The Reds took the lead in the first half with Alexander Scholz’s penalty, before David Moberg scored two goals, including a brilliant direct free-kick, to take a three-goal lead. In the second half, the match progressed calmly, and Kasper Junker, who came on as a substitute, scored two goals in the final stages. They won 5-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Reds players got the game moving early on.
At the beginning of the match, JDT attacked vigorously, but the Reds players showed no signs of being impatient and regained their pace. In the 7th minute, Hiroki Sakai kicked the ball forward from a corner kick and Yusuke Matsuo responded with a header. At that time, the play that GK contacted Matsuo became a foul and won a PK.
Whether you can take away the important preemptive point. There was a lot of pressure, but kicker Alexander’s Scholz calmly put his Scholz into the right corner of the net to give the Reds the lead in the eighth minute.
After that, they took the initiative and attacked mainly on the right side, and even though the opponent invaded their own penalty area, they continued the game without allowing a goal.
And in the 19th minute, they extended their lead with a super goal.
Sakai dribbled up the right side and passed to the inside. Atsuki Ito sent the ball further into the center, and Kaho Koizumi turned and sent a through ball to Tomoaki Okubo, who was about to run in front of the goal. And Okubo is knocked down by the opponent and gets a FK.
A FK from the position in front of the goal, just before the opponent’s penalty arc. When Iwao gave instructions to Ito and Koizumi standing near the opponent’s wall, Moberg kicked the ball with his left foot over them, bending sharply, hitting the inside of the right post and being sucked into the goal.
ACL at Saitama Stadium. The Reds players don’t slow down their attacks even after scoring two goals on a stage that can’t be better than this. Move the ball and use the pitch widely to advance the game.
Then, in the 39th minute, Shusaku Nishikawa delivered a long pass to Moberg on the right side with outstanding precision. Moberg in front shoots with one touch on his left foot. Scored the 3rd goal from a vivid flow.
At the start of the second half, manager Ricardo Rodriguez sent Takahiro Akemoto, Kaito Yasui and Tsutomu Esaka to replace Ayumu Ohata, Ito and Okubo. In the 48th minute, just after the start of the second half, Akimoto entered the penalty area and fired a shot.
In the 61st minute, the ball was stolen during the build-up, and there was a scene where Nishikawa jumped out and was almost pushed in by the opponent with a header, but Takuya Iwanami covered in front of the goal and cleared it. He did not concede a point in the nick of time.
After that, including Takahiro Sekine and Casper, who came off the bench, they will aim for additional points while defending firmly.
Then, in the 84th minute, Moberg sent a floating pass to Esaka, who was slanting from the center to the right side, and Esaka made a one-touch pass to the center. Casper, who ran in front of the goal, stopped the ball once and calmly sent it to the right side of the goal with his left foot.
In the 90+1 minute, Nishikawa’s low and sharp punt kick landed right in Esaka’s chest, and Esaka exchanged passes with Sekine on the left side and passed with his right foot. Casper, who ran in front of the goal, made it 5-0 by pouring it into the left corner of the goal with one touch with his left foot.
It is the first match of the knockout stage where three games will be fought in two days, and the first match of ACL, which has returned to Saitama Stadium. We got off to a great start with a large number of goals and no runs.
The next match will be the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League 2022 Knockout Stage at Saitama Stadium on August 22nd (Monday) (opponents and kick-off time will be determined by the open draw tomorrow, August 20th).
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]