[Urawa Reds: Chronicles of a Passionate Stadium Part 4] The Day I First Witnessed a Miracle at the Stadium
The Urawa Reds vs. FC Tokyo match took place yesterday.
At the Urawa Reds' home ground, Saitama Stadium, the 'GoGoReds Day' event, packed with activities for children to enjoy, was held for the first time in four years.
Unfortunately, it was raining. The temperature and humidity were high, and honestly, it wasn't the best environment for watching a match, but many children came to the stadium and watched the intense battle.
As for the match, both teams lacked a decisive edge, ending in a 0-0 draw.
To be honest, I wanted the children who came to the stadium for the first time to see a goal, and I wanted to sing the victory song 'We Are Diamonds' with them. The world of sports doesn't always go as planned.
I can only hope that the children will want to come and watch a Urawa Reds match again.
I have been supporting the Urawa Reds for 30 years now.
I have also been a season ticket holder for 26 years, so I have lost count of how many hundreds of matches I have seen.
In the 30 years I have been supporting them, there have been several matches where anyone who watched them would definitely become a Urawa Reds fan.
If I were asked to introduce just one match that I consider special, I would choose this one.
Even after decades, it remains in my memory. It was the day I 'first witnessed a miracle at the stadium'.
November 19, 2000: J2 Final Match
Saturday, November 19, 2000, the final round of the J2 League.
It was a truly special day.
A year earlier, Urawa Reds suffered the humiliation of being the first J-League club to be relegated from the J1 League to the J2 League.
Even in the J2 League, they struggled, and it came down to a situation where they were fighting for the final promotion spot until the very last round.
Moreover, a draw wouldn't be enough for promotion; it was a do-or-die match where they had to win.
On this day, Urawa Reds welcomed Sagan Tosu to their home ground, Komaba Stadium, for the final match that would determine their return to J1. Komaba Stadium was the site of the 'world's saddest V-goal,' where they had scored a golden goal in extra time a year earlier, only to be relegated anyway.
The stage was set.
I got myself pumped up and headed to the stadium first thing in the morning.
Many supporters gathered at Komaba Stadium just like me. The attendance exceeded 20,000, pushing the stadium to its capacity.
And then, kickoff.
The final match with promotion on the line had begun.
Come on, let's win!
The passionate thoughts of the supporters turned into cheers that echoed throughout the stadium.
There was tension, but perhaps it worked in a positive way, as the first half had a very good flow. Urawa Reds threatened the Tosu goal multiple times and were able to control the match.
The atmosphere in the stadium was also intense and felt good.
That momentum continued into the second half, and they finally managed to score the opening goal.
Komaba Stadium erupted.
I'm sure everyone felt, 'This is it, we can do it!'
However...
The world of soccer doesn't always go that smoothly.
A while later, Tosu scored an equalizer.
The stadium, which had been so upbeat, gradually turned into a heavy atmosphere.
The match took an even worse turn.
Urawa Reds committed a foul inside their own penalty area that resulted in a straight red card.
Urawa Reds had a player sent off and were down to 10 men. Furthermore, Tosu was awarded a penalty kick.
This was a huge crisis; if the penalty was scored, the match would be turned around. And they only had 10 men. Promotion to J1 was slipping away.
'Please. Just stop it somehow!'
The entire stadium watched goalkeeper Nishibu as if in prayer.
The opposing player took the penalty kick.
However...
Goalkeeper Nishibu dove in the opposite direction of the kick's trajectory.
'It's over.'
At that moment, that's what I thought.
But then...
The Tosu shot, which should have gone into the goal, slightly veered off course and hit the goalpost.
But the danger wasn't over. The opposing player who had followed up on the rebound took a shot. However, that shot also sailed over the goal.
'We're saved.'
I don't know if there was a god in the stadium. I don't know if everyone's prayers were answered. Regardless, in that absolute, desperate state, we managed to overcome the biggest crisis in Urawa Reds' history.
However, there was no time to feel relieved.
After that, Urawa Reds had to play for a long time with only 10 men. Moreover, they had to win.
While fending off Tosu's attacks, they tried to score somehow, but neither side could find the back of the net, and the final whistle for the second half blew.
The match went straight into extra time (at the time, the golden goal rule was in effect).
The Miraculous Golden Goal
Neither the players nor the supporters had given up on the match. We were absolutely going to score in this extra time.
We were going to decide the match. Such passionate feelings enveloped Komaba Stadium.
I didn't want to shed tears of regret in this stadium for two years in a row.
And finally, everyone's feelings created a miracle!
In the first half of extra time, Urawa Reds had a free kick.
The ball deflected off an opponent and spilled out in front of Tsuchihashi.
