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Urawa, Osaka win in J-League matches
TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese international midfielder Yuki Abe tuned up for the upcoming Asian Cup with a goal to give defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds a 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse in the J-League on Saturday.
The goal came in the 24th minute when Brazilian Ponte's corner connected with Abe's diving header.
"I'm glad that I scored, but the game wasn't over. I was more glad to win at the moment when I heard the final whistle," said Abe after netting his third goal of the season.
Urawa's German coach Holger Osieck appeared satisfied with the performance of his players.
"It was a perfect week for us. We won all the three games without losing a goal. Furthermore, our performances were very good. I feel my players have improved a lot this week," said Osieck.
"I don't point out a particular player, I just want to praise everybody of the team. For example, Tulio is an important player and when he got an injury to be replaced, the substitute player did a very good job.
"It is the team's potential that everybody can do the same. I really want to praise all of my players," he added.
But Urawa did not close on front-runners Gamba Osaka, who overwhelmed FC Tokyo 6-2 later in the day with Brazilian striker Magno Alves and Ryuji Bando scoring two goals each.
Osaka have 11 wins, five draws and one defeat for 38 points to keep a five-point lead over Urawa, followed by Albirex Niigata on 29 points, Jubilo Iwata on 28 points and Kashima Antlers on 27 points.
Niigata defeated JEF United Chiba 2-1, and Iwata downed Kawasaki Frontale 3-2, while Kashima were to play Nagoya Grampus Eight on Sunday.
In other games, Yoshito Okubo was pulled down in the area in injury time and then scored a decisive penalty to give Vissel Kobe a 3-2 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Kashiwa Reysol were 4-2 winners over Yokohama FC, while Ventforet Kofu blanked Oita Trinita 2-0.
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24' Y. Abe
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