Review: Cerezo Osaka 0-0 FC Machida Zelvia (J1 MD25)

The game at home against the league leaders ended in a scoreless draw. Despite a good game, Cerezo were not able to decrease the point difference.

The Meiji Yasuda J1 League resumed after a two and a half week break. Cerezo Osaka welcomed top-ranked FC Machida Zelvia at home for the matchday 25. The starting lineup was changed by three players from the previous match. Masaya Shibayama came into the starting lineup at the behind-the-striker position, with Hirotaka Tameda replacing the injured Capixaba, and Ryuya Nishio, who returned from the Paris Olympics, starting at right back.



In their last two matches, against Kawasaki Frontale and Albirex Niigata, Cerzo failed to get into the game in the first half and allowed their opponents to take the lead, but this time they showed a tighter game, competing well against Oh Se Hun, who was a target for their opponents' passes, and blocking Shota Fujio's shot. They were able to keep the ball out of the path of Na Sang Ho and Yuki Soma, who were marked by Kyohei Noborizato and Nishio, and did not allow them to break through easily. Although Machida's momentum overwhelmed Cerezo in the beginning, they gradually gained the upper hand in possession and increased their time of possession to push back. The key player was Noborizato, who returned from injury. He was in much better shape than in the previous match against Niigata, and was able to create chances by moving into a more central position to create time and pass at a high tempo. Shibayama and Hiroaki Okuno also linked effectively with Leo Ceara, and Tameda also took advantage of the left flank, and the attack from the middle to the end of the first half was impressive. However, Machida's first real chance of the match came in the 34th minute, when a long ball from goalkeeper Kosei Tani was met by right-back Henry Heroki Mochizuki, and Na Sang Ho's cross was met by Oh Se Hun's header, but goalkeeper Kim Jin Hyun made a fine save. Nishio's efforts to get closer to block his opponents were also a big factor. "There are a lot of players who are good at competing with each other. I was focusing on how to deal with crosses," he said after the match. In the 38th minute, Cerezo had a chance to score. Lucas Fernandes took the ball in high position and passed to Okuno, who found Leo Ceara, and the ace unleashed a powerful shot into the far corner, but he was just offside and the goal was disallowed.





After a first half in which they were able to show their offensive and defensive intentions in their fourth match with Machida this season, including their handling of set pieces, Cerezo won a series of set pieces at the start of the second half. On the defensive side, Soma kept sending in crosses from the side, but Koji Toriumi and Kakeru Funaki did an excellent job of deflecting them away. In the 64th minute, manager Akio Kogiku made his first substitution. Ryogo Yamasaki replaced Fernandes, who had received a yellow card, and Shibayama was moved to the right flank, leaving Yamasaki to pair up with Ceara up front. In the 70th minute, Nishio's header from Shibayama's free kick went just over the crossbar. Midway through the second half, the team had to withstand an attack from Machida, who had made three changes to the midfield and was looking for a goal. However, Cerezo held firm and did not allow Machida to score, with Funaki saying, "Everyone was focused on the ball and everyone was responsible for the defense in front of the goal, including the battle for the ball." Towards the end of the match, Cerezo had chances of their own. Sota Kitano, who came on as a substitute, came close to scoring with a sharp move, but was denied by the Machida defense at the last moment. In second half stoppage time, Cerezo launched a counterattack from a corner kick. Shunta Tanaka latched onto Okuno's pass, but was denied by a last-ditch challenge.Soon after, Machida went on the counter and finally Erik latched onto a pass from Mitchell Duke, but he could not quite meet it.





After the game, manager Kogiku reflected, "We played a highly intense and exciting game in which our style and Machida's style clashed head-to-head," and rival manager Go Kuroda summed up the game by saying, "It was a nice game worth watching. Cerezo's excellent effort brought out the best in us." Even though no goals were scored, there is no doubt that it was a heated match. However, as Cerezo trails Machida by 12 points at the top of the standings, they desperately needed three points to close the gap. "We had to show that we were determined and ready to win the league. Considering the importance of the head-to-head matchup, it was a bit of a waste," reflected Noborizato. Still, it is important to take what they showed offensively and defensively in this match to the next match and beyond. The team will need to recover both physically and mentally for the away game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, which will be played in three days.