This past Sunday, JB team Kofu Kazuhayashi
an upset (esp. in sports)
I'm sure many Japanese soccer fans are still remembering the victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima to win the Emperor's Cup, but they still can't get over it. This Saturday, the JLF Cup final will be held at the National Stadium, where Sakura Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who have just lost the Emperor's Cup, will face off, so let's take a look at the match today.
Sakura Osaka's road to promotion is full of strong opponents
In the group stage, Cerezo Osaka was organized into Group A. The opponents in the same group were Kashima Antlers, Osaka Flyers and Oita Sanshin, except for Oita Sanshin, the strength of Kashima Antlers and Osaka Flyers was not bad, and Cerezo Osaka finally won 3, 2, and 1 loss and accumulated 11 points to be in the second place.
beyond the pale
Osaka Cherry Blossoms In the 6 group matches, Cerezo Osaka tried to beat Kashima Antlers and Flying Foot of Osaka as visitors, and the result was a very good victory for Cerezo Osaka.
beyond the pale
Laying an important foundation.
advancement
semifinals
After that, Cerezo Osaka met Shonan Bima, who is a relegated team in the J-League, but their home field power is not to be underestimated. Cerezo Osaka won 1-0 in the first leg with a single shot from Koji Torikai, and then went on to beat Shonan Bima 4-1 in the second leg, making it 5-1 in the two legs, with goals from players such as Hiroshi Kiyomu and Shoji, which made the fans happy.
After making it to the last eight, Cerezo Osaka will have to challenge Kawasaki Frontale, the reigning champions of the Nippon Professional League, and the task of getting into the top flight can be quite daunting. Cerezo Osaka, who started the first leg at home, fell behind in the first half but were able to secure a 1-1 draw in the 89th minute thanks to Adante Gatte, which helped the team stay unbeaten in the first leg. The second leg was even more exciting, as Kawasaki Frontale took a two-goal lead on the back of Marciano Barbosa. However, Cerezo Osaka showed resilience once again, as Rokuji Kato made it 1-2 in the 90th minute, and then in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Hiroto Yamada scored a lifesaving goal to tie the match at 2-2, allowing Cerezo Osaka to advance on the strength of their visitor's goal difference, making the elimination of Kawasaki Frontale an exciting prospect.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have to visit Gunma Kusatsu Onsen in the second round of the competition. Although Gunma Kusatsu Onsen is a relegated team in JAFB, this time they have the advantage of playing at home, so they managed to draw even with Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Although Sanfrecce Hiroshima had their best players in this match, they could only rely on the goal scored by veteran player Shioya Jiuzu at the beginning of the second half to secure the win and make it to the last eight.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have a tough match against Cerezo Osaka after entering the last eight. Sakura Osaka's performance this season is comparable to Sanfrecce's, and with the advantage of home field in the last eight of the morning, it is no wonder that Sanfrecce has been underestimated before the match. Sakura Osaka took the lead in the 40th minute of the match with a goal from Adante Gatte, and stayed one goal ahead until the end of the match. Just when all the fans thought Sanfrecce would be out of the tournament, veteran Kashiwa Hiromu tied the game in the 86th minute, and then Takumu Kawamura scored a stoppage time winner to give Sakura Osaka a dramatic comeback win and a place in the quarterfinals.
Sakura Osaka will have to face Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals, who won the Emperor's Cup last year and reached the final of the AFC Champions League in the same year, with a lot of momentum going their way. Osaka Curacao, who were playing at home in the first leg, were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw by Urawa Red Diamonds' Yoshiho Koizumi, who scored an early goal, despite the fact that Tomoki Sakamoto had opened the scoring. The next round of the Osaka Cherry Blossoms to visit Urawa Red Diamonds, need to face a strong home field momentum is no wonder before the game was not favored, but the pink corps once again shocked the local fans, they rely on Urawa Red Diamonds keeper Takahiro Akimoto scored an oops to take the lead, and then even more Okuno Hiromasa, Kato Rikujiki and Kashiwa Takashi Rima scored three goals, the result of the visitors to the final qualification of the big 4-0 win, the performance is indeed quite persuasive.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima's progression is relatively easy
Compared to Sakura Osaka, Sanfrecce Hiroshima's progression is relatively easy. In Group B, Sanfrecce's opponents included defending champions Nagoya Whale, but the rest of the group consisted of underdogs Shimizu S Pulse and Tokushima Whirlpool, which gave them a relatively high chance of qualification. After 6 group matches, Sanfrecce won 4, lost 2 and accumulated 12 points to finish first.
beyond the pale
, always in line with pre-game expectations.
advancement
semifinals
After that, Sanfrecce Hiroshima meets Sapporo Gonzaga, who has a mediocre record this season, and it is generally expected that Sanfrecce will have no problem in passing the match. Sanfrecce won 3-0 in the first round as visitors, and in the second round, they played 1-1 at home, eliminating Gonzaga Sapporo with a total of 4-1, which is not much of a test.
