Review: Kawasaki Frontale 1-1 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD23)

After a difficult first half, the team fought back in the second half with a change of system. Vitor Bueno's skillful strike earned them a point.

Three days after the Emperor's Cup 3rd round match against Ventforet Kofu, Cerezo Osaka traveled to take on Kawasaki Frontale in the 23rd round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The starting lineup was changed from the Kofu match except for the defenders. From the previous league match against Tokyo Verdy, there was one change with Hayato Okuda replacing Reiya Sakata at right back.



Cerezo started the game well, with Lucas Fernandes playing a one-two with Shunta Tanaka on the right flank, but in the 4th minute Kawasaki evaded Cerezo's pressing and their strength, Marcinho on the left, created a crucial opportunity. Marcinho got the better of Okuda and passed to the middle of the pitch, allowing Yasuto Wakizaka to run on and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Kim Jin Hyeon reacted brilliantly to block the ball, which hit the crossbar. The guardian made a great save to prevent a goal in the early stages of the match. In the first half, however, Kawasaki's speedy dribbler could not be stopped and the team continued to fall behind. After Kawasaki created chances in the 19th and 23rd minutes, they scored in the 36th minute. Marcinho got behind a defender and found the back of the net. Kawasaki had another chance in the 38th minute. Ryota Oshima's pass again found Marcinho in good position, but again Kim Jin Hyeon made a great save, this time with his left hand. After the match, he said: "That's my job. That's what I have to do, make a stop at the very end." He provided strong support from the back for young defenders that included Okuda and Ryuya Nishio, who struggled with the situation. Despite a poor first half, Cerezo was able to keep the score to 0-1, but they failed to create any chances in attack and Tanaka's 11th-minute header from a Fernandes free-kick was saved by goalkeeper Jung Sung Ryong.





Manager Akio Kogiku analyzed the first half as follows, as he spoke after the match, and made changes from the start of the second half: "In the first half, we had problems with distance in both offense and defense. Especially in the attack, we could not attack well, and we lost the ball badly and were subjected to counterattacks, which is Kawasaki's weapon. In this situation, we needed to shorten the distance. Also, in the first half, we played a little too many long balls, so we brought in players who could receive the ball at their feet and in the box, and changed their standing position." The initial arrangement was a 4-3-3 with Tanaka as the anchor, and a 3-2-5 with Okuda, the right back, moving into the volante position when the ball was held up. The team attempted a reverse version of the formation shown at the beginning of the season, with Kyohei Noborizato moving to the center of the pitch. Masaya Shibayama, who replaced Satoki Uejo, took up a position behind the striker with Hiroaki Okuno to support Leo Ceara. In the 59th minute, Yuichi Hirano replaced Okuda. Tanaka dropped back to the DF line and moved up to the volante position when the ball was held up. This system change allowed the wingers to take up higher positions, and that is where the equalizer came from. In the 77th minute, Ceara played a pass from Kakeru Funaki to Capixaba, who crossed to the near post, and Vitor Bueno, who came on midway through the half, met it perfectly and sent it into the net. Soon after, Yu Kobayashi found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed as the ball had crossed the goal line earlier. Relieved, Cerezo pressed on until the end of the match. In the 87th minute, Capixaba found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after picking up a back pass from the opposing central defender, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.





In the added time of the second half, Nishio's participation in the attack gave Shibayama a great opportunity, but he could not get a shot off. The team came within one step of winning the game, but could not overcome the deficit. Nevertheless, "In the second half, we had a system and task that we had not had in a long time, but everyone fulfilled the roles they had played in the camp. I think that led to a great performance in the second half,” said the manager. The results of this week's matches left them 12 points behind leaders, FC Machida Zelvia, but it is too early to give up. The team will be looking to get a win in their last game before the break, a home match against Albirex Niigata, and stay in the championship hunt.