Urawa see off Sepahan to book showdown with Milan
Monday, 10 December 07, 06:39 AM · Comments(0)
Keita Suzuki and co were too strong for Sepahan for the second time in two months, beating the Iranian side 3-1 at Toyota Stadium.
A Yuichiro Nagai strike just after the half hour mark put Urawa in control and made up for an atrocious miss from midfielder Makoto Hasebe only minutes earlier, after he inexplicably volleyed wide from just outside the six yard box.
In the second half Urawa lead a procession towards Mohammed Savari's goal, with former Brazilian international Washington finishing superbly after he rounded Savari to sweep home from the tightest of angles.
Hadi Aghily scored his second own goal in as many FIFA Club World Cup games, but substitute Shinji Ono repaid the favour to Sepahan, when his woeful pass in midfield was intercepted and eventually tapped home by fellow substitute Mahmoud Karimi - to the obvious annoyance of Urawa goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki, who turned in another assured performance at the back.
An added bonus for Urawa coach Holger Osieck was the form of youngsters Takahito Soma and Hajime Hosogai. Ex-Tokyo Verdy starlet Soma was a constant menace when he marauded forward from the back, and it was his excellent run and cross to Yuichiro Nagai that sent Urawa on their way. Japan under-22 international Hosogai also turned in an assured performance at the back, to suggest that he has a bright future at the Saitama giants.
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Follow the adventures of me, SM, and the two Tokyo Blogging contest winners, manogil and MikeTuckerman, as we take on Japan and cover the FIFA Club World Cup 2007. News, Reviews, Photos and hopefully a few interviews!
