Urawa Red Diamonds 1-2 Kashima Antlers
Football betting experts anticipated another dominating win from Urawa after their strong showing in the first leg, but Mu Kanazaki and Kashima had other plans as they shock the betting odds and the whole sports betting community by closing the Championship series with a performance for the ages.
Last week’s 1-0 victory over the Antlers put the Reds in a good spot as they would have won the title even if they lost by the same scoreline in this finale. Nevertheless, Masatada Ishii and his men were determined to prove that their Stage 1 win and qualification to the finals were no fluke.
So they did it with style and imposed their authority at Saitama Stadium in the whole 90 minutes that capped off the J-League season.
The Antlers had most of the possession early, but it was the Reds who broke the deadlock first with a brilliant counter-attack in seven minutes. Toshiyuki Takagi teed up Shinzo Koroki with a beautiful cross, which the latter shot to the bottom right corner of the net past goalie Hitoshi Sogahata.
However, that was all that the league-leading Urawa can do with Kashima staying aggressive throughout and attacking with every opportunity they see.
Kanazaki’s 40th-minute header from a Yasushi Endo assist leveled matters for the Antlers before completing their comeback in the following interval.
The visitors had a number of opportunities to take the lead, including an open shot from Shoma Doi that went wide, but Kanazaki’s penalty kick in 80 minutes was just exactly what they needed to seal the victory.
Kashima won the Japanese title on away goals rule after the final finished with a 2-2 aggregate.
A draw could have won Urawa their first title since 2006, but their rustiness and lack of experience as compared to Kashima proved to be the deciding factor of the game.
On the other hand, the J-League title also secured the Antlers a place in the Club World Cup where they will play Auckland City in a playoff on Thursday.
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