Review: FC Tokyo 3-0 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD38)

Cerezo were unable to win the last match of the season and Akio Kogiku's last match as manager.

Seven days after their last home match against Kashima Antlers, Cerezo Osaka faced FC Tokyo in the 38th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League. The team went to the Ajinomoto Stadium looking for a win in what would be the final match for manager Akio Kogiku, who will step down at the end of the season. There were two changes to the starting line-up from the previous match. Shunta Tanaka, who returned from suspension, started in the volante position, and for the first time in two matches, Sota Kitano started in the behind-the-striker position.



In the beginning, Cerezo moved the ball at a good pace and got into the opponent's territory. However, with Cerezo unable to get a shot on target, a counter-attack in the 5th minute resulted in a free kick that gave FC Tokyo a golden opportunity. Ryotaro Araki's kick was turned on the far side and a shot was taken in the middle, but the ball went just wide. FC Tokyo's counter-attack, which manager Kogiku had warned about before the match, led to another counter-attack in the 10th minute and a goal in the 13th minute. The second ball after a clearance was picked up and eventually scored by Teruhito Nakagawa. As Tanaka reflected after the match, "We were slower than our opponents in switching after losing possession," and Cerezo were slow to react to offensive and defensive changes, suffering from FC Tokyo's side attacks. After a series of dangerous situations towards the end of the first half, the second goal came in the 42nd minute. It was an unfortunate shot by the opponent that hit Ryosuke Shindo and changed direction, but it was also an accident caused by a second ball that was picked up and pushed further down the flanks. In attack, Kitano had two chances in the first half. In the 33rd minute, a pass from Lucas Fernandes allowed Leo Ceara to get behind a defender and pass to Kitano, whose shot was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 45th minute, he also had a chance to shoot from Fernandes' pass, but could not find the target. Ceara, who needed at least three goals to finish as top scorer, was unable to find the target. In the end, he had only one shot on target, which came from a pass by Okuno.





Masaya Shibayama replaced Kitano at the start of the second half. Cerezo went on the offensive in search of a goal, and in the 51st minute the decisive moment came. After a break down the right flank, Hayato Okuda and Tanaka combined to attack the middle of the field and Ceara fired a shot. The final shot was a decisive one, but was blocked by the excellent reaction of FC Tokyo goalkeeper Taishi Brandon Nozawa. Another chance came in the 52nd minute. A short counter-attack from a high position led to a cross from Capixaba that was met by Shibayama, but his shot was deflected wide. Cerezo had chances in the 57th and 58th minutes, but Ceara's shot was blocked by a defender and Shindo's close-range effort was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 63rd minute, when Oliveira, who is retiring at the end of the season, left the pitch, players from both teams lined up and applauded him off. Oliveira greeted manager Kogiku, Cerezo staff and players before returning to the FC Tokyo bench. At the same time, Cerezo made a change. Hiroto Yamada and Kyohei Noborizato replaced Fernandes and Capixaba, and Tameda moved up a line. Cerezo hoped to step up their attack from this point on, but despite having the ball, they were unable to penetrate their opponents' defense, and in the 88th minute, a corner kick led to a third goal, and all was lost. The final game of the season, and the last game of manager Kogiku's tenure at the club, did not end in victory.





Manager Kogiku cited "game control, intensity, and the ability to score" as the reasons for this week's defeat. Unfortunately, he was not able to celebrate his last game with a victory, but he left his final words to the players: "I want everyone to continue to build on this stable foundation, and I hope that everyone will continue to work towards the goal of winning the championship and a bright future. The team will now take a short break to recharge for the 2025 season, which begins in about a month. Finally, we would like to thank manager Kogiku for his 27 years of dedicated service to Cerezo, and wish him continued success in the future.