Sanfrecce met Yokohama Mariners in the last 8. The latter is in a strong position this season, but Sanfrecce showed their expertise in eliminating their opponents in two rounds of the tournament in the morning. In the first round, Sanfrecce won 3-1 against Yokohama Mariners with goals from Kashiwa Okafumi, Hayato Araki, and Taketo Nozuta. In the second round, Sanfrecce beat Yokohama Mariners 5-2 by a total of 2-1 with goals from Binka Lifa and Yuki Nogami.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima met Fukuoka Hornets in the semi-finals of the tournament, and before the match, they were unanimously favored to go through to the final. In the first round, the visitors of Sanfrecce Hiroshima first relied on Takumo Kawamura to score two goals and Shioji Shioya to win 3-2 against Fukuoka Hornets, who recovered two goals in the latter part of the morning; Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who held onto the lead in the second round, controlled the game in their home ground, and defended against the Fukuoka Hornets' high-altitude attacks, and finally won the match with a clean sheet at 0-0, and defeated their opponents with a total of 3-2 in order to advance to the finals.
Whether Sanfrecce Hiroshima can bounce back in time is key
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, under the leadership of German supervisor Skippy, has performed well this season, reaching the finals of two Cup competitions in addition to being ranked at the top of the Japanese Professional League. However, the team's lack of sharpness was exposed when they faced Japanese second division team Kofu Kabayashi in the Emperor's Cup, and the team's 120-minute match ended in a 12-yard shootout, which was physically exhausting and psychologically devastating, making it doubtful whether they can recover in time for the Cup final.
In terms of players, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is certainly enough compared to Osaka Cherry Blossoms, Sasaki Sho, Keisuke Osako, Nozuta Yakuto, Morishima Si and other international players in the lineup so that the team's strength can be maintained, it is worth mentioning the Department of the new star Manda Makoto, although Zukuro Cup final missed 12 yards and the team lost the championship, but Sanfrecce Hiroshima was able to play to the overtime stage thanks to the striker to get the goal, Manda Makoto's performance on Saturday is still worth to be expected. Makoto Manda's performance this Saturday is still worth to be looked forward to.
Sakura Osaka Gathers Strength for the Finals
Osaka Sakura's last official match was against FC Tokyo on October 12, and although the team suffered a 0-4 defeat, they had 10 days to recuperate and make adjustments, which is definitely a good way to recuperate.
Osaka Sakura's supervisor Akio Kogiku has been leading the team this season with the policy of bringing in the old and bringing in the new, and from the fact that they can rank 4th in the JLF for the time being and reach the final of the League Cup, the result is clear for all to see. Experienced players such as Hiroshi Kiyomu, Adang Tae-gat and Kim Jin-hyun are certainly worth watching out for, but the up-and-coming youngsters in the squad should not be ignored either. Among them, Rikuji Kato has already accumulated 4 goals in this year's League Cup, while 18-year-old attacking midfielder Satoshi Kitano has already scored 3 goals, and has even been selected as the best young player in this year's League Cup, so it is worth paying attention to how he will perform in the upcoming final.
Osaka Sakura has a better record in the League Cup.
When you look at the history of the two teams in the League Cup, it seems that Sakura Osaka has a slightly better record, as they won their first final in 2017, and they also made it to the final last season, but unfortunately ended up as runners-up to Nagoya Whalers, but one win and one runners-up in the history of the tournament is definitely not a bad result. On the other hand, Sanfrecce Hiroshima's record in the League Cup is mediocre. In 2010 and 2014, they made it to the final, but were defeated by Yamaha Iwata and Flying Foot of Osaka, respectively, and never won the title. Although Sakura Osaka have a better record, their failure to win the Cup could be a boost to Sanfrecce's bid for the title. To find out who will win the Cup, watch the live stream of the League Cup final on Saturday morning on the official JLF Youtube channel!
This week's League Cup final live streaming times:
October 22, 12:05 PM Sakura Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima
