Review: Vissel Kobe 2-1 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD30)

The back three that was prepared during the break did not work, and two goals were conceded in the first 11 minutes, resulting in a complete defeat to Kobe and extending the losing streak to 4 games.

It was the first official match in about three weeks since the Meiji Yasuda J1 League match against Yokohama F. Marinos. Cerezo Osaka went on the road to face Vissel Kobe in the 30th match of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The starting lineup was changed by two players from the Yokohama FM match. Hiroaki Okuno and Kyohei Noborizato both returned to the starting lineup after two matches. Capixaba returned to the bench, and Hinata Kida and Ryosuke Shindo also started from the bench for the first time this season.

In this match, Cerezo adopted a back three from the start of the match “based on the current situation of multiple goals conceded and Kobe's strength” (manager Akio Kogiku). The back three of Kakeru Funaki, Ryuya Nishio, and Koji Toriumi, with Noborizato at left wing back, Lucas Fernandes at right wing back, Okuno and Shunta Tanaka in the double-volante lineup, and Hirotaka Tameda and Vitor Bueno behind Leo Ceara at the top, played in a 3-4-2-1. However, Kobe were on the offensive early on, scoring a goal in the 2nd minute off a corner kick. In the 11th minute, Yuya Osako kept the ball, and Rikuto Hirose scored with a shot from the mid-range that crawled into the net. After the game, the manager and players reflected on how “the game plan had been disrupted by the early goal,” but from this point on, Cerezo were unable to unify their efforts on the pitch, and Kobe completely took control of the game. After the drinking water time, the team reverted to the 4-2-3-1 (4-4-2 in defense) that they had used in the previous games, but once the wheels went haywire, they would not return easily. The team's pressing from the front didn't work well, and when Kobe easily carried the ball, crosses from the flanks and passes to the back caused many crucial situations. However, Nishio and Noborizato did their best to avoid the danger, and thanks to a few missed shots by the opponents, the first half ended without a third goal.





At the start of the second half, manager Kogiku made three changes. Capixaba, Sota Kitano, and Hayato Okuda were introduced in place of Tameida, Bueno, and Funaki. In the 47th minute, Okuda led the way for Fernandes, Ceara, and finally Okuno, who fired a shot from outside the box. In the 49th minute, Kitano pressed high, won the ball, brought it in himself, and shot from an angle, which was blocked by a defender, but Cerezo pulled one back with the resulting corner kick. Ceara met Fernandes' kick with a high header and found the back of the net for his 18th goal of the season, taking him back to the top of the scoring charts. Cerezo started the second half in the opposite way from the first half, hoping to equalize at once, but after scoring, they were unable to make the decisive moves they wanted and instead gave Kobe the decisive chances in the 75th and 76th minutes. After goalkeeper Kim Jin Hyeon made great saves on both occasions to prevent another goal conceded, Cerezo revitalized themselves again in the final minutes, with Hinata Kida and Fernandes going close in the 86th minute after a cross from Capixaba. Also in the 87th minute, Okuda's cross was met on the far side by Capixaba as they looked for an equalizer.







In the end, Cerezo could not catch up and lost 1-2, but as their manager reflected, “Even though we were down 0-2 in the first half, the players did not give up until the end, and in the second half, the young players showed a great performance." Kitano, who came on at the start of the second half, led the team in attack and defense, and Okuda invigorated the flanks with his attacking flair, while Kida made his first league appearance of the season in the 77th minute. The team's current predicament has not changed with four consecutive losses for the first time in 18 years (since 2006), but as Nishio said, “The only way to change the situation is for the players to express ourselves on the pitch." The next game away against Shonan Bellmare will be the only time they can stop the losing streak and move forward with three points after nine games.