Review: Gamba Osaka 2-5 Cerezo Osaka (J1 MD1)

A five-goal win in the away Osaka derby! Arthur Papas got off to a great start in his first game with Cerezo.

The 2025 season has finally started. Cerezo Osaka kicked off the season with an away game in the Osaka Derby, which was also the opening game of the J.League. Cerezo's starting lineup included goalkeeper Kim Jin Hyeon, defenders Kakeru Funaki, Shinnosuke Hatanaka, Ryosuke Shindo, and Hayato Okuda (from left to right), Shinji Kagawa and Shunta Tanaka in central midfield, and Reiya Sakata, Sota Kitano, and Lucas Fernandes behind Rafael Ratao in a 4-2-3-1 formation.



From the beginning of the game, Cerezo took control of the ball and went on the offensive. Sakata, in his third year as a professional, made his first start in the season opener, and from the start of the game, he created a chance with a vertical move. In the 7th minute, Cerezo took the lead. It came through an ideal move, connecting from the back line without hesitation, and finishing the ball off. Hatanaka passed vertically to Kitano, who drew his opponent to pass the ball, and Funaki received the ball in the middle of the field and played it to Okuda on the opposite flank. Okuda's diagonal pass found Ratao, Kagawa, and finally Kitano, who eventually scored. It was not only the first goal of the season in this season's J.League, but also a memorable goal for Cerezo as it brought their total to 1200 goals in J1. This was a great start for the number 38, who was determined to “get results this year." Sakata also had a chance in the 12th minute after receiving a pass from Kitano, but was denied by the goalkeeper and failed to add to the tally.



Cerezo started well, but after 15 minutes the tempo of the game began to shift in Gamba's favor. They broke Cerezo's pressure from the front and played the ball down the flanks, and even had a chance to score when Cerezo misplaced a pass. Kim Jin Hyeon saved a shot from Takashi Usami in the 22nd minute, but Neta Lavi scored in the 31st minute after a breakaway on the left flank. The home crowd's excitement grew, but Cerezo had another golden opportunity in the 35th minute. As in the first goal, Cerezo's players combined passes from the back to move forward and break down the right flank, and finally, after a cross from Fernandes was put through by Ratao, Sakata was free to shoot. However, the ball did not find the back of the net and a great opportunity was wasted. In the last few minutes of the first half, Gamba again went on the attack, but were unable to turn the game around and went into the break all square.



Just 40 seconds into the second half, Cerezo scored the winning goal. Fernandes crossed the ball on the right side, and Kitano, who had no hesitation in taking the ball out of the defender's path, fired home. His shot hit the opposing defender and was sucked into the goal. Cerezo again outshot Gamba, and scored a third goal in the 53rd minute. The ball was passed to Sakata in good position on the left flank, who dribbled vertically, cut inside, and shot. Kagawa picked up the ball and calmly slotted it into the net past the goalkeeper. The first derby goal for the number 8, the symbol of the Sakura, increased Cerezo's lead to two goals. Although Gamba pulled one back shortly thereafter, it was captain Tanaka who got the momentum going again. He met Kitano's free kick with a high header for his team's fourth goal, which was also his second consecutive season-opening goal. From then on, both teams made changes to their lineups as the game progressed. In the 73rd minute, Takumi Nakamura replaced Okuda at right back and Thiago Andrade replaced Sakata on the left wing for Cerezo. In the 76th minute, Andrade received a pass from Kagawa and crossed into the middle. Kitano tried to meet it and almost had the decisive chance, but could not make a shot. Cerezo, who had been keeping Gamba out without conceding a goal, sent this man on to the pitch in the 82nd minute: Motohiko Nakajima who returned to Cerezo this season after spending three seasons on loan with Vegalta Sendai. Nakajima is uniquely strong in derbies, scoring goals not only in the Osaka derby but also in the “Michinoku derby” against Montedio Yamagata when he was at Sendai. In his first game back with Cerezo, he immediately lived up to the expectations of the supporters. In the added time of the second half, Nakajima picked up a ball after the opposing centerback failed to clear the ball, and the number 13 started to dribble toward the goal with a strong determination to score. He dribbled past two opposing defenders and fired a shot into the net. Cerezo supporters, who had turned one corner of the stadium pink, were elated by the fifth goal.







The game ended in a 5-2 victory for Cerezo. Arthur Papas' first match as manager finished with an excellent result. After the match, Kitano, the key player of the match, said with a big smile, “It's simply a great feeling. A derby victory is something else,” and Kagawa, who scored the third goal, also expressed his relief: “This year, I feel it is important how much I can get into the penalty area, so it was good to see the result of that." At the same time, however, Kagawa added, “This is just the beginning. I want to work towards the next game without being satisfied. The team will get better and better.” The manager himself expressed his delight, saying, “I know there were difficulties as we started working on a new style of football, but I am glad we were able to win in this way as a result of the players adapting to the new style,” while he also added “We've only just finished the first game. We want to grow even more from here." Cerezo started the season in the best possible way, with a great win in the Osaka derby at the opponents' home. Next up, they welcome Shonan Bellmare to Yodoko Sakura Stadium for their home opener, and will be looking to make it two wins in a row.