Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds completed a sensational comeback in the second leg of their AFC Champions League Round of 16 tie against Jeju United on Wednesday, overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first-leg with a 3-0 win to emerge as 3-2 victors on aggregate.
Mihailo Petrovic’s side set out their stall from the first minute at Saitama Stadium, before landing the decisive blow deep into extra time.
Jeju overwhelmed by Reds' all-out approach
One away goal here would likely have been enough to send Jeju through to the AFC Champions League quarter-finals after they won 2-0 at home in last week’s first-leg.
Instead, they managed just six attempts on goal in 120 minutes; only one of which, a Kim Won-il effort tipped over the bar by Shusaku Nishikawa in the 49th minute, found the target.
Urawa, meanwhile, set about their task with great fervour, taking 23 shots at goal and landing seven of them on target.
Urawa defenders put both feet forward
The respective average positions taken up by the Urawa and Jeju defences summed up the difference in approach of the two sides here.
Kim Won-il (37), Kweon Hang-jin (5), and Cho Yong-hyung (20) of Jeju were encamped in their own half for the bulk of the game, stuck in a rigid line as they looked to repel wave after wave of Urawa approach play.
Urawa’s back three of Ryota Moriawaki (46), Wataru Endo (6), and Tomoaki Makino (5) stationed themselves far higher up the pitch, however, with Moriwaki rewarded for his efforts in the 114th minute when he pooped up at the back post to score the decisive goal.
Takagi turns tie with trusty wing play
Urawa focused a great deal of their approach play down the wings here, making an impressive 37 crosses over the course of the game.
Despite only coming on as a 76th minute substitute, Toshiyuki Takagi contributed almost a third of them (12), as well as creating six chances.
One of those was a fizzed ball to the back post late on, which Ryota Moriwaki knocked home to send Urawa into the quarter finals.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com