That exciting Sunday, when JEF 2 powerhouse Kofu Kazuhabayashi unexpectedly beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima to win the Emperor Cup, is still fresh in the minds of many JEF fans. Now, in Saturday's JLF Cup final, Cerezo Osaka will face Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who just lost the Emperor's Cup, in a summit clash that will be eagerly awaited.
Sakura Osaka's road to promotion is full of challenges
In the group stage, Cerezo Osaka was placed in Group A. The opponents in the same group included Kashima Antlers, Hida Osaka, and Oita Sanshin of Japan B. The other two teams, except for Oita Sanshin, had 11 points with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 draw. Except for Oita Sanshin, the other two teams were not bad, Osaka Cherry Blossoms finally accumulated 11 points with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, and advanced to a thrilling stage. In the 6 group stage matches, Sakura Osaka had beaten Kashima Antlers and Oita Sanshin on the road, laying an important foundation for advancement.
After advancing to the Round of 16, Cerezo Osaka met Shonan Bima, who is a relegated team but is not to be underestimated at home. Cerezo Osaka won 1-0 in the first round with a goal from Koji Toranami, and then beat Shonan Bima 4-1 in the second round, making the total score of the two rounds 5-1. Main players Hiroshi Kiyomu and Shoji scored goals, which was a satisfactory performance.
After making it to the last 8, Cerezo Osaka have the tough task of advancing to challenge this season's Nippon Professional League supremo Kawasaki Frontale. In the first leg, Sakura Osaka were trailing in the first half but tied the game with an 89th-minute goal from Adante Gatte to remain undefeated in the first leg. The second round was even more intense, although Kawasaki Strikers took a two-goal lead on the back of Maseno Babosha, but Osaka Ceremonial showed perseverance, and finally Rikuji Kato equalized the score in the 90th minute, and then in the stoppage time, Hiroto Yamada scored a life-saving goal to equalize the score at 2-2, and with the advantage of the visitor's goal to advance to the next level, eliminating the Kawasaki Strikers is a great joy to see.
To advance to the Round of 16, Sanfrecce Hiroshima had to face Gunma Kusatsu Onsen on the road. Although Gunma Kusatsu Onsen is a relegated team in the Japanese Second Division, they managed to draw with Sanfrecce at home. Although Sanfrecce played their main players, they were only able to secure the win with a goal from veteran player Shioya Jisuzu in the beginning of the second half, and were able to make it to the last eight.
After entering the last eight, Sanfrecce Hiroshima encountered a tough battle, needing to challenge Sakura Osaka on the road. With both teams having comparable records this season and Sakura Osaka having the advantage of home field, Sanfrecce were not favored before the match. However, Sakura Osaka took the lead in the 40th minute with a goal from Adante Gatte, and kept the lead for the rest of the match. Just when all the fans thought Sanfrecce was going to go out of the tournament, Kashiwa Hiromu equalized the score in the 86th minute, and Takumu Kawamura scored the killer goal in the stoppage time to make a dramatic comeback against Sakura Osaka to go into the quarterfinals.
Cerezo Osaka are in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League against last year's Emperor Trophy winners Urawa Red Diamonds, who are coming off a strong AFC Champions League run to the final this season. The hosts conceded in the first leg, but took the lead with a Takahiro Akebono ould goal, and then Hiroyoshi Okuno, Rikuji Kato and Rima Kashiwazaki added three more goals to give them a convincing 4-0 win as visitors to qualify for the final.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima advances with relative ease
Compared to Sakura Osaka, Sanfrecce Hiroshima had a relatively easy promotion process. Placed in Group B, Sanfrecce's opponents in the same group included defending champions Nagoya Whale as well as underdogs Shimizu S Pulse and JB team Tokushima Whirlpool, giving them a better chance of advancing. After 6 group matches, Sanfrecce Hiroshima finished at the top of the table with 12 points from 4 wins and 2 losses, which was in line with their pre-tournament expectations.
