Cerezo Osaka's match, attracting a crowd of 40,761 at home

Sec. 8 of the league, which comes just two days after the Nabisco Cup. Cerezo Osaka will face them at home. In the Nabisco Kobe match, Muto scored his first professional goal. And Edu and Hirayama, the "players who should score," scored goals and kept the first clean sheet of the season. Although there was only one day of preparation for this match, we will connect the good momentum and sense of accomplishment to the league match and aim for victory as a united team.

Cerezo Osaka, who are currently in 8th place with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses. As you may know, they have welcomed Ranko POPOVIC as their new coach this season, and new signings include forward DERLAN, midfielder PETROVIC, and defender Charles NDUKA. Under coach POPOVIC, they aim to extend their playing time by dominating the ball in addition to their previous speedy style, and they are also aiming for the league title.
At the same time, MF Minamino, Hasegawa, and DF Yamashita were selected for the Japan national team. And with FW Kakitani and MF Yamaguchi, it can be said that they are currently the most attention-grabbing team.

Will Masimo Tokyo try to defend against C Osaka or try to engage in a shootout? The way they fight will also be one of the highlights. Tokyo has GK Kanda. The DF line has the same members as the Kobe match. In the midfield, Takahashi is the anchor, Yonemoto and Higashi serve as inside halves, and the front line consists of Edu and Hirayama as the two top players. They will face the match with Kono in the attacking midfield position.

Covered by clouds and feeling a chill that doesn't seem like spring, Ajinomoto Stadium gathered its largest crowd of the season with 40,761 attendees.
The match started with C Osaka's kickoff, with an impressive total of 5.5 million visitors expected for the league.

Intense battles continue on both offense and defense

Both teams showcased their strengths from the beginning. C Osaka gathered the ball in the front and attacked with fullbacks positioned high, while Tokyo also had a quick start with a high awareness of pressing and second balls from the front, resulting in an intense offensive and defensive battle. Amidst the continuous battle for possession, in the 10th minute, Tokunaga persistently picked up the opponent's clearance and connected with Yoshimoto, who took a middle shot. In the 17th minute, Kono's through pass reached Hirayama in the left area. In the 20th minute, Edu in the center attempted to score from Yoshimoto's pass, but neither of them could finish.

Gradually allowing the opponent to dominate the ball, in the 24th minute, Cerezo Osaka's right back, Sakamoto, made an early cross, and MF Sugimoto, who jumped near the goal, headed the ball but it was saved by the goalkeeper and resulted in a corner kick. On the contrary, in the 28th minute, Tokyo created a decisive opportunity from a quick transition. Yonemoto advanced to the right area and passed directly to the center. Hirayama neatly dropped the ball and Higashi, near the area, took a shot but... it grazed the goalkeeper and the post, resulting in a corner kick. Immediately after, Edu attempted a header from Ota's corner kick but was blocked by the goalkeeper.

While displaying an aggressive attitude together, they did not lose their tenacity in defense. In the additional time of the first half, they tried to launch a counterattack from Kono's interception, but it was stopped by Hirayama, and instead they were hit by a counterattack from C Osaka. FW Forlan, who had jumped out to the front line, was in a shooting position, but Yoshimoto blocked him with his whole body! Although C Osaka had 8 shots compared to Tokyo's 5 shots, they prevented goals with a spirited fight and ended the first half with a scoreless draw.

Turn on the attack switch and seize victory with goals from Hirayama and Muto

The second half continued with a heated battle from the start. In the 50th minute, Higashi dribbled into the left area. He feinted past the opponent's defender, but his shot hit Cerezo Osaka's defender Yamashita and went to the center of the area. Yonemoto ran in and took a shot that could be considered decisive, but it went slightly to the left. In the 55th minute, Yonemoto fiercely pressed the opponent's defender, resulting in a throw-in. From here, Edu in the center tried to get into a shooting position but was blocked... C Osaka countered. FW Kakitani dribbled up freely and passed to FW Forlan in the center from the right area, who then crossed it back to FW Kakitani, but his header missed the target and they escaped the danger.

