Review: Cerezo Osaka vs Kyoto Sanga F.C. (J1 100 Year Vision League MD11)

Cerezo Osaka mark the first match at YANMAR HANASAKA STADIUM with a season-high three goals and a clean sheet, securing consecutive wins with their first 90-minute home victory.

Six days after winning the away Osaka Derby, Cerezo Osaka returned home to face Kyoto Sanga F.C. in the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League Regional League Round, Matchday 11, aiming for a second consecutive win. This fixture was the first since the stadium was renamed "YANMAR HANASAKA STADIUM" and was held as the "Let the Future Bloom: YANMAR HANASAKA STADIUM Memorial Match."



There was one change to the starting lineup, with Shion Homma replacing the injured Reiya Sakata on the left wing. Thiago Andrade continued as the lone striker. In the first half, Cerezo changed ends and played with the wind at their backs. In the 12th minute, Thiago had a chance after running behind the defense onto a pass from Motohiko Nakajima. However, Cerezo initially struggled against Kyoto’s pressure, facing an immediate threat from a counterattack just two minutes in. Shinnosuke Hatanaka recovered well to block Joao Pedro’s shot. In the 14th minute, Marco Tulio broke through the left flank, but Kosuke Nakamura safely caught Gustavo Barreto’s effort. Despite some misplaced passes in their own half due to Kyoto’s high press, Cerezo avoided conceding and converted their first shot in the 18th minute. Hayato Okuda intercepted a long ball high up the pitch, and after linking up with Masaya Shibayama to break down the right side, Thiago met Shibayama’s pass in the center to find the net. The stadium erupted as Thiago cleverly beat the goalkeeper for his second goal in as many games. Kyoto responded with attacks in the 24th and 26th minutes, but Ayumu Ohata blocked the former, while Nakamura made a brilliant save in a one-on-one situation for the latter. Cerezo increased their offensive pressure after the 30th minute and had a decisive chance in the 37th minute. A sequence involving Nakajima, Homma, and Thiago ended with Thiago’s shot being blocked, but Shibayama gathered the rebound and fired a composed shot. While it beat the keeper, Kyoto defender Shinnosuke Fukuda blocked it on the line, preventing a second goal. The half ended 1-0.





Kyoto dominated possession at the start of the second half, but Cerezo continued to create chances by utilizing Thiago’s runs. In the 62nd minute, Solomon Sakuragawa replaced Thiago, who had worked tirelessly since the start. Using the number 9 as a focal point to hold up play, Cerezo sought a second goal. In the 66th minute, Rikito Inoue intercepted an opponent's throw-in high up the field. Nelson Ishiwatari reacted to the loose ball, beat a defender, and drove forward before delivering an exquisite through ball to Homma, who had made a diagonal run behind Sakuragawa. "The moment the pass arrived and I controlled it, I knew I was going to beat him," Homma recalled after the match. He rounded the oncoming Kyoto keeper Takeshi Ota and finished from a tight angle. Homma erupted in celebration after scoring his first J1 goal, a long-awaited moment nearly a year after joining on loan from Urawa Reds last March. In the 74th minute, Nakamura faced another one-on-one but again denied Kyoto with his right foot. Cerezo weathered Kyoto's late attacks and added a third goal in second-half stoppage time. Shinji Kagawa’s free kick hit the wall, and Okuda fired the rebound from distance; Sakuragawa reacted quickest to the keeper’s parry and poked the ball home. The final whistle blew shortly after. While both sides had an equal number of chances, Cerezo’s clinical finishing and solid defending resulted in a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Kyoto.





After the match, Manager Papas praised the team, saying, "We won as a result of fighting collectively as a group. Everyone worked hard and delivered a good performance in both offense and defense." Cerezo celebrated the "first Hanasaka match" in style with a season-high three goals and a clean sheet. Having drawn level with Kyoto on points and moved within sight of the upper echelon of the table, Cerezo will target a third consecutive win in the next fixture against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Building on the momentum of these victories and further refining their play, they will head into enemy territory in one week's time.