Review: Nagoya Grampus 2-1 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD33)

Cerezo pulled one back late via Vitor Bueno’s free kick, but couldn’t overturn a two-goal deficit from the first half, falling to their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Five days after their 2–1 loss to Kyoto Sanga F.C., Cerezo Osaka traveled to face 15th-placed Nagoya Grampus in the 33rd round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. There was one change from the previous starting lineup: with Lucas Fernandes sidelined due to the injury that forced his substitution last match, Shion Homma started on the right wing in his place.



In the early stages, Cerezo were pinned back as Nagoya stretched the play wide and attacked through a series of crosses. Once they weathered the initial pressure, however, Cerezo began to see more of the ball. Still, in the first half they struggled to progress forward, forced into deep build-up play by Nagoya’s high pressing. Unable to penetrate the box as they wanted, Cerezo finally showed signs of danger in the 31st minute when Homma turned upfield and combined with Rafael Ratao in a quick one-two on the counter. Moments later, in the 32nd minute, they created their best chance of the half: starting from Masaya Shibayama in the No. 10 role, Cerezo moved the ball smoothly through Shinji Kagawa and Homma, whose driven near-post cross found Ratao perfectly—but his shot was denied by goalkeeper Yohei Takeda. That would be Cerezo’s only shot of the first half, though it came from a brilliantly constructed move that deserved a goal. Just minutes later, in the 36th, Nagoya nearly struck at the other end. Mateus Castro initiated the move from the center before the ball was spread wide, and a cross found Yudai Kimura unmarked in front of goal—but goalkeeper Koki Fukui produced a superb save with his right foot. However, from the ensuing corner, Cerezo conceded. The ball was flicked on at the near post and finished by Yuki Nogami at the far. Having conceded twice from corners in the previous match against Kyoto, Cerezo had specifically trained to defend set pieces better this week, but the issue resurfaced. Nagoya capitalized on the momentum and doubled their lead in the 45th minute—exploiting space down Cerezo’s left flank, Sho Inagaki delivered a cross that Kimura met with a decisive header to make it 2–0.





In the first half, Cerezo struggled in every aspect — in attack and defense, in duels, and on set pieces — and were forced onto the back foot. Manager Arthur Papas responded by making two changes at halftime: Masaya Shibayama and Thiago Andrade came off, replaced by Motohiko Nakajima and Reiya Sakata. Nakajima took over in the No.10 role vacated by Shibayama, while Sakata came on as the right winger, allowing Homma to move to his natural position on the left. Chasing two goals, Cerezo began the second half with greater defensive intensity and a faster attacking rhythm. In the 58th minute, Nagoya found the net from a counterattack, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside—avoiding what would have been a fatal third. That reprieve sparked a strong Cerezo response. In the 61st minute, Sakata initiated an attack down the right, Homma cut inside from the left and laid the ball off for Kagawa, whose cleanly struck shot missed the target by inches. Four minutes later, Kagawa combined with Dion Cools before Ratao unleashed a powerful drive that went straight at the goalkeeper. In the 75th minute, Homma cut inside on the dribble to create his trademark shooting opportunity, but failed to connect cleanly and sent it wide. Aside from the disallowed goal, Nagoya barely created any chances in the second half as Cerezo pushed hard for a comeback. Their persistence paid off in the 85th minute when Homma earned a free kick with a driving run, and Vitor Bueno curled it directly into the net — his second goal of the season following the one against Kashima Antlers two rounds earlier. Riding that momentum, Cerezo nearly equalized just two minutes later. Homma’s long pass released Sakata, who broke free and went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his shot went straight at the goalkeeper. It was the team’s best chance to draw level. Despite seven minutes of added time, Cerezo couldn’t find the equalizer, falling 1–2. A sluggish first half proved costly, as the team suffered their first three-game losing streak of the season.





Following defeats to Kashima and Kyoto—both in the thick of the title race—Cerezo also fell short this week against Nagoya, a team fighting desperately to secure their J1 status. The mental gap between the two sides was undeniable. In attack, Cerezo struggled to progress the ball, particularly in the first half, and conceded again from a set piece at almost the same time as in the previous match against Kyoto. Rather than overcoming their issues, they repeated them in this defeat. With a two-week break before the next match against Fagiano Okayama, the team will look to use the interval to address these problems.