Review: Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD7)

Cerezo Osaka overwhelmed by Sanfrecce Hiroshima in attack and defense, suffering a 1-6 away defeat.

Five days after their first draw of the season against Tokyo Verdy, Cerezo Osaka traveled away to face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Matchweek 7 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. There were four changes to the starting lineup from the previous match. Solomon Sakuragawa and Hayato Okuda returned to the starting lineup after two games, Lucas Fernandes made his first league start of the season, and Javi Hernandez made his first start since joining the club, playing at left wingback.



Cerezo faced a series of dangerous situations from the opening minutes. After losing the ball in their own half and allowing Hiroshima to create clear chances in the 3rd and 6th minutes, Cerezo conceded three straight corners in the 7th, 8th and 9th minutes. During the third corner sequence, Jackson Irvine was penalized for handball inside the penalty area, and Akito Suzuki converted the resulting penalty to give Hiroshima the lead. Cerezo continued to struggle to move the ball forward under Hiroshima’s high press, and in the 18th minute, they conceded a second goal on a counterattack. In a matter of minutes, Cerezo found themselves two goals down away from home. Around the 30-minute mark, Cerezo pushed forward, with Shunta Tanaka winning the ball high up the field before Jackson fired a shot from distance, but those attacks were isolated. Hiroshima then resumed their relentless pressure toward the end of the half. In stoppage time, Hiroshima broke through down Cerezo’s left side and scored a third goal from a cross. It was truly a storm of a first half for Cerezo, who were repeatedly exposed to Hiroshima’s high press, quick transitions and sharp counterattacks.





Manager Pablo Machin switched to a back four at the start of the second half. The surprise change paid off initially, with Cerezo playing in Hiroshima’s half early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Jackson started a move that continued through Sakuragawa and Lucas, creating a chance and threatening the Hiroshima goal. However, just as the momentum began to shift toward Cerezo, Sakuragawa lost the ball in the attacking third in the 55th minute, allowing Hiroshima to launch a long counterattack. Shuto Nakano, who had surged forward from the right side of their three-man center-back line, finished the move to make it 4-0. Cerezo were stunned, and two minutes later they conceded a fifth goal. Kosuke Nakamura appeared to have cleared the ball away right on the goal line, but after a VAR review, the goal was awarded. With Cerezo trailing 0-5 after 57 minutes, manager Pablo Machin made four substitutions in the 62nd minute, bringing on Ayumu Ohata, Shinji Kagawa, Yumeki Yokoyama and Pablo Sabbag. With a fresh lineup looking to pull a goal back, Yokoyama drove forward with the ball in the 66th and 67th minutes, showing his ability to tear through the defense on his own. However, Cerezo continued to struggle with their finishing and could not find the goal that would have sparked a comeback. In the 78th minute, Dion Cools brought down an opponent inside Cerezo’s penalty area and conceded a penalty. Hiroshima converted their second penalty of the match to extend the lead to six goals. After being shown the full extent of Hiroshima’s strength, Cerezo finally pulled one back in stoppage time. Cools won the ball high up the field, and Uejo received Kagawa’s pass before striking with his right foot. He fired his trademark powerful shot from distance into the top-left corner to pull one back for Cerezo at the very end. Cerezo continued to attack in search of a second goal, but the final whistle brought the match to an end. They suffered a heavy 1-6 defeat.





For 90 minutes, Cerezo were continually overwhelmed by Hiroshima’s highly polished and intense style of soccer. As Jackson reflected, “I think the way we lost the ball in areas where we shouldn’t have lost it, and in areas where we weren’t organized, was reflected harshly in the result.” It was a match that left Cerezo with clear issues to address in how they gave the ball away and how they transitioned from attack to defense. Jackson also vowed to make improvements ahead of the next match: “There are things we need to correct on the field, so I want us to take a hard look at ourselves and get back on track.” Uejo, who scored a defiant golazo, also made his determination clear: “I just have to turn the page and use this goal to build momentum for the next game.” Cerezo will regroup as a team and prepare for their next away game against V-Varen Nagasaki.