In the World Cup, Urawa Red Diamonds will face Manchester City, who are regarded as the "strongest team in the world", in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Dutch striker Alex Schoeck, who will be bidding farewell to the team after the World Cup, turned into a hero on the pitch in his final match, vowing to go all out against Manchester City in a passionate statement, looking forward to a successful end to his nearly two-year stint in Japan.
Since joining Urawa Red Diamonds in March last year, Alex Shuhak has not performed up to expectations due to injury, collecting only two goals in his two seasons in the Japanese Professional League campaign. Last month, he announced that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season, with the World Championships becoming the curtain raiser for his career. Substitute Alex Schuhak scored the only goal of the match against Leon of the Mexican Superliga, and it was certainly the key goal of his Urawa Red Diamonds career. The 31-year-old striker said, "It was amazing, it was a dream come true to score such a decisive goal and I'm very happy to be able to reward the fans for their support."
With Urawa Red Diamonds advancing, Alex Schoeck has two more important matches ahead of him. Facing the upcoming Manchester City, the Dutch striker said with respect: "Manchester City is the best team in the world and it's an honor for the Red Diamonds to play against them. No one can predict the outcome of a game and all Japanese will be watching this game. We will definitely give our best to win the honor for Japan and I will fight for Urawa Red Diamonds until the last moment."