After advancing to the Round of 16, Sanfrecce Hiroshima met Gonzaga Sapporo Hokkaido, who had a mediocre record this season, and were generally considered to have no worries about advancing. In the first round, Sanfrecce won 3-0 on the road, and in the second round at home, the two teams played 1-1, eliminating Gonzaga Sapporo from the Hokkaido tournament 4-1 on aggregate, so it was not too much of a test.
Entering the Top 8, Sanfrecce met a tough opponent, Yokohama Marinos, who were in a strong position this season, but Sanfrecce showed their cup expertise in eliminating their opponents in the two rounds of the tournament. In the first round, Sanfrecce won 3-1 with goals from Kashiwa Hiromu, Hayato Araki, and Taketo Nozuta, while in the second round, the visitors scored 2-1 with a goal each from Binkarifa and Yuki Nogami, eliminating Yokohama Mariners from the Cup by a total score of 5-2 and advancing to the Semi-Finals.
Entering the semi-finals, Sanfrecce met Fukuoka Hornets, the relegation team of the season, who were generally favored to easily advance to the final before the match. In the first round, HIJIMA Sanfrecce won 3-2 against Fukuoka Hornets with two goals from Takumu Kawamura and a goal from Shiotani. In the second round, HIJIMA Sanfrecce controlled the game at home, defending against Fukuoka Hornets' high-altitude attack, and eventually played to a 0-0 draw, and advanced to the final with a total score of 3-2.
Whether Sanfrecce Hiroshima can bounce back in time is key
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, under the leadership of German coach Skippy, has been performing well this season, not only ranking at the top of the Nippon Professional League, but also reaching the finals of two cup competitions. However, in the Emperor Cup, when facing the Japanese second division team Kofu Kazuhayashi, Sanfrecce appeared to be a bit out of their depth, exposing the problem of insufficient forward line; coupled with the 120-minute fierce battle, and ultimately came back to hate through penalty kicks, the physical exertion was huge, and the psychological blow was also not small. Whether they can bounce back in time for the cup final has become a key question.
In terms of players, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is comparable to Cerezo Osaka in terms of strength, with international players such as Sho Sasaki, Keisuke Osako, Taketo Nozuta, and Ji Morishima in the lineup, the team's strength has been maintained. It is worth mentioning that the new star, Makoto Manda, although he missed in the penalty shootout of the Emperor Cup final, but it was his goal that helped the team to go to extra time, and his performance is still worth expecting.
Sakura Osaka Gathers Strength for the Finals
For Cerezo Osaka, their last official match was back on October 12 against FC Tokyo on the road, and the team returned with a 0-4 defeat, but with a 10-day break and time to adjust, it can be said that they have been refreshed.
Osaka Sakura coach Akio Ogiku has adopted the policy of bringing new players along with the old ones this season, and the team has achieved remarkable results as they ranked fourth in the JLF and reached the final of the League Cup. Experienced players such as Hiroshi Kiyomu, Adam Taggart and Jin-Hyun Kim are certainly worth keeping an eye on, but the youngsters in the squad should not be ignored either. Rikuji Kato has already scored 4 goals in this year's League Cup, while 18-year-old attacking midfielder Satoshi Kitano has also scored 3 goals and has been awarded the title of the best young player in this year's League Cup, so his performance is also worth looking forward to.
Sakura Osaka has a better record in the League Cup.
Looking at the two teams' track records in this year's League Cup, it seems that Cerezo Osaka have a slight advantage, as they won the final on their debut in 2017, while they also reached the final last season but ended up as runners-up at the feet of the Nagoya Whales. Although Cerezo Osaka have a slight advantage in terms of record, never having won the title could be a boost to Sanfrecce Hiroshima's title bid. Fans who want to know who will win will have to watch the League Cup final live on Saturday on the official Youtube channel of the JLF!
This week's League Cup final live streaming times:
October 22, 12:05 PM Sakura Osaka vs Sanfrecce Hiroshima
