In the 12th round, which can also be called the "climactic battle", we will invade the away Saitama Stadium.

In the 12th round, which is two-thirds of the 1st stage, we will face Urawa Reds away. In the previous round, we ended up with our second scoreless game of the season. We regret giving up the first goal in a vulnerable way, but we showed our determination to not give up until the end and regained our rhythm. We also suffered our second loss in the league, but we are currently in 2nd place, one game ahead of 1st place Urawa and 3rd place G Osaka, and continue to compete for the top spot. This round will be a direct confrontation with the top team. Manager Massimo positions it as "the most important game of the season so far" and will lead us with high motivation to the away game.

This section will see Mita in the midfield and Hayashi starting in the center of the front line. Muto, who was a concern for his condition, will also be in the starting lineup, with Muto, Hayashi, and Higashi forming the front three. In addition, Nakajima has made the bench for the first time since the 5th round match against Shonan.

Urawa, on the other hand, has not lost a single game in the 1st stage of 10 matches and is leading in both points and goal difference. In the previous match, they conceded 4 goals to Sendai, making their total number of goals conceded the same as Tokyo's at 8, but their total number of goals scored is 18. In order to beat their opponent, they will need to utilize an aggressive defense from the front line according to the situation. They will also need to compete on the sides and continue to show a mentality of "scoring if there is an opportunity" for the full 90 minutes.

At Saitama Stadium, they have been winless for 10 seasons since 2004 (2 draws, 8 losses), but in 2012 and 2013 they both ended in a draw. Also, this season Tokyo has not lost once away. Since drawing at the Expo'70 in the opening game, they are currently on a 5-game winning streak. They will overturn their negative data from the past, and even if it's a tough battle, they will all work hard together to take the victory.
　
The morning rain had stopped, but before the start of the game, there was a slight humidity in the air. The game started at 3:34 PM with Urawa's kickoff.

Trailing by two points in the first half...

Pushed back by Urawa's speed and power from the start. In the 5th minute, Urawa's FK led to a quick connection, and left FW Koroki was able to put in a low, fast left cross from left MF Uchida. MF Lee, who had run behind Tokyo's DF, stretched his leg and was directly combined, resulting in an early goal. After that, the opponent did not overlook Tokyo's mistakes and continued to take the ball, spreading it wide and forcefully bringing it to the finish.

Tokyo won a right CK from Ota's cross from the left side in the 24th minute. In the 25th minute, Muto's header from this CK missed to the right. This was Tokyo's only shot in the first half. In the 28th minute, Takahashi was substituted for Mita. They changed to a double volante with Yonemoto and Higashi on both sides, and tried to change the flow with Muto and Hayashi as the two top players. At the same time, they did not lose in the intensity of the ball and gradually created time to hold the ball.

However, in the 33rd minute, from a pass exchange between Hayashi, Muto, and Ota, Muto was fouled and a free kick was awarded outside the left area. However, this free kick was blocked and led to a quick counterattack from Urawa. In the 36th minute, Morishige made a well-timed attack and exchanged passes in the front line. Yonemoto on the right side sent a high cross into the area, but it was cut off by the Urawa defenders and resulted in a counterattack. Canini cleared both attempts, but was still troubled by Urawa's quick transitions.

At 42 minutes, Urawa FW Koroki was stopped at the front center, and was unable to press the quick pass from here. The side was changed from the center to the left, and MF Uchigami crossed and MF Sekine jumped into the right area. He scored a direct shot and lost the second goal. For the first time this season, they conceded two goals in the first half and turned to the second half.

Maeda scores first goal, but suffers bitter consecutive losses due to conceding points

The second half was expected to be a comeback, but in the 47th minute, despite pressing in the midfield, Urawa MF Kashiwagi was able to avoid it and pass vertically to the right side. MF Sekine was able to break through on the right front line and put in a ground cross. Urawa MF Muto was able to get in front of Canini and score with one touch... Just like in the first half, they were attacked on the side and conceded a third goal.

Still without giving up, in the 52nd minute, Kajiyama from the right area sends a floating ball into the area. Mutoh drops it and passes it to Hayashi in front of the goal, but it goes too far for his feet to control and he can't take the shot. In the 54th minute, Takahashi from the left area enters a shooting position from Mutoh's drop, but it is blocked. In the 59th minute, Maeda is substituted for Hayashi. Immediately after, Morishige heads the ball from a left corner kick, but it goes over the bar.

Tokyo also had moments of possession against Urawa, who had widened their lead, but they were unable to break through the intense tackles and defense. In the 66th minute, Nakajima made his first appearance of the season and entered on the right side, while Yonemoto moved to the defensive midfield. In the 74th minute, Maeda beautifully headed in Ota's early cross from the east, scoring the first goal for Tokyo and signaling the start of their comeback.

However, in the 76th minute, they were taken away when they tried to connect near their own left area, and Urawa MF Umezaki dribbled to the center. The middle shot from just outside Urawa's right area went straight to the left upper corner... However, in the end, Nakajima actively made moves and the combination play of the front line became visible. In the 81st minute, Nakajima broke through the area from a one-two with Higashi, but couldn't get a shot off. In the end, they got consecutive chances from CK, and in the 89th minute, Maeda shot from the right CK, but the ball bounced off the area and was blocked by Urawa DF and GK. In additional time, Higashi cut in and earned a CK. However, they couldn't push the ball into the goal from the header that went high in front of the goal, and immediately after, time was up. They fought until the end, but they were repeatedly scored on from the side and suffered their most goals this season, losing completely... They suffered a bitter 2 consecutive losses.

[Player Comments]
"Maeda"
"I'm happy to score my first goal, but I couldn't change the flow of the game. I think Urawa had the pace from the first half. I tried to be the starting point in the front line and make quick movements to get behind the opponent, but it's frustrating to lose in this way and I feel really disappointed."

"Nakajima"
"Losing is very frustrating. Personally, being able to play in this kind of game is the first step. Urawa played good soccer and it was difficult. I had confidence that I could change the flow of the game, but unfortunately it didn't lead to results and I am disappointed. If I have another chance, I want to work hard from tomorrow's practice to be able to play even better. I want to become a trusted player and show my differences."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a difficult game from the beginning. We lacked compactness in the middle and conceded a goal. After that, we gave away chances from simple ball losses and allowed a 3-point lead, but the team continued to run and fight for 90 minutes. What I can say is that today, Urawa played a deserving game and we played poorly. We need to review and correct the scenes where we conceded. However, it was good to see that the team showed fighting spirit even after conceding 4 goals. The number of scoring opportunities was not significantly different and it could have been a high-scoring game, but soccer that results in many goals is not what we aim for. Sometimes we may not be able to play the soccer we aim for, but we will continue to move forward on our own path. Today, Urawa's performance deserved the victory. (What was the intention behind correcting the composition in the middle early on?) In the beginning of the game, we were unable to connect passes in open spaces and that created a difficult situation. The intention was to correct that part."

[Urawa Petrovic Manager's Press Conference Summary]
"I thought Tokyo would be a tough opponent, but our players fought hard and controlled the game. They played well enough to deserve the win. The score may have been wide, but it was a tough game. Our overall defense was great, but today was not a special day. We have always been able to defend like we did today, except for the previous game. We have a fast attacking style because we have players who can do it. For the past 20 years, we have focused on playing our own attacking style rather than adjusting to the opponent's tactics."