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Urawa Red Diamonds fall to Sagan Tosu in a thrilling match
The Urawa Red Diamonds suffered a 2-1 defeat to Sagan Tosu in a thrilling match at the Ekimae Real Estate Stadium. The red card for Nishikawa in the 79th minute was a major blow for Urawa, who despite the expulsion maintained possession of the ball with 54%. Sagan Tosu, on the other hand, took advantage of the opponent’s numerical inferiority to secure victory.
The match started at a slow pace, but the tension rose in the 23rd minute when R. Inoue received a yellow card for a foul on a Sagan Tosu player. The first half ended scoreless, but the second half began with a flurry of substitutions for both teams. In the 63rd minute, Y. Matsuo scored the first goal of the match for Urawa, assisted by T. Sekine. However, Urawa’s joy was short-lived, as Sagan Tosu equalised in the 84th minute with a penalty converted by Marcelo Ryan. Sagan Tosu scored the winning goal in the 90th minute.
The match statistics reflect Urawa’s dominance in possession, with 54% compared to Sagan Tosu’s 46%. However, Sagan Tosu were more effective in finishing, with 4 shots on target that resulted in 2 goals, while Urawa only managed 6 shots on target to score one goal. In total, Urawa made 19 shots, while Sagan Tosu made 13.
Nishikawa’s red card in the 79th minute was a turning point in the match, as it left Urawa with a man down and made it easier for Sagan Tosu. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Urawa continued to fight, but they could not prevent defeat. This result is a major setback for Urawa, who are in the middle of the J1 League table.
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Substitutions sagan tosu: at minute 61 Jaja came in and Y. Narahara went out., at minute 61 Y. Maruhashi came in and K. Sakaiya went out., at minute 77 H. Kiyotake came in and S. Hino went out., at minute 90 K. Nishiya came in and W. Harada went out.
Substitutions urawa: at minute 63 Y. Matsuo came in and R. Nitta went out., at minute 77 S. Homma came in and T. Okubo went out., at minute 78 H. Takeda came in and K. Yasui went out., at minute 83 A. Niekawa came in and T. Sekine went out., at minute 83 Y. Naganuma came in and R. Watanabe went out.
The teams lined up as follows:
Sagan Tosu
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