Aiming for 2 or more goals, facing the second match away

Levain Cup Semifinal Round - Urawa Reds will face the second match and go away.

In the first game, East took the lead but suffered a comeback loss. In order to advance to the final round, a victory of 2-0 or more than 3 goals is required in this second game.
Manager Shinoda also said, "Nothing will happen if we don't score 2 goals. Our way of fighting won't change, but we will approach it more aggressively," and with determination, we will fight with a heightened awareness of "attacking from the front" on both offense and defense.

As a result, there were changes in the lineup from the first match, with Hirayama on the front line, Kono on the right side, Kajiyama in the defensive midfield, and Hashimoto at center back.

On the other hand, Urawa, who can advance even with a draw, also made changes to their starting lineup, with DF Uga as one of the three backs, and MF Aoki and MF Endo as double defensive midfielders. FW Koroki leading the front line, and MF Muto and MF Takagi playing as shadows.

The rain that had been falling in the morning had stopped, but the wind was blowing and the weather was chilly, and the game started at 2:04 pm with a kickoff in Tokyo.

Outplayed by the press, we conceded two early goals.

Tokyo, who tried to thoroughly press from the front line, allowed the opponent to dominate the ball from the beginning.
2 minutes: Tokyo holds back with a foul as MF Muto receives a long ball from Urawa and FW Okazaki tries to move forward in the center. A free kick is awarded to Tokyo in the center of Urawa's territory. Although there was some distance, MF Takagi from Urawa takes a direct shot that bounces off the right post. A chance was almost created right after the start.

3 minutes: Tokyo quickly switches and moves forward, Nakajima dribbles to the left area and takes a shot, but it is saved by the GK.
16 minutes: Urawa left MF Sekine's shot, which went around the center, was blocked by Yoshimoto's body. From here, we launched a counterattack, Nakajima dribbled and deployed to the left Hirayama. Hirayama once created a gap and passed the opponent DF, breaking through to the goal near the left area. Near, Higashi rushed in, but... the last pass from Hirayama flowed to the far side. Even after that, when we took the ball, we launched a quick attack, but the movement and cooperation of the front line were not enough, and we couldn't attack.

22 minutes: Unable to stop the combination of a direct pass from the right side of Urawa to the center, MF Takagi's through pass finds FW Koroki who breaks through the center of the area and scores, allowing the first goal 0-1.
27 minutes: Despite that, Nakajima receives a foul and earns a FK just to the left of the penalty arc without feeling down. East aims for this, but it hits the wall and goes to the left CK. From here, Ogawa connects with a short pass and finally, Tanabe on the left side throws it into the front line, but it is caught by the GK and cannot be finished.

Despite showing a positive attitude towards scoring, they often lose the ball due to a lack of coordination in the front line, leading to a counterattack from Urawa.
38 minutes: From a quick and wide attack by Urawa, a ground cross was put in between Tokyo's GK and DF by MF Komai, and FW Koroki slid in here... and they easily lost their second goal... now 0-2.

43 minutes: In an attempt to score a goal, Hirayama breaks through on the right side and Kono runs into the far side, creating what seemed to be a chance, but it was called offside.
44 minutes: East received a FK from the right area and sent a kick to the far goal post, but Hirayama couldn't finish it off with a header.
Additional time: Urawa's GK commits a hand foul outside the area, earning a FK from the left area. Ogawa passes to Kajiyama in the area. From here, they try to make a tricky move to Hashimoto on the left front line, but it ends in a mistake.

Urawa was outperformed in terms of quickness in the start and switching, and ended the first half with a 2-point deficit.

Nakajima's goal was a small victory, but they were unable to secure any points and were defeated.

Substituted Tanabe with Nathan BURNS in the second half. Teamed up with Hirayama as a two-top, with Kono and Nakajima on the sides. Higashi moved up to a slightly more advanced defensive midfield position, changing to a 4-4-2 formation in an attempt to regroup.
47 minutes: Midfielder Kajiyama cuts off the Urawa ball. Immediately, Higashi advances to the left front line and Ogawa overlaps to send a cross. Nathan BURNS on the far side receives it, cuts back the opponent and breaks through vertically, sending a decisive final pass to the front of the goal, where Higashi rushes in. Although the timing was slightly off here, they tried to counterattack with momentum.

