Review: Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2-3 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD14)

A dramatic comeback to turn the game around! Kengo Furuyama scores his first professional goal, and Motohiko Nakajima nets the winner. A hard-fought 3 points secured with total team effort.

Aiming for their first win in four matches, Cerezo Osaka traveled away to face Kyoto Sanga F.C. in the 14th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The starting lineup saw seven changes from the previous match against FC Machida Zelvia. Kengo Furuyama, who made his J1 debut in the last match, started his first professional match, Satoki Uejo made his first start of the season in the league, and Hayato Okuda returned to the lineup for the first time in three matches.



In this match, Cerezo adopted a flexible system, defending in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Okuda on the right of the back three and Lucas Fernandes as the right wing-back, and shifting to a 4-2-3-1 when attacking, with Lucas pushing higher up the pitch. They started fairly well, with Furuyama getting a shot off in the 8th minute after a nice sequence involving Lucas and Uejo. However, in the 12th minute, they conceded from a cross. Goalkeeper Koki Fukui initially saved a header from Kyoto’s Taichi Hara, who was starting as the central striker, but Hara reacted quickly to slot home the rebound and give Kyoto the lead. Buoyed by the goal, Kyoto struck again just two minutes later. Ryuya Nishio’s pass to Hinata Kida was intercepted, and although Fukui saved a shot from Taiki Hirato, Temma Matsuda pounced on the rebound to make it 2–0. Cerezo’s outlook was bleak, but they responded swiftly. In the 18th minute, Thiago Andrade received a pass from Motohiko Nakajima and surged down the left flank, combining with Furuyama and Uejo before Lucas coolly slotted past the goalkeeper one-on-one after a well-timed through ball from Uejo. “After conceding goals, the team was inevitably discouraged, but we were able to show that we are not finished yet,” Lucas recalled. Re-energized, Cerezo pushed on. In the 38th minute, Uejo received a pass from Okuda and set up Furuyama for another chance, but his shot sailed over the crossbar. Then, after narrowly avoiding further damage in the 41st minute—when a Kyoto shot flew just over—they struck back in the 43rd to equalize. From a high throw-in, Kida won the second ball, Lucas kept the move going, and Furuyama, with the opposing center-back on his back, turned and fired home. It was a classic striker’s goal—“a move I’ve been practicing ever since my university days”—and No. 29 let his emotions pour out in celebration. The long-awaited first professional goal sent the bench into raptures. “I was really happy to see everyone celebrating together with me,” Furuyama said, as the team’s sense of unity only grew stronger. Despite falling two goals behind, Cerezo never dropped their heads. “What made the difference today was that we managed to regroup and finish the first half in a good way,” said captain Shinnosuke Hatanaka, who led by example with the armband."





Cerezo came under pressure again at the start of the second half, with Kyoto on the front foot. But in the 50th and 55th minutes, Nishio made up for his earlier mistake by putting his body on the line to block shots, standing firm against Kyoto’s momentum. In the 65th minute, Cerezo scored the winner from a free kick. It was Nakajima who connected with Lucas's delivery. "Originally, I was supposed to wait for a loose ball," he said, "but I wanted to score so badly I asked (Sota) Kitano to switch with me," he added with a laugh. Staying in the penalty area, he shook off his marker with clever movement and powered in a header. Having turned the game around from two goals down, Cerezo clearly shifted to a five-man backline in defense, adopting a 5-4-1 shape. In the 84th minute, they had a scare when Kyoto broke deep into the penalty area, but Hatanaka made a gutsy defensive play to cover, denying them a shot and celebrating with a fist pump. In attack, Furuyama and Uejo—who both earned their chance in this match—gave everything they had before handing the baton over. In the 76th minute, their replacements, Kitano and Rafael Ratao, combined to create another good chance. Though they couldn’t find a fourth goal to put the game to bed, their defensive focus remained sharp even after taking the lead. In stoppage time, Nishio once again blocked a dangerous shot, preserving the lead. As the final whistle blew, the match-winner Nakajima collapsed onto the pitch, spread-eagled in exhaustion—a dramatic end to a fiercely contested match.





In addition to the ongoing losing streak, the team are facing a congested schedule with more players unavailable. Nevertheless, before the match in this round, as goalkeeper Koki Fukui mentioned, "Each player is well-prepared, and there are players who haven't had many chances before who are now in the squad and may get to play. I believe those players will come out with a lot of energy." Players like Furuyama, Uejo, Kida, and Takahashi, who have often been on the bench in previous league matches, stepped up and contributed. Lucas, who scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists, emphasized, "The team faced a difficult situation and managed to make a comeback. This is not just a victory; I believe it will bring momentum and confidence to the team." Furuyama, who scored his first professional goal, also stated, "The next match is in just two days, so it’s time to stop celebrating and focus on preparing for the next game." With no time to rest, the team face an away match against Vissel Kobe in two days. It will be a tough battle against the defending champions, who are recovering their form. However, the team aim to approach the match with the same unity as in this round and strive for the first back-to-back wins of the season.