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Japan: Urawa Reds back in title race [Sun Sep 18th, 2005]
Urawa Reds moved back into the thick of the title race with a thrilling 4-3 win away to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the J-League first division.
Hiroshima striker Hisato Sato scored a hat-trick, but Brazilian defender Nene's 71st-minute header proved decisive as Urawa climbed into third in the table, seven points behind leaders Gamba Osaka, who were shocked 2-1 at Kashiwa Reysol.
Gamba top the table on 47 points with 10 games left to play with Kashima Antlers in second on 46 and Urawa with 40. Defeat for Hiroshima saw them drop 11 points back.
Urawa were looking to bounce back from last week's surprise defeat to Oita Trinita and they started brightly, with Alessandro Santos rattling the Hiroshima woodwork with a free kick after four minutes.
Striker Yuichiro Nagai deservedly put the visitors in front when he arrived unmarked at the post to poke home Tatsuya Tanaka's cross into an empty net in the 33rd minute.
Sato levelled with a header a minute before the interval only for Urawa to restore their lead seconds later through Robson Ponte, with the industrious Tanaka again the architect.
Sato struck again with a wonderful first-time finish from Ri Han Jae's cross, but captain Kazuyuki Morisaki gifted Urawa the lead again by chesting Nagai's right-wing cross into his own net.
Satoshi Horinouchi and Tanaka both hit the bar with headers before Sanfrecce scrambled the ball away, but Nene headed home from the resulting corner to make it 4-2.
Urawa's travelling army of fans had barely finished celebrating when Sato grabbed his 11th goal of the season to complete his hat-trick, but Urawa held on despite late pressure to take all three points.
"After last week's defeat this was a game we knew we had to win. We have got the three points and now we have to make sure we keep winning," said Ponte.
"Tanaka really showed great movement today but the whole team never gave up and the win was the result of a great team effort," he added.
In the day's other game, Brazilian striker Marquinhos scored both goals in Shimizu S-Pulse's 2-1 win at home to Albirex Niigata.
PA Sport
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