NEWS
Levain Cup Quarterfinal Round 2 vs. Gamba OSAKA "We move on to the semifinals with a complete win that proves our strength at home!"
On January 10, Urawa Reds faced the second quarterfinal of the J-League YBC Lewan Cup Prime Stage against Gamba Osaka at Saitama Stadium.
Reds took the lead early in the first half when Bryan Linssen headed in a goal from a CK, and Linssen scored again in the second half. The Reds then scored again in the second half with a goal from Alex Schalk. , who had scored the game-winner in the first match, also scored a goal in the second half to give the Reds a 3-0 win and a 4-0 lead in the semifinals.
After winning the first game 1-0 away from home, the Reds entered the second game with a one-goal lead in the head-to-head matchup, but instead of trying to defend their lead from the start, they played aggressively and scored early on.
In the 8th minute, a cross from Linssen hit an opponent and Ken Iwao sent the ball in front of the goal, and Linssen, who was running near the penalty spot a little behind the crowd of allies and opponents, shot a free header. The ball was a little far from the goal, but it met the ball perfectly and went right into the goal.
Following Schalk's goal in his first start in 23 official games in Game 1, Linssen, who had not started in 17 official games, scored a goal to extend the lead to 2-0 on aggregate.
After the first goal, Gamba OSAKA had more time in possession, but formed a compact defense and did not allow Gamba OSAKA to create any chances. As time went on, the visitors took the ball high and increased their attacking time by connecting passes in enemy territory, and ended the first half with a one-goal lead.
In the first half of the match, Alex Schalk, the hero of the first game, replaced Jumpei Hayakawa, who had played 450 minutes (total of J1 League, League Cup, Emperor's Cup, and ACL), a requirement for signing a Pro A contract, on the pitch, and the second half saw another early chance.
In the 50th minute, the visitors attacked, linking up passes on the right side of the field, with Iwao passing vertically to Takahiro Akimoto, Schalk, and Yoshio Koizumi. Koizumi's grounder was met inside the penalty area by Takuya Ogiwara, who moved further to the left. After a pass to the left of the enemy's penalty area, Takahiro Sekine took one touch and fired a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.
After that, Shusaku Nishikawa had a one-on-one with their opponents, but they did not concede a goal. After escaping the pinch, they did not get pushed into a corner as in the first game, and they continued to attack forward, connecting the ball well.
In the 63rd minute, the visitors took the lead for good. Linssen In the 63rd minute, the visitors took the ball in the midfield and pushed their opponents back, linking passes. Koizumi lost the ball once, but quickly recovered it and sent a pass to the left side, where Ogiwara took one touch before crossing for a grounder. The goalkeeper Linssen trapped the ball and fired a left-footed shot past the legs of the defender.
With a big 3-0 lead in the two games, the team spent more time defending itself. However, the entire team, including players such as Alexander Scholz and Kai Shibato who hunted the ball by sliding, defended well and did not allow Gamba OSAKA to create any chances.
In the 86th minute, Scholz played a ground pass from the right side to the center, and Jose Kante, who was on the way, came close to the ball once on the nearside, but moved away, and Linssen in the center put it through. Schalk then took a one-touch shot from 45 degrees to the left, just outside the enemy penalty area, and the ball hit his opponent and was sucked in to the left side of the goal.
The game was decided 3-0 in the final minutes, and the players were confident that they could win it all at Saitama Stadium to advance to the last four. In the semifinals, they will face Yokohama F･Marinos.
The next game will be the Meiji Yasuda Seimei J1 League, Section 27 against Kyoto Sanga F.C. [MATCH PARTNER RDC] at Saitama Stadium on Friday, September 15, at 7:30 p.m.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
Reds took the lead early in the first half when Bryan Linssen headed in a goal from a CK, and Linssen scored again in the second half. The Reds then scored again in the second half with a goal from Alex Schalk. , who had scored the game-winner in the first match, also scored a goal in the second half to give the Reds a 3-0 win and a 4-0 lead in the semifinals.
After winning the first game 1-0 away from home, the Reds entered the second game with a one-goal lead in the head-to-head matchup, but instead of trying to defend their lead from the start, they played aggressively and scored early on.
In the 8th minute, a cross from Linssen hit an opponent and Ken Iwao sent the ball in front of the goal, and Linssen, who was running near the penalty spot a little behind the crowd of allies and opponents, shot a free header. The ball was a little far from the goal, but it met the ball perfectly and went right into the goal.
Following Schalk's goal in his first start in 23 official games in Game 1, Linssen, who had not started in 17 official games, scored a goal to extend the lead to 2-0 on aggregate.
After the first goal, Gamba OSAKA had more time in possession, but formed a compact defense and did not allow Gamba OSAKA to create any chances. As time went on, the visitors took the ball high and increased their attacking time by connecting passes in enemy territory, and ended the first half with a one-goal lead.
In the first half of the match, Alex Schalk, the hero of the first game, replaced Jumpei Hayakawa, who had played 450 minutes (total of J1 League, League Cup, Emperor's Cup, and ACL), a requirement for signing a Pro A contract, on the pitch, and the second half saw another early chance.
In the 50th minute, the visitors attacked, linking up passes on the right side of the field, with Iwao passing vertically to Takahiro Akimoto, Schalk, and Yoshio Koizumi. Koizumi's grounder was met inside the penalty area by Takuya Ogiwara, who moved further to the left. After a pass to the left of the enemy's penalty area, Takahiro Sekine took one touch and fired a shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.
After that, Shusaku Nishikawa had a one-on-one with their opponents, but they did not concede a goal. After escaping the pinch, they did not get pushed into a corner as in the first game, and they continued to attack forward, connecting the ball well.
In the 63rd minute, the visitors took the lead for good. Linssen In the 63rd minute, the visitors took the ball in the midfield and pushed their opponents back, linking passes. Koizumi lost the ball once, but quickly recovered it and sent a pass to the left side, where Ogiwara took one touch before crossing for a grounder. The goalkeeper Linssen trapped the ball and fired a left-footed shot past the legs of the defender.
With a big 3-0 lead in the two games, the team spent more time defending itself. However, the entire team, including players such as Alexander Scholz and Kai Shibato who hunted the ball by sliding, defended well and did not allow Gamba OSAKA to create any chances.
In the 86th minute, Scholz played a ground pass from the right side to the center, and Jose Kante, who was on the way, came close to the ball once on the nearside, but moved away, and Linssen in the center put it through. Schalk then took a one-touch shot from 45 degrees to the left, just outside the enemy penalty area, and the ball hit his opponent and was sucked in to the left side of the goal.
The game was decided 3-0 in the final minutes, and the players were confident that they could win it all at Saitama Stadium to advance to the last four. In the semifinals, they will face Yokohama F･Marinos.
The next game will be the Meiji Yasuda Seimei J1 League, Section 27 against Kyoto Sanga F.C. [MATCH PARTNER RDC] at Saitama Stadium on Friday, September 15, at 7:30 p.m.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
