Review: Shonan Bellmare 1-2 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD31)

Despite conceding an early goal, ace Leo Ceara scored twice to secure a come-from-behind win and their first three points in nine league games.

Eight days after their last match against Vissel Kobe, Cerezo Osaka traveled to Shonan Bellmare in search of their first win in nine league games. There were three changes to the starting lineup from the previous week. Sota Kitano started for the second time this season after the match against Albirex Niigata in the seventh round, Hinata Kida started for the first time this season, and Hayato Okuda started for the first time in two matches.



Cerezo tried to “push forward without being pushed” (manager Akio Kogiku) based on the lessons learned from the previous game, but Shonan's aggressive play put Cerezo on the defensive from the outset. With a mismatch between the two teams' systems, Shonan were able to take advantage of the flanks, win a series of corner kicks, pick up the second balls, and unleash a wave of attacks. Cerezo successfully avoided conceding in the 2nd and 4th minutes thanks to Leo Ceara's blocking and Kim Jin Hyeon's good save. However, as Cerezo received a series of attacks, Akito Suzuki headed in from a free kick to put Shonan ahead in the 12th minute. The game looked like a repeat of the previous game, but “even after conceding a goal, we didn't break down and went at it ourselves, and once again we followed the game plan and tried to go from the front. The first goal came from a short counter attack following excellent defensive work from the front line,” as the manager recalled after the game. In the 21st minute, after a defensive move on the left side by Hirotaka Tameda and Lucas Fernandes, Fernandes carried the ball and broke through vertically. Fernandes advanced deep into the penalty area, where he ran at a defender and passed the ball to Leo Ceara, who broke free and pushed the ball into the net to make it 1-1. Three minutes later, Ceara skillfully trapped a long pass from Shunta Tanaka, used his body well to create a dribbling course, blew past the opposing defender, and advanced on goal. He then blasted the ball past the goalkeeper and kicked it into the goal to complete the comeback. "We have been conceding a lot lately, and we conceded again today, but we were able to show a different form than in the past,” said the number 9. He turned the game on its head with two goals, marking his 20th of the season. Shonan's momentum slowed down, and Cerezo were able to bounce back from their attacks with a solid block, and Kitano, who had shined in the front line with Ceara and Fernandes this match, was active.　Kitano showed his high skills in dribbling, passing, and trapping, and in the 29th minute, he himself dived behind the defense and came close to scoring a goal. In the 37th minute, he took a high position and sent a last pass to Ceara, creating a chance.





However, in the second half, they were again on the defensive. Shonan were able to move the ball and push up the field, and Shonan's turn continued, as Cerezo were unable to pick up the second ball. In the 61st minute, Cerezo had a great chance for a third goal. Kitano cut off an exchange of passes between the opposing defenders at a high position, and brought the ball into the box. However, Kitano's shot went just over the crossbar. Then, in the 62nd minute, a big blow came. Akito Suzuki's header from a cross hit the post. After another dangerous situation in the 64th minute, manager Kogiku brought on Ryosuke Shindo in the 65th minute to switch to a 5-4-1 system. The team's numerical inferiority on the flanks was firmly covered, and the number of players inside the box was increased to close out the game. Shindo made his first league appearance of the season. He came on in a numbing situation, but he was able to stabilize the defense in the center of the back three, and in the 75th minute, his team had a decisive chance on a counter attack. However, the opposing goalkeeper made a good save, and Tameda was unable to finish it off. From this point on, both sides made substitutions, and as the battle for a goal heated up, Cerezo's Reiya Sakata and Ryogo Yamasaki, who both came on during the game, had chances to score, and there were also some close calls, but they managed to hold on and the game ended 2-1. It was the first come-from-behind victory in nearly two years and two months.





In addition to getting the three points that they had wanted more than anything else, they also got multiple goals from their ace, Kitano showed signs of awakening, and a number of players who had been injured this season returned to the lineup. After the game, the players looked relieved to have won for the first time in nine games, and they hope to add more points to their tally from this point on. The next game will be at home against Kashiwa Reysol. The team will be ready to “share the joy of victory with our supporters at home for the first time in a long time,” said manager Kogiku.