took a decisive shot, but it went just slightly to the right...

Unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunities, they gradually struggled to attack and lost the ball, resulting in a counterattack from Urawa. Therefore, Kono was brought on in the 61st minute. However, in the 65th minute, Urawa sent a ball forward, and Urawa forward Lee made a run into the area. He connected with midfielder Haraguchi, who brought the ball back into the left area, preparing to shoot, but Takahashi threw his body to block it.

After that, we couldn't pick up the second ball, and in the 79th minute, Urawa MF Kashiwagi dribbled into the area, but Kawano stayed close, and Kaga provided cover, ultimately escaping to a corner kick! However, from this left corner kick by Urawa, a sharp kick was sent to MF Kashiwagi, and MF Abe dove in at the perfect timing to head it in at the near post... Following the last match, we conceded another goal from a corner kick.

Aiming for an equalizer, in the 41st minute, Kono passed to Muto, who broke through on the left flank and forcefully advanced into the area. He evaded the DF and found Yonemoto free in the center. However, the shot from here grazed the DF and resulted in a corner kick... After that, Matsuda and Edu were brought on, and despite not giving up and aiming for the goal including 6 minutes of added time, they could not break through the solid defense of Urawa, and the time was up. Similar to the previous match, they allowed a goal from a corner kick and suffered consecutive losses.

[Player Comments]
《Kaga》
"It was a tough match and it got difficult in the second half. Still, I think we were able to defend together. We have been losing set pieces against Hiroshima, Nagoya, and today, repeating the same mistakes. That's why the frustration is even stronger. It's really just a small detail, but that's what separates us from winning, and I think we are lacking compared to our opponents. We need to correct that."

《Muto》
"We were able to create chances multiple times from counterattacks, and we showed various variations in our attacking shape. The defense worked hard to keep the goals against us down, so I wanted to score somehow, but... As for my personal challenges, I want to be able to better differentiate between my choices for passing and shooting."

【Summary of Coach Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"It's difficult to comment even if the match ends 0-0. This is because the players played well, created chances, and did not allow the opponent to play as they wished. Losing 0-1 makes it even harder to comment. However, it is very disappointing to lose again from a set piece, just like in recent matches where we lost. In soccer, you cannot gain points without converting decisive chances. This is an area that needs improvement. I believe that such losses will undoubtedly be beneficial for the future, but conceding from corner kicks is a matter of attention to detail. There is still much to be done, including correcting that aspect. I communicate to the players the good and bad points, whether the team is doing well or poorly. The fact that we continue to concede in similar ways is not a coincidence. We must overcome this."

【Summary of the press conference by Urawa's PETROVIC】
"It was a hard-fought battle between two good teams. We were able to maintain our focus as a team and scored by taking advantage of set plays. From the content of the match, a draw might have been reasonable, but I am happy that we ultimately achieved victory. The way we won is proof that the team has quality. We are now at the top of the standings after today's match, but depending on the perspective, some might think, 'Urawa's style of play...'. However, I believe that reflects the expectations. Every team comes to face Urawa with the mindset to take us on, and that itself is proof of our strength."