Review: Fujieda MYFC vs Cerezo Osaka (Levain Cup 1st Round 2nd Match)

Cerezo Osaka advance to the third match of the Levain Cup 1st Round after Lucas Fernandes scores one and assists another in a hard-fought battle in the rain.

Cerezo Osaka traveled to face Fujieda MYFC in the second round of the J.League Yamazaki Biscuit Levain Cup 1st Round. There were seven changes to the starting lineup from the most recent league match against V-Varen Nagasaki. Kosuke Nakamura started in goal, with Travis Takahashi, Rikito Inoue, and Javi Hernandez forming the back three from right to left. Takumi Nakamura started as the right wingback, while Reiya Sakata made his first official appearance of the season as the left wingback. Kosei Okazawa, who faced his former club, formed the midfield two with Shinji Kagawa. Lucas Fernandes and Thiago Andrade started as the two attacking midfielders, with Pablo Sabbag up front.



The match began in pouring rain, and Cerezo Osaka created chance after chance from the early stages. In the sixth minute, Cerezo broke down the right side and Lucas fired a shot. Two minutes later, Inoue won the ball high up the pitch, and Hernandez capped the move with a long-range effort. The Fujieda goalkeeper made a fine save, but it was a good shot that was on target. In the 13th minute, Sabbag flicked on a kick from Kosuke Nakamura, and Lucas had a go after receiving a pass from Thiago. Cerezo created a clear-cut chance in the 14th minute. The goalkeeper parried Sakata’s long-range shot, and the ball fell in front of Sabbag. He got to the ball, but his shot went wide. Ahead of the match, Okazawa had identified “not waiting for the opponent to take the initiative, but moving the game ourselves” as one of the keys to the match, and Cerezo Osaka showed exactly that from the early stages, pushing Fujieda back. However, as Cerezo failed to capitalize on their chances, Fujieda gradually began to carry the ball forward, and Cerezo found themselves under pressure at times. In the 21st minute, Fujieda created a clear-cut chance when a cross from the left was met by a header in the middle, but it sailed over the crossbar and Cerezo escaped the danger. In the 32nd minute, Fujieda got in behind on the left side of Cerezo’s half to create another chance, but Cerezo held firm. Then, in the 34th minute, Cerezo Osaka opened the scoring. Inoue made an excellent covering play to snuff out the danger, and the ball was worked through Okazawa and Kagawa before Takumi Nakamura played a through ball to Lucas. Lucas delivered an exquisite cross toward the far post, where Sabbag had found space through a clever piece of movement and headed the ball into the net. It was the No. 19’s first goal since joining Cerezo. He also showed his strengths throughout the match, including several occasions when he held up the ball and used his teammates intelligently. In the 41st minute, Takahashi had a clear chance following a corner, but his header narrowly missed the target.





Cerezo Osaka went into the second half with a one-goal lead. The first chance after the break also fell to Cerezo Osaka. In the 50th minute, the ball was worked through Kagawa, Lucas, and Thiago before Sabbag broke clear onto Thiago's pass and fired a shot. It was a move started by Kagawa, with the front three combining to work the ball into a shot. However, just a minute later, as Cerezo Osaka’s pressing from the front became less effective, Fujieda easily found space on the left side of Cerezo’s half and scored from the resulting cross. Cerezo Osaka had allowed Fujieda to exploit space on the flanks several times from the first half onward, and this time it finally resulted in a goal. Had the game continued at 1-1, it would have become a difficult game. Lucas immediately put an end to that danger. Takumi Nakamura quickly took a throw-in, and Lucas received the ball and drove forward. He drew a foul inside the opposition penalty area to win a penalty, then converted it himself to restore Cerezo Osaka’s lead just four minutes after the equalizer. In the 65th minute, Sakata cut inside from one of his trademark dribbles and fired a shot. It was a good chance, but the effort was blocked by a Fujieda defender. In the 69th minute, manager Pablo Machin made his first substitutions, replacing Kagawa and Sabbag with Shunta Tanaka and Yota Komi. The system remained unchanged, with the personnel simply being rotated. In the closing stages, Cerezo Osaka came under heavy pressure from Fujieda. They faced consecutive chances in the 76th and 78th minutes, but escaped the danger with clearances including one by Takahashi. In the 83rd minute, Ayumu Ohata, who had just come on as a substitute, injured his right knee after an opponent fell on him, forcing him to leave the pitch. Hayato Okuda came on in his place and played calmly. Fujieda continued to attack in stoppage time, but Inoue and Takahashi cleared crosses from the flanks to prevent an equalizer. Cerezo Osaka held on for a 2-1 victory and advanced to the third match of the 1st Round.





“It was a difficult one-off match, but I’m satisfied that we were able to win it,” said manager Pablo Machin. The challenge toward the summit began on the road. Cerezo Osaka took a strong first step forward together as a team in their pursuit of the Levain Cup title.