Review: Vissel Kobe vs Cerezo Osaka (J1 100 Year Vision League MD13)

With all 11 starters rotated, Cerezo stuns league leaders Kobe in a penalty shootout, fueled by a series of superb saves from Kim Jin Hyeon!

Three days after the match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Cerezo Osaka traveled to the away grounds of Noevir Stadium Kobe to contest Matchday 13 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League Regional League Round against Vissel Kobe. Facing this fixture just a short period after the fierce battle in Hiroshima, the team rotated all 11 starting players. Thiago Andrade, who had scored in three consecutive games, was left out of the squad, and the formation was a 3-4-2-1. This was the same system employed during the congested Golden Week schedule last season.



In the 3rd minute, Kobe broke down the left side, handing a decisive chance to Makoto Mitsuta. However, the shot was stopped by Kim Jin Hyeon, making his first appearance since the opening match. "Kobe is a team that comes out with great momentum in the first 10 to 15 minutes. The key today was to prevent them from utilizing that strength, yet Kobe still managed to create chances. Even so, I felt that as long as I stopped them, we would be fine. Today was a match for players with limited minutes, and I believed it was crucial for me to keep a clean sheet so they could play with confidence," the guardian reflected after the match. Manager Arthur Papas also offered praise, stating, "Jin Hyeon’s big save at the start allowed us to settle into the game properly." It was a priceless play that prevented the team from becoming unsettled. "Many of the players were pairing up in an official match for the first time, and it was at Kobe's home. I knew we had to play realistically to some extent, with defense as our base," said Shinji Kagawa, who fought hard while wearing the captain's armband. The formation shifted to a five-man backline during defensive phases. Kyohei Yoshino, playing in the center of the back three, recalled, "The manager told us to control the line strictly. I was calling out to everyone to keep the line high so we wouldn't become stretched." They aligned the defense without dropping too deep and successfully caught the opposition offside. Although the left side was breached again in the 20th and 41st minutes, Kim Jin Hyeon stopped Yoshinori Muto’s effort in the former instance, while Dion Cools blocked Daiju Sasaki’s shooting lane in the latter, forcing the ball off target. Though pinned back for much of the first half, Cerezo created an opening in the 31st minute with a long pass from Hinata Kida to Solomon Sakuragawa, followed by a major chance in the 40th minute. Yumeki Yokoyama held the ball up high, allowing Hinata Kida to unleash a powerful mid-range strike. Satoki Uejo rushed in to meet the rebound from the goalkeeper, but his header went straight at the keeper. The first half ended scoreless. "Ending the first half at 0-0 was our greatest achievement today. It was good that we put our bodies on the line to keep it level," said Kyohei Yoshino, noting that holding the scoreline with an unfamiliar lineup paved the way for the second half.





Kobe maintained pressure at the start of the second half, but Cerezo pushed back to create opportunities. Yumeki Yokoyama, who had been quiet in the first half, came alive on the wing. He created a chance with a pass to Solomon Sakuragawa in the 46th minute and troubled the opposition with a cross following a vertical breakthrough in the 48th minute. In the 50th minute, Yoshinori Muto met a cross from Kobe’s left at the far post for a decisive header, but Kim Jin Hyeon again produced a spectacular save, reaching out to deny Kobe any momentum. A golden opportunity arrived in the 62nd minute. Solomon Sakuragawa latched onto a long pass from Hayato Tanaka—making his first start since the opening day—and broke through the left for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. His powerful strike was on target but was parried by a fine save from Shuichi Gonda. Solomon Sakuragawa turned and shot again inside the penalty area in the 65th minute, but his effort narrowly missed the post. Manager Arthur Papas introduced key players early, including Motohiko Nakajima, Shinnosuke Hatanaka, Hayato Okuda, and Masaya Shibayama. From the middle to the end of the half, Nakajima and Shibayama accelerated the attack by finding space behind Kobe's press, but the opening goal remained elusive. The defense, which remained a back three despite the substitutions, held firm to secure a clean sheet. The match proceeded to a penalty shootout under the competition's special rules.





Cerezo took the first kick, with Kagawa stepping up as the first taker. After a brief pause, he calmly converted into the bottom left corner. Shunta Tanaka and Cools followed with successful kicks. Jin Hyeon then stopped Kobe’s third taker, Katsuya Nagato. For the fourth round, Nakajima scored emphatically for Cerezo, while Kobe’s Jean Patric missed the target, sealing the result. Following their victory in Matchday 8 at home, Cerezo again defeated Kobe via a shootout. This match, approached with 11 changes to the starting lineup, was a test of the team's collective depth. "By everyone contributing to a penalty win after a draw, we showed that everyone is prepared for the team," said Cools. Cerezo will now look to turn the two points gained at the home of Vissel Kobe—who have reached the ACLE semifinals and lead the J1 100 Year Vision League WEST—into confidence as they fight through the remaining three matches of the Golden Week.