Win the final home game of the season with a Tokyo-style battle!

　Sec. 33, which comes just two days after the frustrating comeback loss against Yokohama FM, will be a home match against Urawa Reds. It's hard to believe, but there are only two matches left in this season's J1 League. As you may know, Urawa is on the verge of winning the championship, so today's match will attract a lot of attention. Tokyo is currently on a two-game losing streak and hasn't been getting results, but this is the final home game. Let's show our determination and face Urawa head-on.

　In the two days of practice since the previous match, Inoha and Kajiyama, who missed the Yokohama FM match due to conditioning adjustments, have fully recovered and will both start. Jean and Inoha will form the center-back partnership. Additionally, Shiota will make his first start in a league match since the Nabisco Fukuoka match on May 21. Regarding this decision, Manager Kuramata said, "Tsuchiho has been playing in a way that is not like himself recently. It's not because it's the Urawa match, but every player has a chance, and today was his chance." We will face this match as a united team.

　Urawa is currently in first place, leading by 5 points ahead of G Osaka, who is in second place. However, in the previous round, they drew with Kawasaki and lost to Iwata and Nagoya, among the last 5 matches, so they are in a stagnant state. With the final round remaining, they should be determined to win today. Tokyo players should be fired up in this situation. Nevertheless, it is necessary to remain calm and fight without being disturbed by the surrounding noise. Coach Kuramata also declared, "Urawa is tough, but we don't intend to defend by sitting back. We will attack aggressively from the front and take the victory," in a Tokyo-like battle.

　That is also a big point in how we can fully demonstrate our own strength. We want to take advantage of the pressure on Urawa and calmly and aggressively advance the game. The key to victory is to exploit the spaces on the sides of Urawa's 3-back formation by fast passing and gain an advantage there. In order to respond to your year-long support, we want to show Tokyo's uniqueness and end with a victory in this important match. The match started at 14:03 with Tokyo's kickoff at the cloudy Ajinomoto Stadium, where passionate fans gathered one after another, creating an intense atmosphere.

Pressing Urawa with passionate play, but...

　They took the lead with a passionate play from the beginning. They pressed from the front, and Ishikawa and Tokunaga also attacked, attacking from the side. In the first minute, a pass from Baba to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa boldly advanced into the area and took a shot. It went to the left, but the aim was good. In the fifth minute, Fujiyama escaped from the cross of Urawa right MF Hirakawa. From this loose ball, Urawa MF Mitsushu shot, but Tokyo DF blocked it. In the sixth minute, a pass went to Urawa FW Washington who entered the area, and FW Ponte also jumped out, but Inaba cut it off with a slide. In the ninth minute, Baba, who received a pass from the left just outside the area, took a sharp shot directly, but it was blocked by Urawa DF Tatsurio with a header.

　In the midst of a tense development, Urawa's counterattack, led by GK Shioda, DF Jean, and Inaba, who made their first start in the league, all worked hard to hold back and turn to attack. In the 22nd minute, Tokunaga advanced to the goal line. On a ground cross, Baba ran in and took a shot that changed course directly, but narrowly missed the target... In the 26th minute, in Tokyo's territory, Urawa's right MF Hasebe connected with central MF Yamada and left MF Mitsumaru, and Mitsumaru crossed. Jean's rebound was picked up and shot, but Shioda made the save! Immediately turning to counterattack, in the 27th minute, they quickly took a right corner kick. Baba's kick was headed by Jean, who was free. It was a great opportunity, but it went over the frame.

　At 30 minutes, Inomata picked up Ishikawa's loose ball from the right cross and took a shot from just outside the area, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's great save. With the resulting right corner kick, Lucas headed the ball from Baba's cross, but once again it was blocked by the opponent's defender. At 35 minutes, Inomata headed the ball from the right corner kick. At 41 minutes, Toda headed the ball into the net from Tokunaga's cross, surpassing Ishikawa. However, neither of them were able to score. In the middle of the first half, it started raining, but the whole team defended against Urawa's attacks and made good counterattacks. However, the first half ended with a 0-0 score.

Unable to seize the opportunity, ends in a scoreless draw

　In the second half, we also grasped the rhythm and created chances. We brought the attack from a persistent defense, and in the 53rd minute, Ishikawa, Kajiyama, and Baba launched a thick attack. Toda received Kajiyama's pass from the right in front of the goal and let it through. Baba ran to the far side to follow up and connected with Ishikawa on the opposite side, but in the end, they couldn't finish. In the 56th minute, Lucas caught up with Kajiyama's lob pass to the front line and tenaciously kept the ball. He passed it back to the center, and Kajiyama dribbled past one opponent and took a shot, but it lacked power. In the 58th minute, Tokunaga advanced into the central space and sent a strong pass towards the goal. Lucas tried to finish it with his left foot, but it narrowly missed the target.

　Unable to take advantage of the chance, the physical activity decreased as time passed, and there were moments where we were put in a dangerous situation due to mistakes. However, other players stayed focused and worked together to cover for each other, continuing to aim for the goal. In the 61st minute, Urawa midfielder Mitsushu played a through pass into the area. Shioda jumped out to catch it, but before he could, it was taken by Urawa midfielder Yamada, who then took a shot from an angle with no space. However, it slightly curved to the right and we escaped the danger.

