Looking to salvage something from the 2015 season, Urawa Reds thumped 10-man Vissel Kobe 3-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Emperor’s Cup on Saturday in Osaka.
Urawa won the first stage of the J.League’s top division without losing a game, but lost steam in the second stage. The Reds were then knocked out of title contention by Gamba Osaka in the semifinals of the championship stage.
However, Urawa was stable throughout the game Saturday at Yanmar Stadium Nagai, overwhelming Kobe with smooth passwork. The team virtually finished off the opponent in the first half with goals from Shinzo Koroki, Tadanari Lee and Tomoya Ugajin.
Any chances of Vissel bouncing back seemed to end after defender Masatoshi Mihara got sent off with the team down 2-0 in the first half.
“We played good soccer in the first half, showcasing our style of soccer,” Lee said. “I want to make this tournament my tournament. I want to help Reds win the title with my goals,” the forward added.
Urawa took the lead in the 22nd minute. Attacker Koroki sprinted past Kobe’s defensive line, receiving a pass inside the box to score past the goalkeeper. The lead was doubled by Lee three minutes later, who fired a shot from beyond the box.
Mihara’s second yellow card in the 32nd minute was a critical blow to Kobe. Urawa midfielder Ugajin virtually finished off Kobe with his goal in the 44th minute.
In Tuesday’s semifinal, Reds will face Kashiwa Reysol, who beat Vegalta Sendai 5-3 in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw in extra time.
Kashiwa’s Cristiano netted a hat trick, including an equalizer in the second-half of extra time.
Sanfrecce-Gamba rematch set
The other semifinal will be a rematch of the championship playoff final, in which Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat Gamba to win the J.League’s overall title.
Sanfrecce came back from one goal behind to beat FC Tokyo 2-1. Sanfrecce’s rising star Takuma Asano, who was chosen as the J.League’s Best Young Player this season, brought the league champion victory with two goals.
Meanwhile, defending champion Gamba defeated Sagan Tosu 3-1 thanks to a brace of Takashi Usami.
The game was tied at 1-1 as the game was approaching toward the end, but Usami broke the deadlock in the 86th minute and Shun Nagasawa added another one minute later to seal victory.Speech
Gone in blaze of glory
Soccer star Homare Sawa, center, celebrates with her INAC Kobe teammates after winning the final of the Empress’ Cup at Todoroki Stadium in Kawasaki on Sunday. Sawa scored the winning goal in the last match of her career. Since making her national team debut at 15, Sawa has long been the central pillar of Nadeshiko Japan, including during its fairy-tale run to the 2011 Women’s World Cup title
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