Maciej Skorza has just entered the history of Polish and world football in golden letters. Together with the Urawa Red Diamonds team, which he has been leading for some time, the Polish coach won the Asian Champions League!
When Maciej Skorza unexpectedly left Lech Poznań at the end of last season, hardly anyone expected him to triumph again on the coaching bench so quickly. Having sorted out personal affairs, the coach decided to continue his career on the other side of the world. In Japan, he took over Urawa Red Diamonds and quickly achieved great success with it. The Pole and his team have just won the Asian Champions League by beating defending champions Al-Hilal in the final.
Maciej Skorza and Urawa Red Diamonds win Asian Champions League
The path of the Japanese team was by no means cloudless, although the group still went relatively smoothly. The only worthy opponent for Urawa was the South Korean Daegu. It was this team that took the first place, and the wards of Maciej Skorzhi took the second place. They also defeated Lion City Sailor (Indonesia) and Shandong Taishan (China).
The Red Diamonds then moved on to Group J and thus to the next stage of the competition. This time they had to beat Kawasaki Frontale (Japan), Melbourne City (Australia), Kitchee (Hong Kong) and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea). It wasn’t easy, but after four matches, Urawa finished in second place and moved on. Paradoxically, simpler rivals appeared later. First, Skorzhi’s team won 5:0 against Johor Darul Tazeem (Malaysia), and then 4:0 against BG Pathum United (Thailand). In the semi-finals, the Japanese again met with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Then there was a draw 2:2, and on penalties 3:1 in favor of Urava.
Urawa Red Diamonds beat Al-Hilal with a strange goal
However, the fight with Al-Hilal was certainly the most difficult test for the Polish coach and his team. Moreover, the final of the Asian Champions League is played in two matches. The first score was 1:1, goals were scored by Al-Dausari and Koroki. The advantage of the Saudis was overwhelming - 72-28 percent. in possession of the ball and 9:4 in scoring situations.
However, organization has always been a strong point of Skrze’s teams. We saw it in Poland and also in the Asian Champions League rematch. And again, Al-Hilal seized the initiative, created several rather dangerous moments, although there was no specifics. The only goal for the Red Diamonds was an own goal by Andre Carillo, known from the Peruvian national team. Thus, the great success of the Polish coach has become a fact.
More information coming soon
Source: Wprost
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