Urawa Reds manager Mihailo Petrovic hailed his ring-rusty players for shaking off the cobwebs of almost a month on the sidelines to claim a 1-0 win over Kashima Antlers in the first leg of the J. League Championship final on Tuesday.
Urawa took a big step toward its first league title in 10 years after Yuki Abe scored a 57th-minute penalty at Kashima Stadium to give the Saitama side a slender lead to take into Saturday's return leg.
But Petrovic was left fuming at the competition schedule after his team, which claimed a direct place in the final after finishing first in the overall league table, was forced to wait almost a month to play the title match after completing its league program on Nov. 3.