Review: Cerezo Osaka 2-0 Urawa Reds (J1 MD21)

In a Midsummer Showdown, Foreign Players Shine as Cerezo Secures a Resounding Victory, Outperforming Urawa in Both Attack and Defense

Cerezo Osaka, who faced Omiya Ardija in the 3rd round of the Emperor's Cup just three days ago, took on Urawa Reds in the 21st round of the Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League. The starting lineup remained unchanged from the previous match against Sagan Tosu. With the exception of Capixaba, who played in the Omiya game, 10 players were substituted, gearing up for the final match before the summer break.


In the first half, Cerezo took control of the game. In the 4th minute, a side change by Ryosuke Shindo led to a combination between Kakeru Funaki, Capixaba, and a header from Leo Ceara, who came close to scoring from Capixaba's cross, and in the 8th minute, they succeeded in taking the lead. Mutsuki Kato, who broke through Urawa's right side after receiving Funaki's throw-in, managed to cross despite being marked by the opponent's defender, and Leo Ceara, who was left free in the middle, finished it with his right foot. With a goal in three consecutive official matches in July, Cerezo took the advantage with the strike of the "summer man" and continued to aggressively seek a second goal. In the 15th minute, they swiftly connected passes in the center from Leo Ceara's control, and finally, Seiya Maikuma rushed up the front line fiercely, creating a one-on-one scene with the goalkeeper, but unfortunately, his shot was saved by Shusaku Nishikawa. However, Cerezo's momentum didn't stop, and they added another goal after the drinks break in the 25th minute. They surrounded the ball in Urawa's frontline with Shinji Kagawa, Hinata Kida, and Koji Toriumi, quickly passed it to the right side, where Jordy Croux made a run. Croux dribbled the ball and then cut inside with his right foot, curling a shot with his left foot into a sublime trajectory that the goalkeeper couldn't reach. Cerezo relentlessly aimed at the space behind Urawa's defense, and in the 36th minute, they had another opportunity from Capixaba's dribble, but Jordy Croux encountered the opponent's defender's clearance just before taking the shot, and the goal was not scored. While they couldn't score the third goal, Cerezo maintained a compact formation defensively and played with a well-balanced approach in both attack and defense. Shinji Kagawa and Hinata Kida contributed to both ends of the pitch with exquisite positioning, limiting Urawa to just one shot and ending the first half in a dominant fashion.



At halftime, while Urawa made one substitution, Cerezo entered the second half without any changes. In the 48th minute, from Kagawa's corner kick, Shindo received the ball at the far post and crossed it back in, where Toriumi had a chance with a header, but it went over the crossbar. In the second half, Cerezo adopted a defensive posture as Urawa increased their ball possession, but they looked for a third goal through counterattacks and corner kicks, including Capixaba's breakthrough. The first clear opportunity in the second half came for Urawa. In the 59th minute, Cerezo's left side was exploited, and a well-placed shot from Jumpei Hayakawa, who came on in the second half, narrowly missed the target. In a period where the momentum seemed to favor Urawa, Cerezo coach Akio Kogiku made his first player substitution. Replacing Leo Ceara and Kato with Satoki Uejo and Tokuma Suzuki, shifting the system from a 4-5-1 to a 4-3-3 formation when defending. This change allowed Cerezo to strengthen the center in defense and create more space in ball possession. However, in the 76th minute, Urawa broke through Cerezo's left side, and eventually, it was judged that Funaki fouled an opponent, resulting in a penalty kick for Urawa. Facing this desperate situation, goalkeeper Yang Han Been stood tall. "I had analyzed the shooting direction in advance," he said, as he brilliantly saved the penalty kick from the penalty specialist Alexander Scholz. Revitalized by this big play, Cerezo had an opportunity in the 80th minute when substitute Sota Kitano aggressively won the ball with a press, triggering a quick counter. Uejo and Jordy Croux combined to create a scoring chance, but Kitano's right-footed shot narrowly missed the target, denying the third goal. Nonetheless, Cerezo held onto their two-goal lead and secured an impressive victory over 4th-placed Urawa. They succeeded in winning a direct confrontation against a top-tier team and closed the gap in points with the top three teams.


After securing a remarkable victory in the sold-out and electric atmosphere of the Yodoko Sakura Stadium, coach Kogiku expressed strong words, saying, "Our team still has room for growth. Individually, we have many players who can still improve. We want to continue growing together and during the break, while competing with each other." With the big match against Paris Saint-Germain FC approaching on the 28th, the team aims to enhance their overall strength through training and continue their journey towards the Emperor's Cup Round of 16 and the league matches after the break.