Match against Urawa at Away Saitama

As the 4th match of the 5 consecutive games, the postponed 1st stage Sec. 13 will be played at the away Saitama Stadium 2002 against Urawa Reds. This time, only the match between Tokyo, who advanced to the ACL Best 16, and Urawa will be held.

Tokyo has been "undefeated" in the last six games, but the last three games have all ended in draws, and the players unanimously say that the feeling of "not being able to win" is stronger. This round is a game against a top team, and it is also a game in Saitama where they have not been able to win since 2003, but they will aim to win this game.

This week, Muriqui and Nathan BURNS will start and form a two-top. In addition, Hayu and Takahashi will also return to the starting lineup. Hashimoto will be used as a right-side half, with Takahashi and Yonemoto as a double volante, and Hayu will take on the left side in a 4-4-2 formation.

Urawa will have FW Koroki at the forefront, with MF Lee and Muto as shadows, and MF Sekine and Uga as both sides, in their usual 3-6-1 formation. They will face Urawa's diverse attacks with tenacity, control the game away from home, and aim for victory this season.

The match started at 19:34 in Tokyo, under high humidity and annoying weather conditions throughout the day.

Muriqui scores his first J1 goal! Hasegawa adds another point to widen the lead.

Urawa allowed ball possession from the beginning, and Tokyo was pushed back into their own half.
4 minutes: Urawa - Pass to right MF Sekine from the midfield to the right front line, pass to MF Lee in the area. He prepares to shoot, but Tokyo clears it just before.

11 minutes: From Urawa's right DF Moriwaki's early cross, FW Koroki had a perfect header, but Akiyama made a save. Akiyama defended well and aimed for a counter attack, utilizing Muriqui and Nathan BURNS on the front line.

13 minutes: Intercepted by midfielder Yonemoto who pressed the pass from Urawa DF. This leads to a short counterattack by Nathan BURNS on the right. Nathan BURNS takes a step forward and passes to Muriqui who has run into the center. Despite being closed down by two opposing DFs in the penalty area, Muriqui calmly shoots and scores in the bottom right corner! Muriqui marks his first J1 goal and takes the lead. 1-0.

After that, Urawa kept possession of the ball, but Tokyo defended tenaciously, launched counterattacks, and created chances from set pieces. 23 minutes: Urawa - left cross to central FW Koroki, followed by MF Lee passing to the right side, and MF Sekine shooting from the right area. The shot was wide, but Akimoto made the save.

24 minutes: Just after escaping a pinch, Nathan BURNS and Muriqui launched a powerful counterattack, but Muriqui's final pass was blocked by the opponent in front of the goal, resulting in a left corner kick. From the loose ball of Ogawa's corner kick, Hashimoto controlled it with one touch in the right area and took a shot, but it was also blocked by the Urawa DF.

31 minutes: Ogawa and Muriqui exchange passes on the left side, Muriqui switches to the right. Tokunaga overlaps and Nathan BURNS in the right area is surrounded by the opposing DF and falls, but Hashimoto reacts to the loose ball. He breaks through one step ahead of the opposing DF in the right area and confidently slots the ball into the net, scoring a goal. This makes it 2-0.

After 40 minutes: Urawa continued to attack, but did not allow any goals. As planned, they took advantage of their opponent's weaknesses and scored an additional goal, ending the first half with a 2-point lead.

Suffered 3 goals in the second half and suffered a tough comeback loss...

In the second half, we also tried to keep the line compact and push up as a whole. Urawa has repeatedly aimed for the back of the DF, but Tokyo has been quick to switch and not let the opponent play freely.

50 minutes: Urawa right MF Sekine dribbles and Ogawa marks him, finally escaping to CK. This right CK was dropped and the ball went to the left area, where MF Muto took a shot but Akimoto saved it.

52 minutes: The battle for the ball continues in the midfield, with Nathan BURNS passing to Hashimoto. The pass is initially intercepted, but Nathan BURNS regains possession and Hashimoto dribbles up the center. Nathan BURNS is on the right, while Hayu is advancing from the left, creating a 3-on-2 situation.

56 minutes: From a quick pass, Nathan BURNS sends a through ball to the right area. Muriqui runs around from the left and takes a shot towards the goal, but the ball goes past the outstretched hand of the opposing GK and hits the left post...
59 minutes: Muriqui's shot-like cross from the left barely flies over the bar. It was blocked by the opposing GK's save, but they earned a left corner kick. However, they were unable to finish from there.

