[C Osaka]Manager Akio Kogiku: “That doesn’t matter.” Even though the schedule was forced to take place on the second day of the middle school season, they defeated Urawa and achieved two consecutive wins – J1: Nikkan Sports

Cerezo Osaka defeated Urawa Reds on enemy territory. With two consecutive wins, they increased their points to 48 and moved up from 9th place in the previous round to 8th place provisionally. This is their third consecutive victory in a match against Urawa, which had a good matchup.

Coach Akio Kogiku (49) first praised the players, saying, “They did their best until the end. They showed a strong desire to win and extend their winning streak.”

While Urawa held the ball, they countered with an organized defense that included pressing from the front. In the first half, they found a rhythm as time passed, and they took the lead with a right volley from midfielder Daiki Tameda (31) following a corner kick from midfielder Lucas Fernandez (30). In the second half, they became more defensive, but they tenaciously defended this one point.

“Normally, I would like to deliver an aggressive attack and defense every game, but today I thought game control would be a very important point,” the coach said.

Based on solid defense, they also launched counterattacks, and as evidenced by their first three consecutive games without conceding a goal this season, they were able to win with the tactics that Cerezo Osaka was good at. He was able to show his skill in adapting to the situation.

It’s been 2 days since the match against Gamba Osaka on the 2nd of the previous round, where they achieved a complete victory both offensively and defensively, albeit 1-0. There were no changes to the starting lineup. It is said that some players, including Lucas, were worried because their conditions were not good.

Coach Kogiku, who was appointed midway in August 2021, made a difficult decision heading into the match against Urawa.

“I was worried until the very end about who would be the starting pitcher. I announce the lineup the day before the game, but in fact, for the first time in three years since I took over as coach, I announced it to the players at a midday meeting today. Although some players are suffering from injuries, we want to continue the flow of the Osaka Derby. We will do our best in the first half and replace (with another player) if we get tired, and we will do everything we can to win.”

The players lived up to those expectations, and he once again praised the team’s victory, saying, “The bond between everyone was strong.”

Cerezo Osaka took the lead in April, but since July they have gone winless in eight games, including four consecutive losses, and have temporarily fallen to 12th place. Even so, Coach Kogiku has declared, “I want to make a V-shaped recovery,” with three wins and one draw in the last four games.

I actually said this to the players in the waiting room after the Osaka derby match last week.

“If we can play today’s soccer, we can play the leading role one more time like we did in the first half. We can win all the games (in the remaining games). So, of course, the away game (against Urawa) on the second day of middle school will be tough. But that doesn’t matter.”

If the coach’s goal is achieved, they will win all their remaining five games, finishing with seven straight wins and increasing their points to 63.

Depending on the results of Sanfrecce Hiroshima in first place and Vissel Kobe in second place on the 6th, the possibility of Cerebro Osaka coming from behind to win will be completely eliminated, but they may be able to reach around 4th place. Kogiku Cerezo, who placed 5th in 2022 and 9th in 2023, will mount a fierce counterattack.

[J1]Complete victory over Kashima 4-0 Niigata, Kawasaki F also defeats Machida with 4 shots, Gamba Osaka comes back in second half stoppage time/Score details