Gert Engels days numbered with Urawa Red Diamonds

Sports Nippon has reported that manager Gert Engels will be let go by the Urawa Red Diamonds at the conclusion of the season. The daily quoted Engels:

"I was told that I will have no contract for next season. I must just accept it because of the differences in how we think."

Urawa let go Holger Osieck in the spring of the year after leading them to the AFC Champions League title the year before. In keeping with the clubs preference of German managers, Volker Finke, formerly of SC Freiburg is rumoured to be meeting club president Mitsunori Fujiguchi following the Gamba Osaka match.

Kazumichi Takagi and Ryuta Tsuzuki called up for Blue Samurai

Due to recent injuries Takeshi Okada has called Shimizu S-Pulse defender Kazumichi Takagi and Urawa Red Diamonds 'keeper Ryuta Tsuzuki to the Blue Samurai for the upcoming friendly against Syria.

Urawa Red Diamonds to miss three in AFC Champions League

The Urawa Red Diamonds will be without Hajime Hosogai, Ryota Tsuzuki and Takahito Soma in the second leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals against Gamba Osaka on October 22 due to card suspensions. With the first leg level at one their absences will definitely impact the Red Diamonds plans, particularly with the exclusion of 'keeper Ryota Tsuzuki.

Urawa Red Diamonds v Gamba Osaka AFC Champions League

The semi-finals of the AFC Champions League begin to today with Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor visiting Adelaide United whilst J-League giants Urawa Red Diamonds and Gamba Osaka battle for the final spot.

The Red Diamonds visit to Osaka offers little surprises to these great rivals. Urawa are looking to defend their title but have been stumbling of recent in league action with only a single victory in the last six matches. In the clubs only meeting this year, Akira Nishino's Gamba handled the Red Diamonds a tough 3-2 defeat in-front of a packed house at Saitama Stadium. On the other side of the pitch Gamba has been slowly moving up the table with efficient Football and offering the opposition few scoring opportunities. This past weekend they shut down Kashima Antlers after three successive victories. Much of the battle will be decided in the disciplined midfield play with Nippon Daihyo 日本代表 代表 Yasuhito Endō leading the charge for Gamba facing off against the formidable Red Diamond midfield that includes Takahito Soma and fellow Daihyo Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Yuki Abe on the back-line.

In the other match of the day, at a packed Hindmarsh Stadium, Aurelio Vidmar's squad will employ their stingy defense in a effort to control the surging Uzbekistan club.

Prior to the match Aurelio Vidmar noted:

"It would be nice to keep a clean sheet but I think we’re good enough to score goals and I think through this whole campaign we’ve been very good defensively so I expect that to continue."

Adelaide will miss central defender Sasa Ognenovski but Lucas Pantelis is expected back from injury. Bunyodkor, led by Brazilian legend Zico, offer a punishing attack with Rivaldo at the helm.

Urawa Red Diamonds and Gamba Osaka advance to AFC Champions League

Thoughts of all J-League final in the AFC Champions League disappeared as A-League's Adelaide United defeated Kashima Antlers 1-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium. However J-League fans can celebrate as both Urawa Red Diamonds and Gamba Osaka advanced with resounding victories.



















Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al Qadisiya 2-0, led by goals from Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Takahito Soma in a match that was never in-doubt.



































It was a much different match for Gamba as although they dominated possession they could not break through Al Karama defense until Masato Yamazaki, who had come in twenty minutes earlier for Ryūji Bando, netted the first goal. With Al Karama throwing attackers forward, Roni added the second goal to give Osaka Gamba the 2-0 victory.













































The Antlers painful offensive draught continued and needing to overtake Adelaide after a 1-1 draw they were held scoreless in a well defended match. With seventeen minutes left in the match Robert Cornthwaite headed a Cássio cross in to give the home 'Roo club the lead. With ten minutes left in the match Japanese capped' Yuzo Tashiro was brought in as a third striker but it was far too late of an effort and in-the-end manager Oswaldo de Oliveira's approach was too conservative.

The semi-finals that will pit Urawa Red Diamonds against Osaka Gamba will commence on October 8 with the second match on the 22nd.