52 minutes: Urawa MF Takagi → right DF Moriwaki expands to the right front line. MF Komai is freed and almost creates a decisive opportunity. In the center, Muroya, Yoshimoto, and Hashimoto desperately tried to stop it... Urawa MF Aoki is further connected to the right area, and Ogawa can't help but foul against MF Komai.
53 minutes: With this PK given, Urawa FW Okazaki scores a hat-trick and we lose our third goal, 0-3.
54 minutes: Despite being in a disadvantageous position, Nakajima fought hard and took a dribble shot from the left area, but it was saved by the GK and only resulted in a left corner kick.

60 minutes: Preparing to substitute Maeda for Hirayama, but Yoshimoto, who was injured in the previous contact play, cannot continue playing and is replaced by Takahashi. The second substitution card is used here.
62 minutes: Nathan BURNS took a shot from the right side, but it slipped through the hands of the Urawa GK for a moment. Nakajima followed up, but it was quickly caught. Next, BURNS entered the left area and took a shot after turning around, but it was also blocked by the GK.
77 minutes: Mizunuma, who came on as a substitute, sends a short cross from the right side, but it narrowly misses Hirayama. They earn a corner kick on the left, but are unable to finish it off.
80 minutes: Nakajima → Nathan BURNS dribbles forward. He connects with Hirayama in front of the area and in the center, but Hirayama chooses a pass to the left area. However, the timing was off and no one was able to react.

81 minutes: Hirayama on the left side → East, who advanced forward, sends a low and fast cross to the front of the goal. Nakajima slides in to follow and stabs the net, scoring a goal. The score is now 1-3.
85 minutes: Finally, Nakajima scores a goal and retaliates, as Nathan BURNS and Nakajima launch a counterattack from Ogawa's pass. Nakajima once again aims for a middle shot from the center of the opponent's field, but it narrowly misses to the right...

Additional time: Nakajima in the opponent's territory turns and aims for the goal, earning a right corner kick. Nakajima himself takes the kick, and even picks up the clearance to put in a right cross, but Urawa defends and the time is up...
Although they showed a fighting spirit, Urawa did not panic in both offense and defense, and they were unable to surpass it.
As a result, we ended up with two consecutive losses and were eliminated in the semifinal round of this season's Levain Cup.

[Player Comments]
"Nakajima"
"No player gives up in the middle of a game. Soccer is unpredictable, so we should aim for a goal as long as there is a possibility. However, we were only able to score one goal and the team lost because we lacked strength. We have known the high level of Urawa since we played against them in the past. Still, we needed to have confidence and play without fear. This team has many talented players. We need to mentally and physically utilize them on the pitch. Personally, I still lack quality and speed. I want to focus on the game in daily practice, train to play in the game, and improve the quality."

"East"
"If we lose 1-2 at home, the second away game will be a really difficult match... That's the reality. Today, in every aspect, the opponent was better. In terms of quality, individual abilities, and team strength, we have to admit that we were outplayed. Even when we were playing on the pitch, I think the viewers felt the same way. However, it's not too late. We need to know what we are aiming for and how we will grow. We need to accept the reality and think about what we can do from here."


[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"I wanted to advance to the Levain Cup final, but unfortunately we couldn't produce results. I feel sorry for the fans and supporters who were expecting us to do well. Today, we had to score two goals, but the timing and way we conceded were bad, and it ended up disrupting many things. We tried to create situations where we could take the ball from the opponent, but the gap between the front and back was too big, and we ended up being replaced by the opponent many times. Today, I think the difference in team strength and individual strength of Urawa was clearly shown. However, we have to accept this reality. I appreciate the players' attitude and their never-give-up mentality until the end. How we accept this bitter result and move on to the next step is important. It's obvious, but we need to reflect on ourselves as a team."

[Urawa - PETROVIC's coach's press conference summary]
"The start of the game was very good today. We had won the first away game 2-1, but the players showed a strong determination to win and move on, rather than just relying on the advantage. We were able to score from a good flow and take a 3-0 lead. For a long time, we played according to our plan. In the last 15 minutes, our legs stopped and there were some moments where our balance was off, but it's natural to run out of power towards the end when we played aggressively from the beginning. Still, throughout the game, we showed a strong attitude to win and move on. I think we played well enough to deserve the victory."