SAITAMA – Shinzo Koroki’s brace led surging Urawa Reds to a 3-2 home win against Kashiwa Reysol in the J. League first division on Sunday.
Urawa’s third straight win lifted them to sixth place on 41 points following a poor start to the season with just four wins in their first 15 games.
With both sides attacking from the start at soggy Saitama Stadium, it was Reysol who broke the deadlock through Michael Olunga in the 35th minute.
Three minutes later Kazuki Nagasawa fired past goalkeeper Kazushige Kirihata to level for Reds, and three minutes after that Koroki put the hosts in front, playing a one-two with Yuki Muto before chipping Kirihata from the edge of the box.
With the rain beginning to come down in buckets, Yusuke Segawa headed Reysol level on the hour, getting on the end of a long diagonal cross from Cristiano.
But with 10 minutes left on the clock, Koroki slipped his marker to meet Muto’s cross with a point-blank volley and wrap up the points for Reds.
“Personally, I’ve been going through a goal drought, and I wanted to score however I could for the sake of the team,” Koroki said. “That so many supporters came to cheer us on in the rain provided us with a tailwind.”
The loss left Reysol, now winless in four straight games, next to last in the league with 30 points.
Sunday’s two other scheduled matches, between Cerezo Osaka and Nagoya Grampus as well as Jubilo Iwata and Shonan Bellmare, were postponed as a result of Typhoon Traimi.
LATEST SOCCER STORIES
Click to enlarge
