NEWS
Levain Cup Final vs. Fukuoka "We kept fighting to win, but we couldn't make it to the top and finished runner-up"
On November 4th, Urawa Reds played in the J League YBC Levain Cup final against Avispa Fukuoka at the National Stadium.
The Reds conceded two goals in the first half, but Shusaku Nishikawa saved them from a penalty kick in the second half, and when they regained the momentum, substitute Takahiro Akimoto scored. After that, they continued to attack for the goal, but lost 1-2 and finished the tournament as runners-up.
The stage for the YBC Levain Cup final for the first time in seven years. The Reds players started with the club emblem and the YBC Levain Cup trophy by fans and supporters behind the goal, and then went on to display the red, white, and black tricolor flag, the date they won their first title, past trophies, and today. We were greeted by two types of visual support with the date written on them as we entered the pitch for the decisive battle.
The Reds were given the lead in the opening five minutes, but after that, they dominated the ball and moved forward by mixing short and long passes. Despite being ruled offside in the 37th minute, they launched a wave of attacks in the opponent's penalty area, closing in on the goal.
They wanted to catch up in the first half, but they conceded their second goal in first-half stoppage time.
In the second half, Toshiki Takahashi and Jumpei Hayakawa entered the pitch in place of Tomoaki Okubo and Kaito Yasui, and the Reds started attacking more aggressively than in the first half.
Even though they were attacking overwhelmingly, they were given a PK from a momentary gap, and they were in a desperate situation. However, Nishikawa, who had saved his team many times in previous games and showed good response to the opponent's set plays in the 41st and 42nd minutes, made a spectacular stop on the penalty kick. Prevented another goal from being conceded.
The Reds' players maintained a two-point lead and pushed Fukuoka forward, with all field players entering the enemy's half. As such developments continued, in the 61st minute, offensive players entered the pitch, replacing Yoshio Koizumi and Atsuki Ito Ito with Bryan Linssen and Akimoto.
Then, in the 67th minute, Hiroki Sakai sent a wide diagonal feed from his own half, and Akimoto, who slipped behind the opponent's defense line and trapped his chest while controlling the opponent who was attacking him with his body, shot with his left foot. The ball passed through the legs of the opposing goalkeeper and was sucked into the goal.
1 more point. To that end, the Reds players continued to attack aggressively. In stoppage time with eight minutes left, Ekanit Panya who entered the pitch as the last substitute, was also involved, and in the end Jose Kante took a shot, but the ball bounced off the left post and was unable to convert.
In the 90+9 minute, Nishikawa got a free kick in the enemy half, and Nishikawa got in front of the goal and participated in the attack, but was unable to score a goal. Still at 1-2, they heard the time-up whistle and were awarded as the runner-up team.
The next match will be against the AFC Champions League 2023/24 group stage MD4 Pohang Steelers, which will be played away at Pohang Steel Yard from 7pm on Wednesday, November 8th.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
The Reds conceded two goals in the first half, but Shusaku Nishikawa saved them from a penalty kick in the second half, and when they regained the momentum, substitute Takahiro Akimoto scored. After that, they continued to attack for the goal, but lost 1-2 and finished the tournament as runners-up.
The stage for the YBC Levain Cup final for the first time in seven years. The Reds players started with the club emblem and the YBC Levain Cup trophy by fans and supporters behind the goal, and then went on to display the red, white, and black tricolor flag, the date they won their first title, past trophies, and today. We were greeted by two types of visual support with the date written on them as we entered the pitch for the decisive battle.
The Reds were given the lead in the opening five minutes, but after that, they dominated the ball and moved forward by mixing short and long passes. Despite being ruled offside in the 37th minute, they launched a wave of attacks in the opponent's penalty area, closing in on the goal.
They wanted to catch up in the first half, but they conceded their second goal in first-half stoppage time.
In the second half, Toshiki Takahashi and Jumpei Hayakawa entered the pitch in place of Tomoaki Okubo and Kaito Yasui, and the Reds started attacking more aggressively than in the first half.
Even though they were attacking overwhelmingly, they were given a PK from a momentary gap, and they were in a desperate situation. However, Nishikawa, who had saved his team many times in previous games and showed good response to the opponent's set plays in the 41st and 42nd minutes, made a spectacular stop on the penalty kick. Prevented another goal from being conceded.
The Reds' players maintained a two-point lead and pushed Fukuoka forward, with all field players entering the enemy's half. As such developments continued, in the 61st minute, offensive players entered the pitch, replacing Yoshio Koizumi and Atsuki Ito Ito with Bryan Linssen and Akimoto.
Then, in the 67th minute, Hiroki Sakai sent a wide diagonal feed from his own half, and Akimoto, who slipped behind the opponent's defense line and trapped his chest while controlling the opponent who was attacking him with his body, shot with his left foot. The ball passed through the legs of the opposing goalkeeper and was sucked into the goal.
1 more point. To that end, the Reds players continued to attack aggressively. In stoppage time with eight minutes left, Ekanit Panya who entered the pitch as the last substitute, was also involved, and in the end Jose Kante took a shot, but the ball bounced off the left post and was unable to convert.
In the 90+9 minute, Nishikawa got a free kick in the enemy half, and Nishikawa got in front of the goal and participated in the attack, but was unable to score a goal. Still at 1-2, they heard the time-up whistle and were awarded as the runner-up team.
The next match will be against the AFC Champions League 2023/24 group stage MD4 Pohang Steelers, which will be played away at Pohang Steel Yard from 7pm on Wednesday, November 8th.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