The chance for an additional point was not taken advantage of, and gradually the rhythm of Urawa's counterattack was grasped. From the beginning, the game progressed at a high pace, and the amount of movement also began to decrease, resulting in Tokyo being pushed into their own territory.
63 minutes: Replaced Nathan BURNS with Maeda. Tried to create time in the opponent's territory.
65 minutes: From a big side change from the right by Urawa, MF Uchigami makes a vertical breakthrough. Tokunaga follows and clears it, resulting in a corner kick.
66 minutes: From the flow of this left CK of Urawa, DF Moriwaki on the right area expands to the right front line. A cross is raised from the line side, and a header is allowed to DF Makino in the center... Goal conceded. 2-1.

67 minutes: Replaced Tokunaga with Kawano as right MF. Hashimoto moved to right side back. However, unable to break the flow.
72 minutes: From the right front line of Urawa, it was connected finely to the center, and it was decided in the lower left corner by DF Makino in the center from a short drop... We were caught up in the same score. 2-2.
78 minutes: Urawa brings in FW Zlatan to aim for a lead. Immediately after, MF Kashiwagi sends a ball to the front line from a free kick on the right side, but Tokyo clears it. However, they are able to follow up on the loose ball and take consecutive shots. The last one hits the right post, and it seems like they have escaped danger, but the rebound is picked up by MF Lee in the right area... The ball floats into the goal... and they allow a 2-3 comeback.

In the second half, we were pushed back and spent a long time playing in our own area, resulting in 3 goals against. We were unable to take advantage of our 2-point lead and suffered a bitter comeback loss... This was our first loss since April 29th.

[Player Comments]
"Muriqui"
"It's really disappointing that we couldn't produce results as a team. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we were able to take the lead with two points. There's nothing more frustrating than losing after that."
(About J1 first goal)
Scoring from a quick attack after a switch was something we were aiming for as a team. Nathan BURNS gave me a good pass and I was able to finish it off in a good way. I think it was a good goal, but...

"Nathan BURNS"
"The first half was a good game. We were able to take a 2-0 lead by taking advantage of two chances. However, a soccer game has two halves. The second half became a different game. We wanted to get 3 points, but unfortunately we ended up with zero. It's a shame. I think I can make a good combination with Muriqui and improve even more in the future. However, that alone is not enough to win. It is also necessary to work on our connections with other players and each individual's growth. What we can do is prepare to win the next game. We want to switch our focus to that."

[Coach Hiroshi JOFUKU's Press Conference Summary]
"We shared the goal of aiming for a counter and approached the game. In the first half, we were able to control the ball and execute quick counters, which went according to plan. We wanted to score a third goal early in the second half. We have to accept that we couldn't score an additional goal and ended up conceding three goals, which is our current level of ability."
(Regarding the reasons for not being able to defend in the second half)
There is not just one reason, but there was not enough time to have possession of the ball. The first half was good, but in the second half we were pushed back in both the midfield and the sides. One of the reasons for this was that we were unable to raise our line. We want to fix that.
(Regarding the use of Muriqui and Anton BURNS)
They are not only fast, but they can also use their teammates. Their combination led to the team's speedy attacks and showed that they are not just about counterattacks. However, there are also players who work behind the scenes to make the most of their strengths. After considering the overall situation, the decision was made to substitute Nathan BURNS. Despite it being a weekday, many fans and supporters came all the way to the away game to share the joy with them, but unfortunately, we ended up disappointing them. However, we have another game in just three days. We want to use today's disappointment as motivation and prepare to win the next game.

[Urawa - PETROVIC manager's press conference summary]
"We made the game difficult for ourselves, but throughout the game we showed that we deserved to win. It was a great game. We created many chances from the first half, but we couldn't finish them. The opponent took advantage of their few chances and took a 2-0 lead. In the second half, we continued to create many chances and were able to convert them into goals. Tokyo had few chances in both halves, but couldn't finish them. It's important to take 3 points, but what's more important is to fight without wavering and to put on a spectacular performance. We believe that this mindset will lead us to victory. Football is a game of competition, so there will be losses, but it's important for our football to have a game with tension and a spectacular performance like today. It's important to stick to our style of play."