Veteran striker Shinzo Koroki equalized early in the second half to give Urawa Reds a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the opening leg of the Asian Champions League football final Saturday in Riyadh.
The long-delayed 2022 tournament decider is the third meeting between the two clubs in the ACL final, with the J-League side lifting the trophy in 2017 and the Saudi heavyweights getting revenge two years later.
Urawa may consider themselves fortunate to take home a valuable away goal to the May 6 second leg at Saitama Stadium near Tokyo after being dominated for most of the first-leg clash.
The hosts took the lead in front of 50,881 fans at King Fahd International Stadium when a defensive mix-up enabled winger Salem Al Dawsari to fire into an open net at the back post in the 13th minute.
A cross from the right flank by Brazilian winger Michael rolled between Urawa keeper Shusaku Nishikawa and center-back Alexander Scholz, who each left the ball for the other, allowing it to find Al Dawsari.
The visitors hit back against the run of play in the 53rd minute after defender Ali Al Bulayhi's attempt to intercept a through pass to Koroki sent the ball into the upright, leaving keeper Abdullah Al Muaiouf stranded as the Urawa attacker tapped in.
Al Hilal must play the second leg without Saudi Arabia international Al Dawsari, who was shown a straight card four minutes from the end for kicking out at Urawa's Ken Iwao after the pair came to ground together in a challenge.
Urawa boss Maciej Skorza said his side could not execute their intended attacking game plan but credited the players for grinding out a "good result" under challenging conditions.
"We became calmer as the match progressed and created some chances through counter attacks but honestly, our intention was to play more offensively," the Polish manager said.
"I have great respect for the Urawa players, as they fought till the end despite it being such a tough match."
Initially delayed until February because of last year's World Cup in Qatar, the 2022 ACL final was further postponed due to the laying of new turf at Saitama Stadium.
Urawa have seen major personnel changes since advancing to the final with a penalty shootout win over South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last August, including the departure of previous manager Ricardo Rodriguez and the return of 36-year-old fan favorite Koroki from a one-year loan to Consadole Sapporo.
