Cerezo Osaka (J1) scored three goals against Nagoya Grampus (J1) to advance to the semi-finals. It was a match that spotlighted Cerezo’s solid defence and intense playing style, which were implemented by their new coach, KOGIKU Akio, who took over the helm in August of this year. Nagoya on the other hand, conceded two goals from set pieces in back to back matches while lacking quality in the final third.

C.Osaka rotated most of their core players including OKUBO Yoshito and made a drastic change to their starting line-up. Their plan was to preserve their main players ahead of the rematch against Nagoya in the J.League YBC Levain Cup final, which was coming up on Saturday 30. With the new looking line-up, C.Osaka tightly marked Nagoya’s lone striker Jakub SWIERCZOK and left winger MATEUS to deny them from initiating their offence. While Nagoya struggled to deliver the ball upfront, C.Osaka’s TORIUMI Koji and TIAGO scored back to back goals in the 32nd and 38th minute respectively to give Cerezo a 2-0 lead at halftime.

In efforts to rally back, Nagoya’s coach Massimo FICCADENTI made three substitutions in the 52nd minute, shifted MORISHITA Ryoya to the centre, and started to rely heavily on cross balls, but couldn’t seem to change the dynamics of the match. With Adam TAGGART scoring the third goal in the 62nd minute, Cerezo sealed the deal to advance to the Emperor's Cup semi-finals.

C.Osaka was riding high with two consecutive wins between the Levain Cup semi-finals and the J.League, while Nagoya was coming off a lacklustre performance against Vissel Kobe, who they are competing for third place in the league.

Although the accumulated fatigue from playing consecutive matches cannot be ignored, the fact that C.Osaka, who rotated their main players, won against Nagoya, who played with their full squad, will have a great impact on Cerezo’s team atmosphere for the future matches.

Coaches and Players' Comments

KOGIKU Akio, Coach (Cerezo Osaka)
To be honest, I had a hard time choosing the players for today. There were a lot of players who hadn't played in an official game for a long time, but I chose them because I trusted their power and willingness to play and win the match. I am happy to see that all the players gave 100% to display what we have built up as a team while showcasing great discipline in both offence and defence. I am proud that we were able to win the match with a worthy performance.

OKUNO Hiroaki (Cerezo Osaka)
The entire team has prepared well for today's match. Despite the shaky start, we managed to settle down as time went by and score the opener from a set piece, which was something we had prepared for this match. I think we were able to win because we had a clear idea of what we needed to do as a team and each one of us prepared well on a daily basis.

Massimo FICCADENTI, Coach (Nagoya Grampus)
It was a difficult match. It is a shame that we were beaten by an opponent we were fully prepared for. C.Osaka came out playing in an unexpected way, but our players played hard and showed great enthusiasm. YOSHIDA Yutaka had some chances, but the damage we suffered from the third goal was too much for us to overcome.

MORISHITA Ryoya (Nagoya Grampus)
Our opponent was capable of initiating scary counterattacks. We need to praise our opponent for their performance, but it felt like we did not get our job done and couldn’t capitalise on our opportunities. We need to take it as a challenge and overcome it without looking away from it. We have given up goals from set pieces in important matches recently, and I feel that we need to play with a sense of responsibility.

Emperor's Cup JFA 101st Japan Football Championship

【1st Round】Sat. 22, Sun. 23 May [Backup date: Mon. 24 May]
【2nd Round】Wed. 9, Wed. 16 June
【3rd Round】Wed. 7 July [Backup date: Wed. 14 July]
【Round of 16】Wed. 18 August [Backup date: Wed. 13 October]
【Quarterfinals】Wed. 27 October［Backup date: Wed. 17 November］
【Semi-Finals】Sun. 12 December
【Final】Sun. 19 December

Tournament Information