Urawa Red Diamonds vs Albirex Niigata
How the goals came
35' Kei Koizumi opens the scoring for Albirex Niigata → 74' Yuki Abe equalises for Urawa Red Diamonds → 79' Rafael Silva puts Urawa Red Diamonds ahead (the winner). Full time: 2-1, Urawa Red Diamonds win.
The match, goal by goal
2 of the 3 goals came after half-time. Urawa Red Diamonds came from 1 down to win.
35' Kei Koizumi (Albirex Niigata) 0-1
The goalless balance held until the 35th minute, when Kei Koizumi put Albirex Niigata in front on the road for 0-1. It proved to be the only goal of the opening half, and the visitors took the lead into the interval at Saitama Stadium 2002. Urawa Red Diamonds returned for the second half needing a response.
74' Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds) 1-1
Urawa Red Diamonds' response came in the 74th minute through Yuki Abe, who levelled the match at 1-1. Niigata's advantage, held since the 35th minute, had lasted close to 40 minutes. With the score even again, the closing stretch was left open to either side.
79' Rafael Silva (Urawa Red Diamonds) 2-1
Five minutes after the equaliser, Rafael Silva gave Urawa Red Diamonds the lead for the first time, making it 2-1 in the 79th minute. Level and ahead within a short span, the hosts held that margin to the end. Silva's goal stood as the winner on 9 July 2017, watched by a crowd of 28,740.
