Review: Cerezo Osaka 5-0 Arterivo Wakayama (Emperor's Cup 2nd Round)

Cerezo Osaka won comfortably with five goals in the 2nd round of the Emperor’s Cup against Arterivo Wakayama, advancing to the 3rd round thanks to the whole team effort.

Two days after the second leg of the J.League YBC Levain Cup Playoff Round, Cerezo Osaka faced Arterivo Wakayama in the 2nd round of the Emperor’s Cup. The starting lineup saw eight changes, with Hayato Okuda stepping in at left-back as the team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.



Against Wakayama, who defended with six at the back in a 6-4 formation, Cerezo took control of the ball from the early stages. Although breaking down an opponent that tightly packed the width and closed the center was not easy, Cerezo gradually created chances as time went on. The first clear chance came in the 14th minute, when Kengo Furuyama met Takumi Nakamura’s cross with a header, only to be denied by a strong save from the goalkeeper. At the 17th minute, another opportunity arose: Masaya Shibayama received the ball on the right flank and combined with Shinji Kagawa in a one-two, advancing into the penalty area before curling a left-footed shot just wide of the target. In the 28th minute, Cerezo created their third big chance. Furuyama, after winning the ball high up the pitch, fired a shot inside the box, but once again the goalkeeper came to the rescue. Despite the elusive first goal, Cerezo struck in the 31st minute when Furuyama won the ball again in an advanced position and was fouled by a defender, earning a penalty. Vítor Bueno calmly slotted the ball into the right corner to open the scoring. Cerezo maintained control and in the 41st minute, Furuyama broke through on a through ball from Kagawa and had a golden chance, but was once again denied by the goalkeeper. Reflecting on the missed chances after the match, Furuyama admitted, “If I had scored more in the first half, we could have decided the game early on. I’m left with a sense of frustration at not finishing better.”





Defensively, Cerezo were caught on the counterattack a few times after having passes intercepted, but they did not allow Wakayama to register any shots on target and finished the first half without conceding. The first chance of the second half also came from Cerezo. In the 47th minute, Furuyama received a pass from Shibayama and took up a position at the edge of the penalty area, but the angle was tight, and he couldn’t get a proper shot off. Wakayama, who started the first half focusing on defense, raised their pressing line and showed a more aggressive stance in the second half. However, in the 50th minute, Cerezo exploited the space behind them to score the second goal. Receiving a pass from Bueno, Thiago Andrade broke down the left side, drove toward goal on the dribble, and blasted the ball into the top near corner. From there, Cerezo launched a series of relentless attacks. Bueno had a chance in the 52nd minute, Nakamura in the 55th, and Ryosuke Shindo got a good opportunity from a corner in the 58th minute. At that point, manager Arthur Papas made three substitutions to push for the win. Amid chances in the 60th and 62nd minutes, Cerezo finally secured the decisive third goal in the 64th minute. Furuyama’s fierce long-range shot hit the post twice and rebounded to Rafael Ratao, who had just come on as a substitute, and he calmly finished. After that, Cerezo eased their offensive pressure and started to control the game. Wakayama began to hold more possession, but Cerezo did not allow any clear-cut chances. Then, in the 87th minute, toward the end of the match, Kakeru Funaki joined the attack from his holding midfield position, broke down the left side, and passed inside. Kyohei Noborizato ran onto the ball, and his shot deflected off a defender before looping into the net. In injury time, Furuyama capped off the goal rush by scoring the fifth goal after receiving a pass from Bueno, securing Cerezo’s progression to the third round.





Just two days after the painful 120-minute battle that ended with Cerezo Osaka’s elimination from the Levain Cup Playoff Round, the team secured a convincing 5-goal victory without showing any signs of weakness, both physically and mentally. After the match, manager Arthur Papas praised the squad for their rebound mentality, saying, “The players fought hard to bounce back after playing 120 minutes on Sunday. I want to commend their mental strength.” The next official match comes again just two days later, an away game against FC Tokyo in the 20th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. “It’s a tough schedule, but as the last of our nine consecutive matches, we want to aim for victory as a team,” said Kyohei Noborizato. With this match marking the start of the league’s second half, Cerezo will once again focus on physical and mental recovery to face the ninth game of their intense nine-match run together as one team.