Tsuchihashi picked up the loose ball and took a long shot. The shot drew a large arc and was sucked into the net.
Woooooah. Uwaaaaaah.
No one could even form words anymore. The roar echoed throughout the stadium and across the city of Urawa.
Urawa Reds had secured the victory with a golden goal in extra time.
At the very last possible moment, we had managed to secure our return to J1!
Even after more than 20 years, the trajectory of that shot is still burned into my eyes like slow motion.
And I still remember hugging the supporters around me, all of us crying with joy.
I watched the video uploaded to YouTube for the first time in a while.
The supporters' cheering is so loud that you can barely hear the broadcast.
Regarding the final goal, the commentator said, 'It was a shot that carried all the feelings of the Urawa Reds supporters.' I think that is exactly right.
If it hadn't been for that golden goal, we wouldn't have returned to the J1 League in one year, and Urawa Reds would likely not have become the club that represents Asia today.
It will remain in everyone's memory
Regarding this match, many of you who write about Urawa Reds on note have shared various thoughts and memories.
Jun Kiyoo
That negative thinking was dispelled by a single remark from the call leader.
"Hey, 20,000 people!"
Yeah!
"That doesn't sound like 20,000 people's voices!"
With a line reminiscent of Chosuke Ikariya, Komaba was filled with laughter, and the unpleasant tension vanished. At the same time, the fighting spirit of the supporters in the main and back reserved seats was heightened, as they realized the "20,000 people" was a call to them as well.
Let's show the results of a difficult season-long battle today. Let's all give it our all for that.
Komaba united as one thanks to the first (or was it second?) remark from the call leader, who later revealed that he had felt so nervous he almost vomited when arriving at Komaba.
Tsutomu Toyama
The entire Komaba stadium was enveloped in a murmur mixed with screams. I learned later that at almost the same time as this penalty kick was called, Oita, who was competing for promotion, had scored the opening goal.
It was a cruel and worst-case scenario that no writer, director, or filmmaker could ever fully depict. Standing in the west stand, facing the spot of the penalty kick, I was literally frozen. After returning home, when I watched the recording of the broadcast on Television Saitama, it showed announcer Ueno's scream-like commentary, "Eh, red? Is it red? Ehhh," and Muroi walking off the pitch while wiping sweat (or perhaps tears) from his face with the hem of his jersey. Muroi later said that at that moment, he thought, "Is it my fault that we'll be in J2 again next year?"
I can still recall this penalty kick scene like slow motion. The kicked penalty flew in the opposite direction of Nishikawa, who had dove to the right. Just as I thought, "It's over," the ball hit the post, and the rebounded ball went to the kicker. The second shot passed over the goal (I didn't realize at the time that this was a foul). Urawa had escaped the biggest crisis. Although the disadvantage of 10 against 11 continued, both the players and the stands had regained their strength.
kaz_goal
In the final stages, the Reds were struggling but managed to stay in second place, though days continued where we prayed while checking the results of Oita, who was hot on our heels.
And then came the final match.
Although we scored first, we conceded an unexpected goal.
A stunning V-goal from a situation where we were one man down due to a red card.
The development of the match that day seemed to symbolize the entire year.
I wanted to grumble at the soccer gods, to whom I had been offering prayers at every opportunity until just a moment ago, for making it so dramatic... but thanks to that, it is something I will never forget no matter how many years pass.
machiko
The match went into extra time tied. I felt energized by the dash Okano made when he appeared. I hadn't looked at the results from other venues at all, but I was aware that if we won, even with a V-goal, we would be promoted to J1.
Then, five minutes into the first half of extra time, a loose ball from a free kick came to Dobashi. The shot he took slowly sucked into the goal mouth.
At that moment, I felt like I had seen something unbelievable, but I immediately came to my senses and found myself screaming at the top of my lungs.
It was a catharsis that washed away all the bitterness of the previous year's relegation battle and the frustration of fighting in J2 this season.
Connecting memories
The thoughts and feelings of fans and supporters overlap to become a great power. And as these are told and passed down, they build the history of the club.
The match where I first witnessed a stadium miracle.
It was a legendary match that remains in the memory of not just me, but everyone who loves Urawa Reds.
I hope that the many children who came to Saitama Stadium yesterday also learn that the stadium is a place where you can truly get excited, and that sometimes miracles like this happen.
In this magazine, I write with the theme of increasing the passion of sports fans and creating a stadium of enthusiasm.
#Diary #Essay #Column#JLeague#Sports#Soccer#Supporters#Cheering#Fans#SportsMarketing#Stadium#UrawaReds#FanBase #TheDayISawRedsForTheFirstTime
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