Football: Reds snap Kobe’s streak, earn 1st back-to-back J1 wins

Atsuki Ito’s 21st-minute goal secured visiting Urawa Reds a 1-0 win over Vissel Kobe on Saturday, handing the early front runners their first defeat of the J-League top-flight campaign.

Urawa notched back-to-back league wins for the first time under new manager Maciej Skorza as they snapped Kobe’s three-match winning streak to start the season.

Ito blasted from the edge of the area after Tomoaki Okubo headed Norwegian center-back Marius Hoibraten’s long ball back into his path.

Hoibraten nearly doubled the lead when he headed into the woodwork from a corner kick midway through the second half ...