Saitama: A delighted coach Takafumi Hori declared that it is his Urawa Red Diamonds players that should earn the plaudits after their AFC Champions League semi-final win over Shanghai SIPG on Wednesday.
Rafael Silva’s 11th minute opener at Saitama Stadium proved enough to secure a 1-0 scoreline on the night, resulting in a 2-1 aggregate victory for the J.League club.
Hori was quick to point out, however, that the return to the AFC Champions League final – 10 years after they lifted the continental title – had come about due to the performance of the team, rather than just individuals.
“We wanted to play as a team, defend as a team, and attack as a team – the players ran hard and worked hard today,” said Hori, who took the helm three months ago after the dismissal of Mihailo Petrovic.
“When I first joined the side as coach I said to the players, ‘let’s create a healthy competition in the side’. Since then, every time I have needed to select a team, it has been so hard to choose my starting 11.
“Every player is fighting so hard to be part of the line-up and, as you can see from today’s game, the performance was much improved.
“The players deserve all the credit.”
Hori and his men will now have to turn their attentions to their AFC Champions League final opponents, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, and the coach understands the challenge presented by the 2014 runners-up.
“It’s going to be a tough battle, for sure, especially with a busy J.League schedule as well,” added Hori.
“We have a few ideas but nothing I can say yet at this time.
“What I can say is that it is clear that Japanese teams have developed in the 10 years since Urawa reached the last AFC Champions League final.
“Although I was not involved in the club a decade ago, the improvements are there to see, you can see from today’s performance.”
The final, with the first leg set for Riyadh on November 18, will be concluded with the second leg a week later in Saitama once more in front of the passionate home support of Urawa, who packed the stands on Wednesday.
“I’d like to show my appreciation for the fans,” added Hori.
“They showed up in big numbers for a weekday game and their support always motivates us greatly.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com