Review: Cerezo Osaka vs Fagiano Okayama (J1 100 Year Vision League MD7)

Cerezo Osaka take the lead via the Yumeki Yokoyama-Solomon Sakuragawa hotline but end in a regrettable comeback defeat, looking for a win in the next home fixture against Vissel Kobe.

Three days after the dramatic comeback victory against Kyoto Sanga F.C. in the previous match, Cerezo Osaka hosted Fagiano Okayama at home for Matchday 7 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League Regional League Round. The starting eleven saw one change from the previous match. Hinata Kida replaced Shinnosuke Hatanaka, who was substituted in the last game; Kida played as a defensive midfielder, while Shunta Tanaka dropped back to center-back.



The match began under chilling rain, and in the early stages, Okayama held possession and used the width of the pitch, allowing their left wing-back Towa Yamane to threaten with crosses and shots after cutting inside. In attack, Cerezo struggled to progress the ball initially against Okayama's man-oriented pressing, but they moved forward by effectively using long balls to Solomon Sakuragawa. In the 13th minute, Yumeki Yokoyama picked up a second ball from a Sakuragawa aerial challenge and played a pass into the space behind. Although it narrowly failed to reach Motohiko Nakajima, it created a situation that would have been a decisive chance had it connected. In the 19th minute, Cerezo succeeded in taking the lead. The play started with goalkeeper Kosuke Nakamura passing through the center, moving to Nelson Ishiwatari before being carried to the left flank. From there, Hinata Kida provided support in the center again, and with Sakuragawa acting as the focal point, the play expanded to the right side. This created a one-on-one situation for Yokoyama while facing forward; Yokoyama beat his marker with a feint and delivered a swift cross. Sakuragawa surged toward the lofted ball and scored with a high-point header. From this point, Cerezo increased their possession and spent more time playing in the opponent's half. However, in the 45th minute, as the midfield and defensive line dropped momentarily against an Okayama attack, Dion Cools initially blocked a header from Werik Popo following a cross, but the loose ball was picked up by Yamane on the opposite side. After allowing a cross from a high position, Werik Popo headed the ball in at the far post. Considering the flow of the game, it was a first half that Cerezo would have wanted to conclude with at least a one-goal lead.





Okayama went on the offensive from the start of the second half. In the 55th minute, Werik Popo broke through the defense into a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Nakamura spread his body to prevent a shot. In attack, as in the first half, chances arose from Sakuragawa holding up the ball early in the second half. Thiago Andrade in the 54th minute and Dion Cools in the 60th minute managed to get shots away. However, as the attacks ended in isolation, Cerezo conceded the go-ahead goal to Okayama in the 69th minute. Against Yamane, who had frequently found himself free since the first half, the pressure became slack, and his curling right-footed cross sailed directly into the far side of the net. While it was an unlucky goal, it was also an "accident" resulting from being pinned back. As in the previous match, the second-line players were completely replaced during the second half. Masaya Shibayama, Reiya Sakata, and Shion Homma were introduced in quick succession, and Shinji Kagawa, returning to the squad for the first time in three matches, also entered as a defensive midfielder to distribute the ball and build play. In the 74th minute, Sakuragawa turned and Shibayama carried the ball on a dribble to provide a final pass; Homma cut inside and shot, but it was blocked by a defender. In the 82nd minute, Sakuragawa had another chance from a Homma pass but could not finish the shot. While Sakuragawa had been peerless in the first half, he was marked more tightly in the second half and faced Okayama's proactive defending. In the 84th minute, Wigi Kanemoto was introduced as the fifth substitute. With the aim of "picking up the balls contested by Solo-kun (Sakuragawa), distributing them to the surroundings, and getting into the box for crosses" (Kanemoto), Cerezo launched a final counter-attack but could not create a decisive opening as time expired. It was a bittersweet professional debut for Kanemoto, and for the entire team, a comeback defeat that left a sense of regret.