The match between Urawa and Cerezo Osaka is set to scoreless draw! …In the end of the game, neither teams had any scoring opportunities.
Enlarge photo
The 22nd round of the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League was held on the 28th, with Urawa Reds and Cerezo Osaka facing off.
Urawa won five consecutive wins from the 10th round match against FC Machida Zelvia, and quickly joined the team for the top spot. However, in the last five games, there have been a significant missing points, with 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses, and in the previous round they suffered a painful comeback loss to Nagoya Grampus, who was in relegation zone. Meanwhile, Cerezo Osaka has maintained a strong performance with 4 wins and 1 draw in the last five games, and at one point it was in relegation zone, but is now up to 8th place. The two teams faced each other in the 7th round held in March, resulting in a 1-1 breakdown. Which will be the best in the second match this season?
In the beginning, Cerezo Osaka started with Kagawa Shinji, who was moving around freely, and he increased his ball retention rate, and used plenty of crosses from the side to get a chance. In the 12th minute, the ball passed to Lucas Fernandez, who was wide open to the right, and Rafael Hutton headed the ball with a sharp cross, but unfortunately it was out of reach of the target. In the 15th minute, Urawa was hit by Watanabe Ryoma's cross that had entered the right near zone, and Samuel Gustafsson dropped it from his chest, and Yasui Kaito shot a powerful shot, but was blocked by goalkeeper Fukui Mitsuteru's save.
When both teams missed out on the chance, the match was held in a quake after that. Cerezo Osaka, who actively pressed from the front line, managed to retrieve the second ball and advanced the game with a slightly superiority, but was unable to create a scoring opportunity ahead of the opponent's commanded defense. Meanwhile, Urawa has been weaving together long balls and increasing pressure starting from both sides of Mateus Savio and Kaneko Takuro. In the 45th minute, Gustafsson sent a floating ball into the box, and Savio turned around and volleyed to the goal, but the shot went straight to the front of goalkeeper Fukui.
Urawa strengthened his offensive at the start of the second half. In the 51st minute, Kaneko dribbling pushed down the opposing defense, and Savio, who came in support, sent a soft cross from near the right corner of the box. Freelanceman Ishihara Hironori headed the ball in front of the goal, but the header shot that caught the target was blocked by a good save from goalkeeper Fukui. Cerezo Osaka, which had overcome the biggest crisis, gradually recovered, and in the 64th minute, Okuda Hayato shot a powerful shot from L. Fernandez's right corner kick, but Urawa's goalkeeper Nishikawa Shusaku showed a sharp response.
A fierce battle continues towards the end. In the 76th minute, Cerezo Osaka stubbornly picked up a loose ball and pushed Urawa in, and Kida Yo fired a mid-range shot from outside the box, and Rafael Hutton put it on the ball that goalkeeper Nishikawa had bounced, but the header shot hit the right post. Immediately after that, Norito Kyohei fired a powerful mid-range shot, but was once again blocked by the right post and was unable to score. Meanwhile, in the 82nd minute, Urawa's Okubo Tomoaki jumped into the round of Sekine Takahiro's grounder, who had lifted the left side, but then hit a crossbar.
The match ended with a scoreless draw, with both teams sharing each point “1” each. The next match between the two teams will be Round 19, which will be held on June 1st. Urawa will both face Yokohama FC and Cerezo Osaka will face Shimizu S-Pulse at home.
【Score】
Urawa Reds 0-0 Cerezo Osaka
