NEWS
Round 24 vs Nagoya "Fight until the end, win at home!"
On the 18th, Urawa Reds played against Nagoya Grampus in Round 24 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League at Saitama Stadium.
The Reds took the lead in the first half with a stunning goal from Jose Kante, and held out well in the second half to win 1-0.
The Reds' players played aggressively with their emotions in mind, with Yoshio Koizumi, making her first start in 13 games in the J1 League, actively pressing from the front. They continued their momentum and scored the opening goal in the 11th minute.
Tomoaki Okubo intercepted the opponent's pass in the midfield and began a quick attack. Okubo's dribble passed through Koizumi, Kante's cross, and Takahiro Sekine 's shot were bounced off by the opponent and the ball was recovered. In the end, Takahiro Akimoto sent a short pass inside from the left side, and Kante turned around and shot with one touch. The opposing goalkeeper was unable to move due to his smooth movements, surprising timing, and accurate shot that flew into the left corner of the goal, allowing Kante to score a stunning goal for the second consecutive game, following his mid-range shot in the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. .
Even after taking the lead, the Reds players did not get defensive and continued to attack while holding onto the ball. In the 19th minute, Kante fired a mid-range shot from a corner kick, but it missed the goal as it was in front of the goalkeeper. In the 28th minute, Koizumi fired a powerful shot with his left foot from a corner kick. Although the opposing goalkeeper was unable to react, the ball was cleared in front of the goal and the goal was not scored.
Although the Reds had a higher number of shots and shots on goal, there were times when Nagoya attacked in front of the Reds' goal, but the centre-back duo of Alexander Scholz and Marius Hoibraten built a strong wall, and everyone was able to keep up with their bodies. They held their own and held off Nagoya's attack. In first-half stoppage time, Ryuya Morishita was hit with a mid-range shot from a free kick, but Shusaku Nishikawa made a tight save to prevent them from conceding a goal.
Unfortunately, it missed the target, but Kante fired a strong mid-range shot with his left foot about 10 seconds into the second half. In the 51st minute, he moved forward while connecting passes for a long time, and dribbled from the left side into the enemy's penalty area. Sekine, who penetrated the area, took a shot. In the 52nd minute, Sekine hit a mid-range shot as they looked to score another point.
In the 55th minute, they connected a pass inside their own penalty area and Naoki Maeda took a free shot, but Nishikawa made a big save to prevent the pinch.
After 70 minutes, the Reds continued to be attacked by Nagoya, but the Reds continued to fight as a team. Coach Maciej Skorza replaced the players up front, and the fresh players chased the ball, while the players in the midfield and defensive line repelled Nagoya's attacks with their strength on the ball and their coverage.
In additional time of the second half, Takuya Iwanami took to the pitch in place of Okubo as the center of the back five. With Coach Maciej 's clear message and the loud cheers from the stands, where over 32,000 people had gathered even though it was a weekday, they fought until the end and achieved their first victory in five J1 League games at their home Saitama Stadium.
The next match will be the AFC Champions League 2023/24 playoff match against Liwen (Hong Kong China), which will be held at Saitama Stadium from 19:30 on Tuesday, August 22nd.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
The Reds took the lead in the first half with a stunning goal from Jose Kante, and held out well in the second half to win 1-0.
The Reds' players played aggressively with their emotions in mind, with Yoshio Koizumi, making her first start in 13 games in the J1 League, actively pressing from the front. They continued their momentum and scored the opening goal in the 11th minute.
Tomoaki Okubo intercepted the opponent's pass in the midfield and began a quick attack. Okubo's dribble passed through Koizumi, Kante's cross, and Takahiro Sekine 's shot were bounced off by the opponent and the ball was recovered. In the end, Takahiro Akimoto sent a short pass inside from the left side, and Kante turned around and shot with one touch. The opposing goalkeeper was unable to move due to his smooth movements, surprising timing, and accurate shot that flew into the left corner of the goal, allowing Kante to score a stunning goal for the second consecutive game, following his mid-range shot in the previous match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. .
Even after taking the lead, the Reds players did not get defensive and continued to attack while holding onto the ball. In the 19th minute, Kante fired a mid-range shot from a corner kick, but it missed the goal as it was in front of the goalkeeper. In the 28th minute, Koizumi fired a powerful shot with his left foot from a corner kick. Although the opposing goalkeeper was unable to react, the ball was cleared in front of the goal and the goal was not scored.
Although the Reds had a higher number of shots and shots on goal, there were times when Nagoya attacked in front of the Reds' goal, but the centre-back duo of Alexander Scholz and Marius Hoibraten built a strong wall, and everyone was able to keep up with their bodies. They held their own and held off Nagoya's attack. In first-half stoppage time, Ryuya Morishita was hit with a mid-range shot from a free kick, but Shusaku Nishikawa made a tight save to prevent them from conceding a goal.
Unfortunately, it missed the target, but Kante fired a strong mid-range shot with his left foot about 10 seconds into the second half. In the 51st minute, he moved forward while connecting passes for a long time, and dribbled from the left side into the enemy's penalty area. Sekine, who penetrated the area, took a shot. In the 52nd minute, Sekine hit a mid-range shot as they looked to score another point.
In the 55th minute, they connected a pass inside their own penalty area and Naoki Maeda took a free shot, but Nishikawa made a big save to prevent the pinch.
After 70 minutes, the Reds continued to be attacked by Nagoya, but the Reds continued to fight as a team. Coach Maciej Skorza replaced the players up front, and the fresh players chased the ball, while the players in the midfield and defensive line repelled Nagoya's attacks with their strength on the ball and their coverage.
In additional time of the second half, Takuya Iwanami took to the pitch in place of Okubo as the center of the back five. With Coach Maciej 's clear message and the loud cheers from the stands, where over 32,000 people had gathered even though it was a weekday, they fought until the end and achieved their first victory in five J1 League games at their home Saitama Stadium.
The next match will be the AFC Champions League 2023/24 playoff match against Liwen (Hong Kong China), which will be held at Saitama Stadium from 19:30 on Tuesday, August 22nd.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
