Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Urawa Reds head coach Mihailo Petrovic was left to rue his team’s disappointing performance as the former AFC Champions League winners slipped to a second straight defeat in the 2015 edition of the continental championship thanks to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brisbane Roar on Wednesday.
Brandon Barrello scored the only goal of the game after just two minutes and Daisuke Nasu was sent off early in the second half of a miserable showing from the 2007 winners, who now face an uphill task to advance to the knockout phase having earlier lost to Suwon Bluewings.
“It was a game that we should not have lost,” said Petrovic. “We gave away an early goal soon after the start of the game, and after that, maybe because of that goal we gave away, our players performance turned out instable.
Match report: Urawa Red Diamonds 0-1 Brisbane Roar
“We created a better momentum from the start of the second half and had some big scoring chances, but it did hurt us when we gave up a sending off.Even after that, our players worked very hard through to the end of the game and had scoring chances, but we couldn’t make it.
“It was a pity that our players’ hard work didn’t pay. But this can happen in football.”
The defeat was Urawa’s third in three games so far this season, with their losses in the AFC Champions League added to a defeat by Gamba Osaka in J.League Super Cup last weekend, and the poor start to the season is cranking up the pressure on Urawa ahead of the start of the J.League’s first stage on Saturday.
“The goals we have given away in those games came from our own mistakes or lack of concentration,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima manager.
“The media may think it is hard as we picked up three straight defeats but I am optimistic as I can see some positives in our game and our training. If we keep working hard, I think we can change the bad flow.”
Petrovic believes Urawa can still progress to the Round of 16 despite dropping six points from the first two games.
“Our chances to get through the group stage have become slimmer as we lost the first two matches,” he said. “But we are still in the race and will do our best to qualify for the next stage.”
Brisbane’s interim coach Frans Thijssen was delighted with the win, even though his team was forced to work throughout the 90 minutes to keep Urawa at bay.
“I was hoping with our busy program for an easier game, but it was quite a hard game for us,” said the Dutchman.
“We scored a quick goal, and after that both teams had a couple of chances. We could have stopped a littler earlier, especially after the red card. But overall, I’m very proud of my team because they worked very, very hard.
“They were better in the possession game. Sometimes they kept the ball a little bit longer because they dropped back in the end. If we give them their own half, that was no problem.
“But we like to go forward all the time, but we lost the ball so we gave them one or two chances in the end. But overall, it was fairly good performance for my team. This gives confidence for the rest of the season.”
Photo: WSG