Review: Cerezo Osaka 0-1 Avispa Fukuoka (J1 MD19)

Early conceding goals weigh heavily as Fukuoka's solid defense remains unbreakable, resulting in a painful 1-0 defeat in pursuit of the top positions.

After their resounding 4-1 victory against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the previous match, with only a five-day break, Cerezo Osaka faced Avispa Fukuoka at home in the "Friday Night J-League." There was one change in the starting lineup from the previous match, with Matej Jonjic replacing the injured Seiya Maikuma and making his first start in seven games. Ryosuke Shindo moved to the right full-back position.


Cerezo had control of the ball from the start, but they struggled to advance it effectively against Fukuoka's aggressive pressing. Jordy Croux found himself isolated on the makeshift right side. There were few effective passes reaching midfielders Hinata Kida and Shinji Kagawa, and minimal opportunities to deliver accurate passes to the left side or forward line. Unable to find attacking solutions, they conceded a goal in the 22nd minute. From a second-phase attack following a corner kick, the ball was switched to the left side, and Lukian headed it in after Takeshi Kanamori's breakthrough and cross. It was a regrettable goal considering they had two players marking Kanamori. Fukuoka further strengthened their solid and swift defensive approach from that point on. Cerezo faced another dangerous counter-attack in the 28th minute, but Koji Toriumi made a crucial block. As they prevented a second goal, they finally had their first scoring opportunity in the 37th minute. From a throw-in sequence, Leo Ceara received a pass from Kida and took a shot inside the penalty area, but it was blocked by a defender. In the end, that was Cerezo's only shot in the first half. They struggled to create promising attacking plays, and the first half concluded after 45 minutes.


The second half continued with Fukuoka maintaining control of the game. Cerezo struggled to find a breakthrough and couldn't convert their chances into shots. However, in the 60th minute, they capitalized on an opponent's mistake, and Mutsuki Kato made a diving attempt to connect with Kakeru Funaki's cross. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a goal. From this point, the momentum started to shift in Cerezo's favor. In the 64th minute, Jordy Croux had a golden opportunity as he leaped to meet Kato's cross from the side, but he couldn't convert, and the score remained level. They had another chance in the 69th minute when Capixaba crossed from the far side, and Kato delivered a pass inside the box for Shindo to strike, but his powerful shot went over the crossbar. Shindo had four shots in the second half alone, demonstrating a strong desire to score, including set-piece situations.


In the 77th minute, Manager Akio Kogiku made a triple substitution, bringing on Ryosuke Yamanaka, Satoki Uejo, and Sota Kitano. Utilizing their crossing ability and mobility, they tried to break through Fukuoka's defense, which had switched to a five-back formation. However, they couldn't overcome Fukuoka's reinforced defense. In the 83rd minute, Ryuya Nishio came on for Kida, and Shindo was pushed forward to bolster the attacking power. However, they struggled to gather the ball as desired and couldn't create clear-cut chances. In the second half, Cerezo largely controlled the game in the opponent's half, limiting Fukuoka to only one shot, but couldn't overturn the situation affected by "the weight of conceding in the first half" (Manager Kogiku). The match ended 0-1, halting Cerezo's winning streak at two and inflicting a painful defeat as they aimed for the top positions. "We didn't become complacent or overly optimistic despite gaining confidence from the Sapporo match. Our inability to win is a reflection of our own abilities. We want to prepare thoroughly together for the next match," commented Shinji Kagawa. They now look forward to regrouping and raising their spirits as they head into the next match against Sagan Tosu away from home.