On the 13th, the Urawa Reds faced the Sagan Tosu in Matchday 4 of the Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League at the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium.

The Reds kept the score at 0-0 in the first half and controlled the pace in the second half, but conceded a goal off a cross and lost 0-1.

Trial As Ricardo Rodriguez ’s head coach had predicted, the first half involved a lot of defensive work, but the team applied solid pressure, held firm when necessary, and kept the opponent from scoring.

Meanwhile, they created chances by targeting the opponent’s backline and executing well-designed set pieces. In the 41st minute, Atsuki Ito picked up a loose ball and played a through pass to Takahiro Akimoto, who controlled it and laid it off neatly for Ataru Esaka to shoot with his right foot. Although the ball went wide to the right of the goal, it was an attack that set the stage for the second half.

The Reds came out aggressively right from the start of the second half. They launched attacks from the kickoff, pushing Tosu back with quick transitions and high pressing.

Then, in the 47th minute, Takahiro Sekine, who had cut into the penalty area from the left, sent in a low cross, and Takahiro Akimoto, who had made a run to the far post, fired a left-footed shot. The two wingers, who had switched sides from the first half, created the chance.

Akimoto’s shot was blocked by a defender, but Ken Iwao recovered the loose ball and fired a mid-range shot in the 48th minute. The ball narrowly missed the left post, but it capped off a momentum-building attack.

As the Reds continued to press forward, they faced a dangerous moment in the 54th minute when a ball played from the left flank into the center found Yuki Horimi unmarked; however, Hiroki Sakai sprinted back at full speed and made a sliding block, preventing a goal with a superb defensive play.

Trial The Reds controlled the ball and the pace in the second half, but in the 71st minute, Yuki Kakita headed in a cross from the Reds’ right flank, giving the opposition the lead.

In the 77th minute, Coach Ricardo substituted Yoshio Koizumi for Kasper Aalund Junker. In the 83rd minute, Kasper flicked a pass from Esaka back, and Akimoto returned it with a one-touch pass. Kasper sprinted toward the goal but fell just short; the ball was secured by the opposing goalkeeper, and he was unable to get a shot off.

In the 87th minute, Takuya Iwanami sent a through ball, and Esaka, who had broken free down the right flank, delivered a one-touch cross. Ito ran onto the ball at the near post but couldn’t get a shot off, and Kasper at the far post was also unable to react in time.

The Reds continued to press forward into stoppage time, making substitutions along the way. In the 90+5th minute, substitute Kai Shibato sent a header forward that sailed over the opposing defenders’ heads and reached Kasper in front of the goal, but his shot was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, who had closed in, and the goal was denied. The match ended with a Trial.

(Sat) The next match will be the 2022 Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League Matchday 5 against Jubilo Iwata [MATCH PARTNER: Enecle], taking place on March 19 at 3:00 PM at Saitama Stadium.

[Ayumu Ohata]
(What were your impressions of playing as the visiting team at a Sagan Tosu home game? Was it difficult or easy to play against them?)
“Since it was a team I used to play for, I was obviously fired up, but once we actually faced them, they ran hard until the very end, were aggressive in one-on-one situations, and transitioned quickly—I really thought they were a tough team to play against.”

(Was this the same Tosu that you knew, Ohata?)
“Yes.”

(This season, you’ve been coming back from an injury and didn’t have time to sync up with the team during training camp. Due to team circumstances, you’ve essentially had to jump right into action—how well are you fitting in?)
“There are still some areas where we’re not quite in sync. On offense, we’ve created a few chances from the left side, but I feel like the finer details aren’t quite there yet, so I want to work on fixing that going forward.”

(Before you were substituted, your energy level seemed to drop, and you made gestures suggesting you were concerned about your leg—did you feel any discomfort?)
“It’s not that I didn’t feel any discomfort in my leg, but the cramp was more of an issue.”

(Coach Ricardo Rodriguez said, “From the start, we were pressed by the opponent, who took the momentum away from us.” Given your style of building play from the back line, how did you communicate on the field about breaking out of the opponent’s press as the game progressed?)
“With the opponent playing a somewhat man-to-man style, I thought the space behind them would open up. In the second half, we were all focused on that, but with their press coming so quickly, I feel like we ended up unable to do anything.”

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]

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