In the first half, David Moberg scored a goal in two consecutive ACL games and three consecutive games in official matches to take the lead. Kaho Koizumi and Takahiro Akimoto scored additional points in the second half to win the match 4-0. Decided to advance to the semi-finals.
50 seconds after the start, Takuya Iwanami sent a long feed from his own half, and Yusuke Matsuo, who was in the blind spot of the opponent’s defender, took advantage of his quick feet to take the back, entered the opponent’s penalty area, and shot with his right foot. The ball pierced the left corner of the goal and seemed to be a lightning-quick opening goal, but after checking the VAR and the referee’s on-field review, he was ruled to have hit his arm and the goal was ruled out.
Even though the goal was disallowed, the Reds players were in good shape from the start of the game. While moving the ball at a good tempo, they attacked, and even if they lost the ball, they switched quickly and won the ball back with high-intensity presses, and advanced the match.
In the 25th minute, when Takahiro Sekine was in control of the game, Takahiro Sekine dribbled to the center from the left side, dodging an opponent and shot with his right foot. The ball hit the left post and was sucked into the goal, but it was ruled as a no goal because a player in an offside position was involved in the play.
A small misalignment prevented the score from moving, but the attack continued and the goal was opened.
In the 32nd minute, Sekine received the ball on the left side and passed the ball diagonally to the center with a grounder. When Matsuo passed through, Moberg, who entered the penalty area with his first touch, shot with his left foot. This threw away the opponent’s goalkeeper’s hand and was decided on the right side of the goal, and the Reds finally took the lead.
Even after the opening goal, the Reds players continued to attack as if to keep the opponents in their own half, and in the 42nd minute, Iwanami ran into the near side with a corner kick from the left that Iwao put sharply in front of the goal and headed in to score. The first half ended with an ideal flow of taking an additional point just before the end of the first half.
In the second half, there were times when they were attacked by the opponents who came forward with momentum, but they did not lose their defense and even if shots were taken, they could not create decisive scenes. If the ball was stolen, the opponent would push the ball into space if the opponent was leaning forward, and if the opponent pulled back, the ball would be moved according to the situation.
Then, in the 65th minute, Atsushi Ito, who stole the ball from the opponent’s half, dribbled to the right side and passed the ball to the side. Koizumi, who received this from the left side, made two touches and entered the penalty area, where he shot with his left foot. The opposing goalkeeper was unable to move a single step, and the ball landed on the right side of the goal.
Shortly thereafter, Koizumi, Moberg and Matsuo were replaced by Hitoshi Esaka, Akimoto and Casper Junker. In the 70th minute, Hiroki Sakai was replaced by Kazuaki Mawatari and head coach Ricardo Rodriguez, who actively played substitution cards.
Then, in the 72nd minute, following the round of 16 match against Johor Darul Takzim, the substitutes got their results.
This time, Ito, who received a vertical pass from the back and dribbled it, sent the pass from the same position as the third goal, and Esaka passed it diagonally to the left with good tempo. Akemoto, who ran to the left of the penalty area, fired a shot with one touch with his left foot, and the ball pierced the right side of the goal.
After that, regardless of playing time or position, all the players on the pitch continued to keep a fighting attitude and kept a clean sheet to win. Following the round of 16, they scored a lot and won with no runs, advancing to the semi-finals.
The next match will be against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC in the AFC Champions League 2022 Knockout Stage Semi-Finals at Saitama Stadium from 19:30 on Thursday, August 25th.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]