Review: Mito Hollyhock vs Cerezo Osaka (Levain Cup 1st Round 4th Match)

Cerezo advance to the Prime Round with a 3-1 win, thanks to Takumi Nakamura’s opener and Solomon Sakuragawa’s brace.

Two days after their Meiji Yasuda J1 League Matchweek 12 game against JEF United Chiba, Cerezo Osaka faced Mito Hollyhock in the fourth match of the J.League Yamazaki Biscuits Levain Cup’s First Round. The match was played at Mito Shinkin Bank Stadium, Mito’s home ground. Cerezo made seven changes to the starting lineup from the Chiba match. Travis Takahashi, facing his former club, continued to play in the middle of the back three, while Satoki Uejo wore the captain’s armband.



Cerezo controlled possession from the start, but Mito defended with five players at the back, and Cerezo struggled to get shots away. In the 7th minute, Mito threatened from a corner, but the header sailed over the crossbar. Cerezo then suffered a setback. Yumeki Yokoyama injured his ankle in the 11th minute and could not continue, so Lucas Fernandes came on in his place in the 17th minute. In the 21st minute, another Mito corner led to danger. Rei Ieizumi unleashed a powerful shot after a loose ball fell his way, but it struck the crossbar, sparing Cerezo from conceding. As the first half progressed, Takahashi increasingly found himself up against Mito’s lone striker, Patryck, but Cerezo managed to hold on. In the 31st minute, they created their first shot of the match—and their first clear chance. Kosei Okazawa played a forward pass, which Solomon Sakuragawa laid off for Uejo. Uejo shot after receiving Lucas’s pass, but his effort narrowly cleared the crossbar despite Cerezo having worked the ball into an excellent position. Another big chance followed in the 32nd minute. Okazawa again initiated the move, switching play out to the right. Takumi Nakamura crossed, with Uejo attacking the near post and Sakuragawa the far post, but Sakuragawa’s shot was blocked by a defender. Cerezo then took the lead from the resulting corner. Lucas’s delivery was cleared at the near post, but he recovered the ball and dribbled into the penalty area. An opponent poked the ball away, and Jackson Irvine shot from the loose ball. His effort struck the post and rebounded to Nakamura, who hit it first time and expertly found the far side of the net. It was Nakamura’s first goal for Cerezo in his second season with the club, and a valuable breakthrough in a tightly contested match.





Cerezo went into the second half a goal ahead, but conceded almost immediately. They lost possession in the middle of the pitch and were hit on the counter. Takahashi ran alongside Patryck as he broke forward but could not stop him, allowing the striker to carry the ball into the penalty area and score. Takahashi was highly motivated against his former club, but was beaten by Patryck’s pace in this situation. After the match, he reflected, “If I lose that battle, there’s no point in me being out there. I need to take much more responsibility.” Mito gained momentum and broke down Cerezo’s left side in the 53rd minute before sending in a cross, but Hayato Okuda, who had started as one of the three center backs, cleared the ball to avert the danger. Cerezo then retook the lead in the 56th minute. Okazawa cut inside from the left and drew the opposing defenders before passing to Javi Hernandez, who was free on the far outside. Javi delivered a measured cross to the far post, and Sakuragawa, moving backward, twisted his body well to make contact with a header and guide the ball into the net. Mito continued to attack, however, and in the 67th minute they produced a dangerous shot from close range. Goalkeeper Kosuke Nakamura reacted brilliantly to get a hand to it and make a superb save. He then collected the rebound after it struck the post, roaring with a fist pump. Immediately after surviving that major scare, Cerezo scored their third goal. Once again, the move began on the left. Reiya Sakata received a pass from Javi, cut inside and crossed with his right foot. Sakuragawa shot first time. The goalkeeper saved his initial effort, but Sakuragawa collected the rebound himself and forced it into the net. The goal took the sting out of Mito’s attack, and Cerezo controlled the match from then on, dominating their opponents while looking for a fourth goal. Mito received several yellow cards late in the match, and Cerezo ultimately demonstrated their superiority to win 3-1 and advance to the Levain Cup Prime Round.





Sakuragawa, who scored twice, reflected, “It’s important to keep winning in cup competitions, so I’m glad we saw this one through.” He added, “We just have to keep working so we can see games through to victory in the league as well.” Cerezo’s next league match is away to Kashima Antlers in two days. The schedule is demanding, but the team will focus on recovery and work together to secure their first league win in eight matches.