In the midst of a rapid exchange of offense and defense, in the 57th minute, Mutoh replaced Edu. In order to speed up the attack, in the 66th minute, Ota passed to Mutoh on the left side, and Ota again bypassed the opposing DF on the left side and broke through to a high position outside the area. From here, a negative pass, and Hirayama in front of the goal directly scored a goal!! With this consecutive goal following the Kobe match, Hirayama took the lead.

Immediately afterwards, Mutoh feinted the opponent's DF on the left side and broke through vertically in a similar way. He directly followed up with a minus cross from a close distance to the goal, but... it went wide to the left. In the 69th minute, Kono broke through to the right area but did not take a shot and passed it to Yonemoto in the center. However, Yonemoto's return pass from here did not go through... missing the chance for an additional point. In the 72nd minute, Mita was substituted for Kono, and the formation changed to 4-4-2. Cerezo Osaka also replaced FW Forlan with MF Ogihara in the defensive midfield. MF Hasegawa moved to the side, and MF Sugimoto moved to the front line.

However, Tokyo further increased the tempo, and in the 77th minute, Muto broke free from the opponent's encirclement on the sideline, taking advantage of his strength on the left side from the flow of a left throw-in. Mita followed up with a one-touch pass to Takahashi, who had advanced outside the left area. Takahashi made a direct heel pass to Muto, who had entered the area from the inside. Muto calmly aimed and scored a shot that went through the goalkeeper's legs! With a flowing combination, Muto scored another consecutive goal and added to the score.

Cerezo Osaka, who faced a counterattack in the final stage, allowed an offensive from a set play. However, everyone defended with determination and focus, and the time was up. The substitution strategy also worked, scoring two goals and keeping a clean sheet in defense, resulting in a perfect victory with 3 points.

[Player Comments]
《Hirayama》
"While we were both trying to launch good attacks, it was a tight game. It was good that we were able to end the first half with a 0-0 score. The goal came from a good ball by Ota. I had a gut feeling that if I could put it in front, I could score. Today was also a special match for me. It was a bit of a special feeling to play against people I have learned a lot from. We were able to win, but I think Coach Popovic would say, 'Don't be satisfied here. Keep working harder.' I want to respond not only as a way of repaying, but also to meet the expectations of Coach Petrovic's selection. I want to continue to work hard to score goals and contribute to the team's victories in the future."

《Yoshimoto》
"I wanted to win especially when so many people came to watch. Personally, I focused on not making mistakes and playing reliably. Regarding defense, I think the three players, center back and anchor, were able to coordinate well. Right now, I am trying to showcase my own strengths while doing what the team needs to do. Today's C Osaka had a different type of attacking lineup than before, with many players who could break through the defense. I wanted to contain those different types of players and I had confidence."

[Summary of Massimo FICCADENTI's press conference]
"It was a passionate game. C Osaka is undoubtedly a top-class team in terms of technique. However, the first half and the second half had completely different developments. In the first half, we played compactly, but as time passed, both teams became stretched out and spaces were created. At that time, we were able to launch our attacks. We scored the opening goal and continued to threaten near the goal, and we also scored the second goal. The players showed fantastic performances, and we could sense their desire to win. To win a game like today's, a good performance is necessary, and the players showed that to us."

[Cerezo Osaka - Coach Ranko POPOVIC Press Conference Summary]
"Both teams were waiting for each other's mistakes. We couldn't take advantage of the opponent's mistakes, and we couldn't finish the chances we created by breaking them down. I think we lacked the ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities and mistakes. It is necessary to analyze whether it is due to fatigue accumulation in a tight schedule or if there are other problems, but I also felt that there was a lack of agility in the body when finishing or breaking down the opponent. The players had strong determination for this match, and in the first half, we showed what we wanted to see, but in the second half, we lost the ball in a situation where we shouldn't have, and conceded from there. There are no excuses, but it is a fact that fatigue is accumulating, and the lack of agility in the body can also lead to a decrease in accuracy. Even in such circumstances, we created scoring opportunities. We need to play more effectively to convert them into results. We need to be more conscious of our finishing ability and decision-making in crucial moments and raise the quality. However, I am grateful that both teams' supporters came here and we were able to fight in the best atmosphere. I think it was a match where we could bring out each other's strengths until the end."