Review: Cerezo Osaka 1-2 FC Machida Zelvia (J1 MD13)

Cerezo succumbed to Machida's individual strength and solid defense, losing 1-2. A late goal and the debut of college graduate rookie Kengo Furuyama will hopefully serve as a catalyst for the team's future.

After a draw against FC Tokyo and a loss against Tokyo Verdy, Cerezo Osaka went into the match against FC Machida Zelvia in the 13th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League looking for their first win in three matches since their match against Kashima Antlers in the 10th round. Cerezo Osaka made four changes to their starting lineup from the previous week. Shunta Tanaka, who had started every league game so far, was left off the bench, and Shinji Kagawa made his first start in 11 games since the second match against Shonan Bellmare. On both wings, Lucas Fernandes and Thiago Andrade started as subs, while Masaya Shibayama and Reiya Sakata started. Sota Kitano returned at the behind-the-striker position for the first time in two games.



In the absence of Tanaka, the midfield was set up in a 4-3-3, with Motohiko Nakajima playing as anchor and Kagawa moving up a line when in possession, and a 4-4-2 with Kitano moving forward as usual when defending. Machida's first chance came in the 9th minute when Yuki Soma's cross from the right flank to the left was headed in by Henry Heroki Mochizuki on the opposite flank, but the ball went wide. Cerezo, for their part, were shaken from side to side and almost conceded the first goal in this season’s pattern, but managed to get out of the way. From then on, the first half went by without giving Machida any big chances. At the start, Machida's man-to-man press did not let them off the hook, and they seemed to get stuck in the build-up, but from the 15th minute onward, they gradually broke away from their opponents and moved forward. In the 19th minute, the goalkeeper, Koki Fukui quickly deployed the ball, Ryuya Nishio and Nakajima connected, and finally Shibayama broke through on the flank and had a chance. Here, Machida's Hiroyuki Mae was shown a yellow card for interfering with the breakthrough from behind. Although Cerezo had the ball more often, they were unable to get into the box against the defensive-minded Machida, and Nakajima's free-kick was the only shot on target in the first half.





After a first half that ended with limited action on both sides, the second half of the match appeared to be a contest. It was Machida manager Go Kuroda who made the first move. He replaced Mitchell Duke and Shota Fujio up front with Oh Se Hun and Na Sang Ho, and replaced Mochizuki with Kotaro Hayashi at right wing back. In the second half, Cerezo had the first chance of the second half when Rafael Ratao broke through on the left flank and crossed in the 47th minute. The ball was not met inside the box, but Nishio picked up the ball on the opposite flank and crossed again, this time to Kitano and Shibayama, who could not get a shot on target and missed the chance. Soon after, Cerezo conceded a goal in the 49th minute. Sakata lost the ball to Hayashi on the left side of their own half, and Na Sang Ho dribbled and passed the ball to the left side. Yuta Nakayama's cross was met by Oh Se Hun, who fired a powerful shot. At that moment, a Machida player was standing in an offside position, but the goal was allowed as it was judged to have "no effect on the goal." After the game, Fukui, who was playing against his old team, reflected, “ Conceding a goal at the beginning of the second half was a big blow. From that point on, all of Machida's good points came out." Cerezo was forced into several crucial situations, but Fukui made a good save from Yuki Soma's shot in the 52nd minute. Oh Se Hun's 65th-minute header from a Na Sang Ho cross hit the crossbar. A second goal was somehow prevented, and manager Arthur Papas made four substitutions in the 66th minute. Then, in the 72nd minute, he made his final change, bringing on Kengo Furuyama, a rookie college graduate making his J1 debut, to give the team a boost. However, six minutes later, another goal was conceded. Dresevic headed in from a corner kick. Cerezo, chasing a two-goal deficit, tried to get Thiago to break through on the left wing and Furuyama on the right wing, but they were unable to create a chance. In the 90+6 minute, Thiago received a pass from Lucas, who had moved to the right back, and after a clever trap, he turned forward, beat the defender and shot. They finally broke through Machida's stronghold, but time ran out and the game ended 2-1. It was the second loss in a row for the team this season.





The players looked tired after the game, but they have two more away games against Kansai opponents in the next two weeks, against Kyoto Sanga F.C. and Vissel Kobe. Kagawa is looking ahead to the next match, saying, “We have to accept today's result and work toward the next game." The team has only a short time to prepare for the battle against an opponent they cannot afford to lose to, but they will be determined to recover their bodies and minds to take on the challenge. "We have lost two games in a row, and some players are injured, but we can't talk about that. If I have a chance to play, I will score goals and win the game,” said Furuyama with determination. Now is the time to gather the strength of the entire team and overcome this difficult situation.