Review: FC Tokyo vs Cerezo Osaka (J1 100 Year Vision League Play-off Round 2nd Leg)

Cerezo secure 3-1 victory over FC Tokyo in Play-off Round Second Leg, finishing the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League in third place.

Six days after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, Cerezo Osaka traveled to MUFG Stadium (National Stadium) for the second leg of the Play-off round to contest third place in the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League against FC Tokyo. The starting lineup featured four changes from the first leg. Thiago Andrade and Ayumu Ohata, who were substituted due to injuries in the previous match, started on the bench, with Solomon Sakuragawa named as the lone striker and Kyohei Noborizato filling the left-back role. In the absence of Yumeki Yokoyama and Nelson Ishiwatari, who were away on European duty with the U-21 Japan National Team, Shion Homma and Shinji Kagawa earned starts, with Kagawa playing in the hole and Motohiko Nakajima as a holding midfielder.



Just five minutes in, FC Tokyo found the net from a corner, but the goal was disallowed following an on-field review that confirmed a handball by Marcelo Ryan. Then, in the 10th minute, Cerezo opened the scoring. Shinnosuke Hatanaka intercepted a vertical pass from the opposition center-back high up the pitch. Sending it forward with a first-time pass, Kagawa, Sakuragawa, and Shibayama combined with quick direct exchanges. Shibayama drew in his marker, shifted his timing with a slick double-touch, and slipped a right-footed pass into the space on the left. Homma surged onto the ball and calmly slotted a finish into the far corner, catching the advancing goalkeeper off balance. Carrying their momentum from the second half of the first leg, Cerezo took control of the match and created another clear opening in the 11th minute. Shibayama initiated the move, and from Homma’s pass, Kagawa exploited the pocket on the left to deliver a cross. Nakajima, having shaken off his marker to find freedom, met the ball at the far post, but his header went just wide. Cerezo continued to advance effectively while bypassing the opposition press. "It was an excellent first half where we moved fluidly, consistently occupied positions that troubled the opposition, and shifted the ball rapidly," Shunta Tanaka reflected. Amid this strong collective display, the heroics of their goalkeeper were also a major factor in preventing the momentum from swinging FC Tokyo's way. In the 32nd minute, FC Tokyo breached the center on a counterattack to carve out a golden opportunity, but Kosuke Nakamura produced a crucial save. Moments later, Cerezo doubled their advantage. Spotting Shibayama's run, Shunta Tanaka delivered a pass into the space behind. The ball took a deflection off the defender tracking Shibayama, and Sakuragawa reacted first to the loose ball before being brought down by the advancing goalkeeper, winning a penalty. Sakuragawa stepped up and converted it himself to double Cerezo's advantage. Nakamura produced another big save in the 39th minute, and in the 43rd minute, Cerezo claimed their third. From a short corner, Sakuragawa met Shibayama's cross with a towering header to power it home. With both attack and defense clicking perfectly into gear, Cerezo went into the interval with a commanding three-goal cushion.





Cerezo were again the first to threaten in the second half. In the 54th minute, Shibayama broke in behind onto a pass from Shunta Tanaka and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his delayed shot was kept out by a fine save, denying Cerezo a fourth goal. From that point, Cerezo faced a fierce onslaught from FC Tokyo, conceding in the 62nd minute when a misplaced pass in their own half triggered an opposition short counterattack. Cerezo subsequently struggled to contain left winger Kota Tawaratsumida, who came on in the 61st minute. The momentum remained firmly with FC Tokyo, who went close again in the 72nd minute when another substitute, Fuki Yamada, rattled the crossbar with a strike. Nevertheless, Manager Papas managed the game effectively with timely substitutions to alter the flow, causing the opposition's attacks to gradually subside. Despite spending most of the second half on the back foot, Cerezo carved out a major opportunity in the 89th minute when Takumi Nakamura received a pass from Thiago on a counterattack behind the line, though he could not fashion a shot. In second-half stoppage time, drama unfolded when Thiago brought down an opponent who had broken through, prompting the referee to initially point to the penalty spot. However, a VAR review overturned the decision due to a preceding offside, canceling the penalty. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cerezo closed out the match without allowing FC Tokyo another clear scoring opportunity, preserving their first-half advantage to seal a 3-1 win. Consequently, Cerezo outpaced EAST Group runners-up FC Tokyo with an aggregate score of 5-3 across the two legs, securing third place in the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League.





Shibayama, who registered two assists in this match, brought his total to seven, moving into a tie at the top of the assist rankings for the Meiji Yasuda J1 100 Year Vision League. "I am simply delighted," he smiled. After the match, Manager Papas praised the team, saying, "I am proud of the players and staff for finishing in third place." However, he also made his ambitions clear, adding, "But I am not satisfied," signaling his desire to reach even greater heights. Following a fruitful special tournament, the 2026/27 season will get underway in two months' time. Until then, the squad will take a short break before regrouping for the new season.