Omiya Ardija fought back from a goal down and an early red card to claim an unlikely share of the Saitama derby spoils with a 1-1 draw against Urawa Reds on Saturday night.
Genki Haraguchi gave Urawa an 11th-minute lead at Saitama Stadium as Reds looked for the win that would potentially send them top of the J.League table, and the home side's prospects improved further when Omiya's Slovenian World Cup striker Milivoje Novakovic was sent off seven minutes later for two bookings in quick succession.
But the complexion of the match changed entirely when Keigo Higashi leveled the score with Omiya's very first shot of the game in first-half injury time, and a disciplined defensive performance after the break coupled with an uninspired Urawa attack combined to earn Ardija a hard-fought point.
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