Football: Urawa beaten by River Plate 3-1 in Club World Cup opener
Urawa Reds were beaten 3-1 by Argentina's River Plate in their Club World Cup opener on Tuesday as Japan's only representative at the tournament conceded all their goals through headers.
Urawa, who made the revamped 32-team competition courtesy of their 2022-23 Asian Champions League win, were backed by raucous support in their Group E clash at Seattle's Lumen Field where their spirited display was undone by moments of casual defending.
Sebastian Driussi's low effort hit the right-hand post in the ninth minute before Facundo Colidio met Marcos Acuna's pinpoint cross from the left as River took the lead three minutes later, preceded by a fine pass by Real Madrid-bound 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono.
Urawa grew into the game and captain Marius Hoibraten headed home in the 32nd minute off a free-kick but was offside, while Matheus Savio fell outside the box under a challenge by River keeper Franco Armani two minutes later but referee Felix Zwayer waved play on.
Their momentum was halted when River doubled the lead three minutes into the second half with Norwegian defender Hoibraten's attempted pass to keeper Shusaku Nishikawa with a back header falling short, allowing Driussi to sneak in and nod home.
Urawa got a lifeline when Takuro Kaneko was shoved to the floor inside the box by Acuna for a 58th-minute penalty, which was cooly converted by Yusuke Matsuo who was a constant menace up front.
River began to show signs of fatigue as Urawa pinned them back, but the Japanese team were left to rue their defending once again when Maximiliano Meza was left unmarked to bury his team's third off a 73rd-minute corner.
A late volley from substitute Thiago Santana was denied by Armani as Urawa failed to cut the deficit, facing an uphill task to make the last 16 with Italian giants Inter Milan, who drew 1-1 with Mexico's Monterrey, up next.
"The match was decided by tiny details," Matsuo said. "We found things really tough at the start, but the positive was that we gradually found our pace and looked to dominate...I managed to get into shooting positions in the box and it's something I can build on."
Related coverage:
Football: Veteran Urawa keeper says defense key against River Plate
Football: Women's World Cup to expand to 48 teams in 2031
Football: World Cup-bound Japan held 0-0 at home by Saudi Arabia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
5 hours ago
- Japan Today
2 Japanese soccer players admit to betting corruption in Australia
soccer Two Japanese soccer players, including an Australian A-League player, admitted at a Melbourne court hearing Wednesday to match-fixing and betting corruption charges. Riku Danzaki, 25, a former midfielder for Melbourne-based A-League club Western United, pleaded guilty to seven charges relating to a scheme to deliberately receive yellow cards during matches between April and May to manipulate betting outcomes, during the hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. His co-accused Yuta Hirayama, a 27-year-old student and friend of Danzaki who played for an amateur club in Melbourne, also pleaded guilty to seven betting-related charges for using information about Danzaki's plans to bet on the matches. Together the pair placed bets on Danzaki receiving yellow cards during three A-League games, earning winnings of almost AU$16,000 ($10,480), court documents showed. Danzaki's defense lawyer Lewis Winter told the court his client was "profoundly ashamed" and "genuinely remorseful" for his actions. The court's magistrate indicated he would not be considering jail time for the player, and a fine was suggested as the most appropriate penalty by Winter. The two men were arrested on May 30 and later released on bail. They are expected to be sentenced on Aug 22 when the matter returns to court. Danzaki joined Western United in Australian soccer's top division in 2023 after playing for Brisbane Roar in the league. He made his professional debut in 2019 for Consadole Sapporo, playing in the first division, before stints with clubs including J2 outfit JEF United Chiba and Scottish side Motherwell. Hirayama played last season with the Bayside Argonauts after several years playing for clubs in Queensland, according to the Herald Sun newspaper. © KYODO
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Ski jumping's suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified
(AP) -- The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded. Ski jumping faces more controversy with six months to go until the Winter Olympics after the first high-level competition of the new season saw numerous athletes disqualified over ill-fitting suits. The governing body says it's "perfectly normal." The ski jumping world was rocked in March by the discovery of illegally altered suits on the Norwegian team at the world championships. The International Ski Federation investigated officials and athletes over those changes which could help the wearer soar through the air for longer with the suit's larger surface area. In Saturday's first event of the 2025-26 season -- a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France -- six male ski jumpers were disqualified because of suit issues such as waist size and three more were "not permitted to start." Another jumper from Japan was blocked from competing as the Grand Prix continued Sunday. The federation told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement that it's treating the spate of disqualifications as the natural result of tightening up the rules after the Norwegian suit scandal. FIS race director Sandro Pertile said he doesn't think anyone was trying to cheat and that fewer disqualifications will occur as teams get used to the rules. Making specialized ski jumping equipment is "a fairly complicated matter," he said. "It's perfectly normal for teams to need some time to adapt to the new situation after such comprehensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some cope with it straight away, others find it difficult at first," Pertile told the AP. "It's also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies -- there's no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams." FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn't compete following a "technical approval" process, though it wasn't clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway's Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships. FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug -- and therefore legal -- suits. "The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks," Pertile said. "With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions."
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Japan boxing to adopt stricter safety rules after deaths of two fighters
A pair of boxing gloves are seen on the side of a ring in this file picture Japanese boxing officials said on Tuesday they would introduce urine tests, stricter rules on weight loss to prevent dehydration and improve medical cover at bouts following the deaths of two fighters. The new measures were adopted during an emergency meeting of the Japan Pro Boxing Association (JPBA), the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and gym owners on Tuesday. It was convened after super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, died days after brain surgery on injuries they sustained in separate bouts at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on August 2. The exact cause of the boxers' deaths is to be determined, but dehydration caused by cutting weight rapidly is regarded as a factor in making the brain more susceptible to bleeding, according to the World Boxing Association. The deaths were "really regrettable," said JPBA president Shoji Kobayashi. "We gathered today to establish a plan towards zero accidents." New measures to be implemented as soon as possible include urine tests for measuring dehydration and stricter rules on boxers' rapid weight loss, said Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, secretary-general of the JBC. Ambulances will also be required on site, even for non-world championship bouts. They will partner with hospitals that are equipped to perform emergency surgery for head and other injuries. There will also be new rules on how long before a fight sparring must be stopped during training, he said. Officials decided "to take all measures possible so we do not let the deaths of the two be in vain," Yasukochi added. Kotari collapsed and later died after going 12 rounds in an Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title fight. The JBC had already announced all future OPBF title bouts would be reduced to 10 rounds. "That such an incident occurred involving top-level boxers means we may face arguments that boxing should be halted," admitted Toshiharu Kayama, former Japan welterweight champion and president of the boxing gym Ebisu K's Box. "We, the association and gyms, want to think and change" the way the sport is contested, Kayama said. An accident investigation committee will work to find out the cause of the boxers' deaths later this month and guidance on prevention measures will be updated, Yasukochi said. The JBC and JPBA will also hold a safety meeting later this month, which will include the organizations' doctors as well as the amateur boxing federation, he added. © 2025 AFP
