Review: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD26)

Despite playing a tight game until the end, Cerezo were unable to win against archrival Hiroshima, losing crucial points in their pursuit of the top spots.

Three days after the previous match against FC Machida Zelvia, Cerezo Osaka went on the road to face Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the 26th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. Only three points were needed to stay in the top half of the standings. This was the first time to play at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. The starting lineup was the same 11 players from the previous week.

From the start, the game proceeded in Hiroshima's favor. Hiroshima pressed from high up the pitch, attacking from both sides, while Cerezo could not escape the pressure, leaving Leo Ceara alone up front. Cerezo had to hold on defensively for a while. However, after Cerezo denied Hiroshima’s chances, such as in the 16th minute when Koji Toriumi cleared a header by Mutsuki Kato, Cerezo had a big chance in the 17th minute. An exchange of passes between Kyohei Noborizato, Masaya Shibayama, and Hirotaka Tameda led to a break down the left flank and Tameda's cross was met by Lucas Fernandes at the far post, but his shot was cleared off the line by a Hiroshima defender. In the 29th minute, Toriumi again blocked a shot on the counterattack, and from the 30th minute onwards, Cerezo's possession outnumbered Hiroshima's and they continued to push forward. In the 41st minute, Ryuya Nishio crossed from the right flank after a pass from Shibayama, and Ceara met the ball at the near post, but the Hiroshima defender was too close to the ball and his shot was missed. The first half ended 0-0, and although Cerezo failed to score, they regained control of the match at the interval.







In the second half, Hiroshima continued to put pressure on Cerezo, but Cerezo soon regained control of the ball and managed to push their opponents down the pitch. In the 58th minute, Shibayama, Noborizato, and Tameda again attacked down the left flank. Noborizato penetrated deep into the opponents' half and fired a shot from no angle, but the ball failed to find the target. In the 60th minute, Fernandes, Ceara, and Shibayama broke down the right flank, and Nishio crossed from the near zone, but the ball was deflected in by a defender. Shibayama, who had been involved in many of the breakdowns, gradually became less accurate in his decision-making and showed signs of fatigue, and was replaced by Sota Kitano in the 66th minute. Hiroshima also made a change of two players just before then, and both managers began to make moves to take the lead in a highly competitive match. Cerezo defended hard, such as in the 70th minute when Kim Jin Hyeon made a good save from Kato’s powerful shot, and in the 74th minute when Hiroaki Okuno came back to cover. In the 76th minute, manager Akio Kogiku made two substitutions, bringing on Ryogo Yamasaki and Yuichi Hirano at the same time. However, the substitutions paid off for Hiroshima, as they took the lead in the 78th minute through Tolgay Arslan, a new international player for Hiroshima, who scored with a precise and powerful shot. Cerezo then sent on attackers Vitor Bueno and Reiya Sakata in an attempt to equalize, but the team's defensive imbalance was exploited and a second goal was scored in the 85th minute. The game was decided.







Cerezo continued to attack to the end, with Sakata dribbling through, but they were unable to get the better of the opponents, and the time ran out. "This was a painful loss for us," said manager Kogiku, biting his lip, "when we thought about our goal of competing for the top spots of the standings and eventually the league." With Machida also losing this week, the points gap at the top remained unchanged, but the gap to fifth-placed Vissel Kobe increased to seven points, a step down from the top group of the championship contenders. It was a painful loss for sure, but "nothing is decided yet, and we don't want to look down from here," said goalkeeper Kim Jin Hyeon. August is a crucial time for the team in terms of the season as a whole. They will return home to face Kyoto Sanga F.C. in their next match, hoping to get their first win in six league matches to break the status quo.