Review: Cerezo Osaka 1-3 Yokohama FC (J1 MD38)

The final home match of the first year with manager Papas ended in a 1-3 defeat, leaving challenges in both offense and defense. The season concludes with an even record.

Marking the final home match of Manager Arthur Papas's first year, Cerezo Osaka hosted Yokohama FC for the final fixture of the season, Matchweek 38 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The starting lineup featured one change from the previous match against Yokohama F. Marinos: Dion Cools replaced the suspended Niko Takahashi. Cools was positioned at right back, with Hayato Okuda moving to left back.



Against a Yokohama FC side that aggressively pressed from the start, Cerezo countered with long and short passes to get behind the defense, creating chances in quick succession. In the 2nd minute, Thiago Andrade received a cross on the far side from Motohiko Nakajima and took a free shot. In the 8th minute, Rafael Ratao took a shot after breaking through the defense following a pass from Masaya Shibayama. However, both attempts were thwarted by saves from Yokohama FC goalkeeper Jakub Slowik. Similar to the Yokohama F. Marinos match, after failing to capitalize on early opportunities, Cerezo gradually lost control as Yokohama FC took possession, shifted the ball wide, and created danger from crosses. Specifically, the right side of Cerezo's defense was breached, leading to a goal in the 20th minute. Following a cross, the ball was not fully cleared inside, allowing Joao Paulo to score on the far side. Two players were marking him in this sequence, but the pressure was too lenient. Unable to find rhythm, Cerezo conceded a second goal in the 30th minute. A mistake in linking play in their own half led to a short counter-attack and the ball being shaken into the net. Although the attack struggled to create opportunities after the early phase, Cerezo pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute from a corner kick. Cools, who challenged for Shibayama's kick near the post, reacted to the loose ball and scored with his right foot. In first-half stoppage time, Shunta Tanaka created a clear chance by breaking through the center with a one-two, but his shot went straight to the goalkeeper.





Cerezo made two substitutions at the start of the second half, bringing in Shinji Kagawa and Kyohei Noborizato for Hinata Kida and Okuda. Even so, they failed to regain the momentum they had surrendered, and in the 64th minute, they conceded a third goal from a cross after the space behind their left side was exploited, pushing them into an even more difficult situation. They were determined not to let the final home match end this way. The energized players launched a fierce counter-attack from this point. In the 67th minute, Kagawa, who had broken free on the left side, turned skillfully to face the goal and attempted a chipped shot. Although he brought the ball into a decisive position with a superb move, it just went wide of the goal. In the 75th minute, Ratao, who broke through on a through ball from substitute Vitor Bueno, beat his marker and shot. The attempt was directed toward a tight spot, but again it went just wide of the post. In the 80th minute, Cools, who received a superb pass from Kagawa on the right side, delivered a cross. While the defense was completely breached, Noborizato, who arrived from the far side, had his shot blocked by a defender and could not take the shot. In the 81st minute, Thiago, who cut inside from the left side, fired a curling shot toward the near post, but it hit the post directly. The sought-after counter-attack goal remained elusive. Thiago also had a decisive shot saved by the goalkeeper in the 84th minute. Finally, in the 88th minute, Ratao tapped the ball into the net after the goalkeeper parried Thiago's shot, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Ratao, who entered the final match with a chance at the top scorer title, failed to score for the fifth consecutive match, ultimately finishing in a tie for second place in the scoring rankings. The match ended 1-3. They were unable to cap off the final match of the season and the final home match with a victory.





The final record was an even 14 wins, 10 draws, and 14 losses. The team finished in 10th place, placing them in the middle of the table. After the match, captain Tanaka and manager Papas greeted the supporters. Manager Papas delivered an impassioned speech, stating, "I truly want to change this club. I want to fight every battle with the feeling that we will lift the trophy. There are still many things we need to do, but the team will definitely get stronger, and the team will win more. I want to experience the greatest moment of my life in the form of a championship victory." He vowed to make great strides toward the next year's Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League and the 2026/27 Meiji Yasuda J1 League season.