　In the 65th minute, Suzuki was substituted for Toda. Pressured by the excitement of the stands, in the 75th minute, he kicked a FK from the right side of the opponent's field, but the sharp grounder ball was caught by the opponent's GK. In the 70th minute, Urawa also substituted Ono for MF Yamada, and in the final stage, they were pushed by plays starting from Ono. In the 79th minute, Inoha was unable to stop Washington, the Urawa FW who entered the right area, and he was shot from a close distance, but Shioda saved it with his right foot and did not allow a goal.

　On the contrary, in the 85th minute, they bewildered Urawa with fast passing. Kajiyama ran in response to Baba's lofted pass into the penalty area and dropped it back while competing with the opponent's defender. Suzuki, who had run into this position, took a shot! The momentum was strong, but once again it was blocked by Urawa's goalkeeper's great save... In the end, Tokyo had 20 shots compared to Urawa's 14 shots, but they couldn't score and the game ended. The intense battle ended in a scoreless draw. With G Osaka's victory, Urawa's championship was not decided, but for Tokyo, they just wanted to finish their final home game with a win after playing well. As a result, they only managed to take 1 point and dropped one place to 15th in the standings.

　After the match, Coach Kuramata expressed his gratitude for the support throughout the year. Following that, Miura, who has decided to retire at the end of this season, also gave a speech. Thank you very much for your warm support. Please continue to support us until the Emperor's Cup, including the away match against Oita.

　【Player Comments】《Shiota》"I didn't want to lose to Urawa, and since it was the last home game for the great player Fumitake MIURA, I absolutely didn't want to end with a loss. I was told yesterday that I would be starting, and I was instructed to just play as I always do, which made me feel determined to give it my all. Urawa is a strong team, but since I have been competing in the Nabisco, there were aspects that made it easier for me to fight. I thoroughly analyzed recent videos, focusing on covering and confirming defense when receiving counterattacks. In the final stages, Urawa's midfielder Ono created space and time for the sides to advance. We faced a thick attack, and the time spent on defense increased. However, I believe that the unity and solidarity of the entire team allowed us to perform in this way. I wanted to win, but it was good that we managed to keep a clean sheet. Before warming up today, I asked Fumi-san, 'Is it okay if I wear the uniform?' Since I have no experience in league matches, I asked to borrow Fumi-san's nearly 300 match experiences. He readily agreed, and wearing that uniform helped me feel calm. Today was a match where I felt that what I have been doing until now was not wrong. With one league match left and the Emperor's Cup, I want to keep winning for Fumi-san as well." 《Miura》"Before the match, I told both the players who would be on the field and those who wouldn't, 'I apologize for my own situation, but please lend me your strength today,' and I shook hands with each player as we went out onto the pitch. Watching from the bench, everyone was really into it, especially since it was the last home game. Regardless of Urawa's championship, we only thought about winning, and our feelings were reflected in our play, which made me happy. The fighting spirit was evident. Looking back on my six years in Tokyo, the first thing that comes to mind is the word 'happy.' The fans were warm, and the club staff took good care of 'Fumitake MIURA.' I spent six happy years, which is the ultimate reward for a player."

　[Summary of Coach Kuramata's Press Conference] "I am grateful to have been able to play this kind of game in the final home match. Although the result was a draw, I think the players did well. We had many chances, so ideally we wanted to turn it into a victory, but I am satisfied that we were able to prevent Urawa's celebration right in front of us. However, not being able to score remains an issue. In the first half, we aimed to break down behind the opponent's three-back, especially on the right side with Ishikawa and Tokunaga. We created moments like Baba's shot in the finishing phase, which could have gone in... but we did not get a decisive shot. In the second half, expecting Urawa to come more aggressively, we tried to break down from both sides on the counterattack, but we couldn't score. Compared to the Kawasaki and G Osaka matches, it was good that everyone was focused and compact defensively. Especially in the center with Konno, Baba, and Kajiyama, we were not broken down. Also, we assigned Jean to mark Urawa forward Washington and left Inoha free, but Inoha did well in covering. Shiota, who had maintained good form but had not had many opportunities to play until now, was boldly used today, and that was a good decision. His judgment was not wrong, and he handled crosses firmly. (Despite fighting well against top teams, the current ranking is?) We have conceded far too many goals. When we were on a losing streak, most goals were conceded from set plays. We improved there, but conversely, goals conceded during open play increased. That may be the cause of our instability."

　[Summary of Urawa Coach Buchwald's Press Conference] "FC Tokyo won against G Osaka and Kawasaki at home, and I expected it to be a very difficult match. However, we challenged ourselves to attack and score. It became a match with quick transitions between offense and defense. During the flow of the game, it seemed that we had the advantage towards the end of both the first and second halves. However, there were moments when GK Yamagishi had to make 2 or 3 saves. Today, I instructed the team to move the ball to evade Tokyo's press, but they did not allow us to do that. Tokyo played well and managed the game skillfully. We were pushed back on the left side, but Ishikawa and Tokunaga are very skillful players. Considering the opponent, I am satisfied with today's performance. A draw may not be the correct result for both teams. This leaves us with a 3-point gap and a goal difference of 5, and we will face a match like the Final Round next week. It is a good situation for us. I am looking forward to it. Next, we will play at home where we have not lost in 21 matches, and Urawa has not lost by a 3-goal margin this season. We just need to play as usual. To be honest, I wanted to score today."