Goal : Kashiwa Reysol coach Nelsinho showed a clear understanding of the challenges his side face on Sunday as they advanced to the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup by defeating Auckland City 2-0 in Thursday night’s tournament opener.
The Japanese side struggled in the first half, but eventually pulled ahead on goals from Junya Tanaka and Masato Kudo.
“We can surely do better tactically and technically,” Nelsinho told reporters after the match. “We performed steadily throughout the game, but we missed too many passes, and we could not get into our rhythm.
“We controlled the game, but we were not able to create enough chances. This is the first game, and what was important was to win.”