Give it our all and challenge the top-ranked Urawa!

Sec. 21 of the league is held. Urawa Reds will face off against Ajinomoto Stadium. In the Emperor's Cup match against Matsumoto Yamaga F.C., Kawano and Hirayama scored goals and secured victory. They have continued to keep a clean sheet and have remained undefeated in the official matches since the break. However, this match is scheduled just two days after the Emperor's Cup. Therefore, the starting lineup will prioritize "condition (Coach Massimo)" and once again rearrange the attacking formation. Kawano, Hirayama, and Mutoh are listed as forwards, with Kawano in the top position. In the midfield, Hanyu and Morishige, who was substituted due to injury in the Matsumoto match, also made it to the starting lineup without any major issues.

Urawa, who is currently in first place with 40 points, lost significantly in the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup and the team's situation can be said to be in contrast to Tokyo. However, their total goals in the league matches are 27. They have the fewest goals conceded with 14, and they have steadily accumulated victories with solid and skillful game management.

Manager Massimo says, "Urawa has been consistently involved in the championship race for the past few years, and this season they have built a team for that purpose. They are well-rounded in defense, attack, and as individual players and as an organization." However, he emphasizes the importance of approaching each game with a calm mindset, as every match only yields 3 points. He says, "It becomes difficult to win if we become stubborn and let the opponent dictate the rhythm just because it's Urawa or because they are in first place." It will be a crucial match where we want to show an aggressive attitude at home and aim for victory against Urawa, who boast precision and quality in both offense and defense.

Yesterday's intense heat has subsided, but Ajinomoto Stadium still remains humid. The match started at 18:34 with a kickoff in Tokyo.

A fast-paced and aggressive exchange

Both teams fiercely contested from the beginning. In the 1st minute, Muto, who was trying to receive a feed from his own half, was fouled in a contest and won a free kick. In the 5th minute, Yonemoto tried to steal the ball on the right side of his own half, but couldn't fully steal it, and from the loose ball, Urawa defender Makino made a move on the left front line and put in a cross. In response to this, Umesaki slipped in near the goal, but his shot missed the target.

However, in the 6th minute, Urawa MF Hirakawa moved up the right side and Suzuki, the central MF, expanded to the left. MF Umezaki made a move in the area and was able to score a shot to the lower left, threading the needle between Tokunaga who was facing him and the covering DF. Tokyo conceded the first goal and suffered their first goal in 6 games.
However, in the 8th minute, Muto pressed Suzuki, a midfielder for Urawa, on the front line and stole the ball, rushing towards the goal. Although Urawa defender Moriwaki slid to cover, it only resulted in a corner kick. But, Takahashi jumped in near the goal to meet Ota's right corner kick and scored a spectacular header. GOAL!! They equalized early in the game.

At the 15th minute, Ota intercepted the opponent's ball in a low position in their own half, passed it to Hayabusa on the left side, who then connected with Hirayama in front, and played a through pass to the forward line. Muto, who had moved inside, used his speed to dribble into the left area and calmly played the ball to the far side to score an additional point! In the 21st minute, Moriwaki, a Urawa midfielder, committed a foul against Kono, who was trying to receive a feed from Tokunaga in the area, resulting in a penalty kick. In the 23rd minute, Kono himself calmly converted this penalty kick to increase the lead by two points.

In the 26th minute, Kawano on the right front line passed to Hirayama in the center, who then passed it directly to Muto on the left side. Kawano again broke through behind the defense and faced the goalkeeper one-on-one. He took a decisive shot, but it was saved by Urawa goalkeeper Nishikawa... After that, there were moments when we were pushed back by Urawa's attacks that frequently used side changes, but Yonemoto and Hanyu slid persistently and responded well, leading to effective counterattacks. However, in the 33rd minute, Hirayama was injured after receiving a foul from the opponent. An unfortunate incident that forced a substitution.

Therefore, in the 34th minute, Edu came in. Urawa had not allowed any scoring opportunities, but in the 42nd minute, Morishige slid to defend against Urawa FW Koroki's dribble into the area. He couldn't reach the ball and ended up fouling, giving away a penalty kick. Koroki himself converted it, allowing the opponent to close the gap to one goal. Both teams pride themselves on their defensive solidity, but unexpectedly, they ended the first half with an open and attacking game.

Muto scored 2 goals with sharp movements! Succeeded in taking the lead, but...

The second half's battle was the focus, but they were pushed back from the beginning. Tokyo was unable to move the ball forward, while Urawa was able to create opportunities from the sides and attack wide. In the 60th minute, Urawa attacked from the left side and DF Makino entered the area. The Tokyo DF tried to stop him, but MF Umezaki followed up and took the loose ball in the area. He was in a shooting position, but it was blocked. However, the ball fell again and went to the right side. MF Hirakawa ran in and they conceded their third goal...

