Review: Cerezo Osaka 1-0 Yokohama F. Marinos (J1 MD16)

Rafael Ratao's opener proved to be the winner. Led by Shinnosuke Hatanaka, who faced his former club, the defense secured their second clean sheet of the season, sealing a third consecutive victory.

Four days after their come-from-behind win over Vissel Kobe in the previous match, their second consecutive comeback victory, Cerezo Osaka returned home for the first time in three games to face Yokohama F. Marinos in Matchweek 16 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. There were two changes to the starting lineup from the last match: Lucas Fernandes and Ryuya Nishio returned to the starting eleven after a two-game absence, while the team continued with a back three.



In the first half, it was Cerezo who took control of the game. Dominating possession and reading their opponents, they advanced at a good tempo, with players exploiting open spaces. In the 3rd minute, Lucas Fernandes, playing on the left of the two shadow strikers in this match, sparked the first chance by feeding overlapping right wingback Niko Takahashi, who delivered a cross. From the resulting corner, Takahashi swung in another ball which Shinnosuke Hatanaka met with a header that rippled the net — but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the 12th minute, Hinata Kida threaded a vertical pass into Rafael Ratao, who controlled it and switched play to the right. The ball moved through Satoki Uejo and reached Hayato Okuda, whose cross found Ratao again, but his header sailed just over the bar. The only real scare of the first half came in the 15th minute when Asahi Uenaka fired a dangerous shot, but goalkeeper Koki Fukui made a fine save to deny him and keep the momentum on Cerezo’s side. Then came a wave of attacking pressure from Cerezo. In the 20th minute, Lucas Fernandes carried the ball forward on a counterattack and curled a shot at goal. Three minutes later, in the 23rd, his cross from the right found Okuda at the far post, but again, the effort missed the target. However, in the 24th minute, Cerezo finally broke through. Ryuya Nishio charged in and intercepted a pass from the opposing center-back aimed at Anderson Lopes, triggering a sharp counter. The ball moved quickly through Kida, Lucas, and then to Ratao, who received the return pass from Lucas and fired a low left-footed shot through the goalkeeper’s legs to score. Just two days before the match, Ratao’s wife and daughter arrived in Japan, and in their first visit to the stadium, the No. 9 celebrated his second goal in a row. Riding that momentum, Cerezo created another golden chance in the 27th minute. Kida switched play with a long ball to the left, where Takahashi crossed. The defense cleared it, but Uejo charged in and struck it left-footed — the keeper got a touch, and the ball smashed off the crossbar. It was a superb save that denied Cerezo a second goal. While Yokohama F. Marinos held more of the ball as the half wore on, Cerezo handled the pressure with composure and went into halftime with a 1–0 lead.





Cerezo created the first chance of the second half as well. In the 51st minute, Takahashi won the ball high up the pitch and, after receiving a delicate lofted pass from Lucas, Shinji Kagawa, who was making a run from behind, managed to get on the end of it with his right foot. However, his shot just missed the target. In the 56th minute, Okuda sent in a cross that Ratao met with a header, threatening the goal. But from that point onward, Cerezo started to lose their attacking power and spent more time defending. In the 59th minute, Yokohama F. Marinos moved the ball across the pitch and created a decisive chance, but Uenaka's shot was blocked by Ryosuke Shindo. Although there were a few more dangerous moments, mainly due to passes being misplayed in their own half, the Cerezo players did well to clear the ball every time, putting their bodies on the line to defend. In the 67th minute, a header from Ryo Miyaichi, who had come on as a substitute, resulted in a goal from Katsuya Nagato’s cross, but the goal was ruled out after an on-field review for a foul by Yokohama F. Marinos in the buildup. In the 84th minute, from a corner, Nagato’s cross was met by Matsubara, whose shot hit the post, and the rebound went straight into the hands of Fukui. Yokohama F. Marinos, having fresh legs from their substitutes after a two-week break, came on strong, but Cerezo, despite showing signs of fatigue late in the game, kept repelling their crosses with players throwing their bodies in the way. Just like in the previous match, Cerezo held on to the lead with a 6-3-1 formation in the final stages and secured the win.





The final whistle blew, and Cerezo Osaka celebrated in a joyous circle, with captain Hatanaka at the center after his efforts in the match. With their second clean sheet of the season, Cerezo secured a third consecutive victory. "I want to praise the players for giving their all until the very end," said the manager, offering words of appreciation. Despite being unable to add a second goal during a strong period of play, Cerezo found themselves on the back foot in the latter stages of the game. Hatanaka reflected, "A little while ago, we would have conceded and drawn, but the good atmosphere we have now showed in the result. We were able to keep putting our bodies on the line until the end." Breaking the cycle of frustrating results they had often experienced this season was a big achievement. However, despite contributing to all three victories with full starting appearances, Kida remained unsatisfied, saying, "Given the way the game went today, we should have made it 2-0 or 3-0." His focus was already on aiming for greater heights. The team's first three-game winning streak of the season was earned through the contributions of many different players, with a hero emerging in each match. The team climbed to 7th place in the standings. With a rare one-week break before the next match, Cerezo Osaka will now aim for a fourth consecutive victory in their away game against Kawasaki Frontale.