Goals in the 37th and 40th minutes were enough to see Kashiwa safely through to the Club World Cup quarter-finals
Kashiwa Reysol’s Brazilian coach warned that his side must play better in the next stage of the Club World Cup after the Japanese champions set up a quarter-final clash with Monterrey of Mexico.
Kashiwa, who claimed the J-League title last weekend to secure the final berth at the intercontinental championships, defeated New Zealand part-timers Auckland City 2-0 on Thursday to progress on home soil.
Goals in the 37th and 40th minutes were enough to see Kashiwa safely through, but they were disappointing in the second half, allowing the Kiwis to dominate play and carve out several clear chances.
“We made our debut in an international match and actually we were not able to play as usual in terms of strategy and in terms of tactics,” said Nelsinho, who has overseen a dramatic reversal in Kashiwa’s fortunes.
“We can play much better, but because this was our debut in an international tournament we were slightly affected by that.”
Should Kashiwa beat CONCACAF champions Monterrey on Sunday, they will find themselves facing Brazilian giants Santos — a dramatic change in fortunes for a team which was in Japan’s second division only a year ago.
But the coach, whose uncanny knack with line-ups and substitutions has been dubbed “Nelsinho magic” by the Japanese media, insisted he was not looking too ahead to a showdown with his compatriots.
“We are taking a step-by-step approach,” he told reporters in Toyota. “Santos is after Monterrey (if they win). We need to play Monterrey next.
“Today our players didn’t play to their usual standards so we have to prepare well and perform better against Monterrey, so I don’t want to make any comment about Santos at this moment.”
And Nelsinho, 61, whose side boasts the J-League player of the year in Brazilian attacking midfielder Leandro Domingues, warned that “high-quality” Monterrey would provide a stern test.
“They’ve made a special effort for the Club World Cup in their preparation and they are going to demonstrate the strengths of Mexican football,” he said.
The Brazilian added that he expected Sunday’s opponents to be far stronger than amateurs Auckland City, but hopes the Mexicans’ more attacking approach will benefit his counter-attacking side.
“It will be easier with Monterrey. They are not just a defensive team, they will attack as well, so there will be space created if we defend well,” he said.
©2011 AFP