Urawa Reds' early season nightmare continued on Thursday as Vissel Kobe claimed a 1-0 Nabisco Cup win in new Reds manager Gert Engels' first match in charge. Leandro's third-minute strike was enough to send the J. League's biggest club crashing to its third defeat in three games, setting the seal on a week of turmoil that saw manager Holger Osieck fired on Sunday following a player revolt.
The situation at the club is now so bad that several thousand angry fans stayed on for well over an hour after the final whistle to demand answers from club president Mitsunori Fujiguchi, who addressed the concerns of the "Ultras" through a megaphone.
A young Urawa side missing several key players on international duty found its rhythm after a labored first half, but with Kobe content to soak up pressure and hit on the break, Reds were unable even to score their first goal of the season, let alone claim the win.