Reds win Levain Cup on penalties

My match report from today’s Levain Cup final between Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka, for The Japan News…

SAITAMA — Urawa Reds picked up their first domestic silverware in a decade on Saturday, winning the Levain Cup by defeating Gamba Osaka 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Saitama Stadium.

Japan Olympic captain Wataru Endo was the hero for Mihailo Petrovic’s side, slamming home the decisive spot kick to deliver Reds their first trophy since the 2006 J.League title.

Ademilson gave Gamba the lead in the 17th minute after a sensational solo effort, but substitute Tadanari Lee leveled things up with his first touch in the 76th minute. With neither team able to add to the score after that the final went to extra time and then penalties, where Endo delivered Reds’ second League Cup crown.

“Until now as a team, and for me individually as a coach, we have been unable to achieve success in the decisive matches, so we were playing this game under that kind of pressure,” Petrovic said after winning his first top flight title in Japan and bringing Reds’ dry spell to an end, to leave them in with a chance of claiming a clean sweep this season.

“They say that the first title is the most difficult to win, but after their coach [Kenta Hasegawa] won his first many more followed,” he added with regards to Gamba’s treble in 2014. “Hopefully the same will now happen for us.”

The first meaningful action of the game came in the 9th minute when a Takahiro Sekine effort from range was tipped past the post by Gamba goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi.

Gamba’s first half-chance came in the 14th minute as Ademilson tricked his way into the penalty area with some fancy footwork, but Reds managed to scramble the ball to safety after his cut back.

The Brazilian was celebrating three minutes later though, after giving his side the lead with a superb individual goal.

Yasuhito Endo won possession midway inside his own half and stabbed the ball forward to Ademilson, who shrugged off Wataru Endo before applying the afterburners. He left Tomoaki Makino and Ryota Moriwaki in his wake and then kept his composure to nudge past the advancing Shusaku Nishikawa from inside the area.

Reds rallied well after falling behind and almost pulled level in the 21st minute as Makino headed narrowly off target from a corner.

The J.League leaders continued to have the better of things in the second half and made a handful of presentable chances, with Sekine missing the best of them after being denied by Higashiguchi in a one-on-one in the 55th minute.

Reds did manage to pull level 20 minutes later, as Lee made an instant impression off the bench.

Toshiyuki Takagi saw an effort tipped past the post by Higashiguchi in what would be his last contribution before being replaced by Lee, who lost his marker with ease from the resultant corner and headed home to make it 1-1.

Neither side was able to find the net again in the remaining 14 minutes or half an hour of extra time — although Hiroto Goya went incredibly close for Gamba in the very last minute, seeing an effort hit the post and then roll agonizingly along the line before being hacked away by Moriwaki.

Goya’s suffering was compounded in the shootout after Nishikawa saved his kick to hand Reds the advantage. Lee then converted to put Reds in front, and although Yasuhito Endo kept Gamba in the contest by scoring his penalty his namesake then did the same for Reds’ to seal the victory.