However, without getting discouraged, he expressed a strong desire for victory. In the 64th minute, Ota on the left side passed to Kono on the inside, who then made a move forward. Kono then passed to Muto in the center. Muto dribbled and slid sideways, breaking through the gap between the opponent's defenders in the center of the area and shooting towards the bottom left corner of the goal! With Muto's awakening shot, they once again succeeded in taking the lead.

However, in the 71st minute, Urawa introduced MF Marcinho Lishardes in the shadow position. MF Abe moved to the DF line, MF Kashiwagi to the defensive midfield, and DF Moriwaki to the right wide position. Tokyo also tried to suppress Urawa's counterattack by having Takahashi take care of the DF line from the middle of the second half. However, in the 78th minute, Urawa further introduced FW Li. Immediately after that, a PK was given for the decision that Tokunaga raised his leg to stop Li, who had jumped into the left area. In the 80th minute, FW Li pierced it... The game returned to square one again.

In the midst of increasing fatigue, both teams continued to fiercely attack and defend in the final stages, aiming for a lead. In the 81st minute, Tokyo substituted Watanabe for Muto, and in the 87th minute, Mita replaced Kono. In the 89th minute, Urawa launched a strong attack, with the ball being stolen by midfielder Sekine in the penalty area, and a decisive shot was taken by MF Marcio Richardes from the front of the goal, but Morishige made a last-minute cover! In the 90th minute, Tokyo launched a counterattack from their own half, with Mita dribbling up from the center and earning a corner kick. However, there was a foul in the situation from the corner kick, preventing them from finishing. In additional time, Tokunaga made a vertical run and played a short pass near the goal. Edu slid in, but was stopped by the Urawa goalkeeper, and time was up...

The tough battle continued with intense offense and defense that couldn't be missed until the end, but it ended in a 4-4 draw.

[Player Comments]
《Muto》
"We conceded a goal first today, but everyone had the mindset of 'let's catch up and go for the second goal', and we were able to turn the game around in the first half. (Regarding my first goal) It's a situation I'm good at, breaking through from the left. The Urawa defense line was high, so I was able to get past them. I've missed quite a few shots in similar situations before, so today I was telling myself to 'stay calm'. (For the second goal) Kono created a good opportunity for me and sent me a nice pass. I just had to watch the opponent's movement and finish."

"Morishige"
"If we had been able to finish the first half with a score of 3-1, the second half might have had a different outcome. I think that it was my fault for giving away the penalty kick and resulting in this outcome. In that situation, I had pushed FW Okazaki to the side, so there was no need for me to slip. I deeply regret that and as a defensive unit, it is shameful to have conceded 4 goals. It is frustrating and I feel sorry because the attacking unit worked hard. We must make sure to learn from today's result and use it in the next game against Kashima. We need to prepare well together."

【Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's Press Conference】
"One disappointing thing is that Hirayama got injured. He received a rather bad foul, and we need to do tests like an MRI, but it seems like it could become a bigger problem than expected. If it turns out to be an injury that takes more than three months, I would be very disappointed. In the match, we played wonderfully in the first half. We created many chances and filled the spaces well. After conceding the first goal, we were able to equalize quickly, and after the second and third goals, if Kono had converted the decisive chance, it could have been 4-1. Since Urawa is a team competing for the top spots, I thought it would be a difficult match when we were made to 3-2 by a penalty kick. Indeed, we were equalized, but we could have pulled ahead further. However, in the end, it became a 4-4 match. I think the desire to win this match was strong among the fans and supporters, but the players gave everything they had both mentally and in their performance. I still feel that this team has a lot of potential for growth."

【Urawa - Zoran PETROVIC's Press Conference Summary】
"It is difficult to comment after a 4-4 game. However, I think it was a wonderful experience for the supporters in the stadium and everyone who watched on TV. What worries me is that articles will come out about conceding 4 goals. Up until today, we have conceded 14 goals, and Tokyo has conceded 15. I would have expected a tight game between teams like that. After taking the lead, we were equalized and then conceded more goals. Until it became 3-1, the players were in a state of shock. They fell into a difficult situation where they couldn't grasp what was happening. But after that, the players did what they needed to do and managed to make it 3-2. In the second half, we were able to show our attacking football and outplay the opponent. After equalizing at 3-3, we had a couple of chances, but we couldn't convert them, and we conceded from the opponent's one chance. We equalized again, and there was a close chance for midfielder Marcio Richardes, but unfortunately, we couldn't finish and ended in a draw. I think all 4 goals conceded were naive, but we managed to equalize from being down 3-1, and even though we fell behind again, we firmly equalized and continued to aim for victory; the players fought well. I believe there were plenty of chances to turn the game around. It was a good performance for an away game. It must have been a dynamic and good game for those watching as well."