NEWS

2022.5.9

Cerezo Osaka 0-0 Gamba Osaka

Gamba Osaka travelled to their Osaka rivals for the final game of the Levain Cup group stage with a highly-rotated starting line-up, and an inexperienced forward line of Isa Samamoto and Hiroto Yamami. The game ended 0-0, with the home team protecting the draw to progress to the knockout stages.

Cerezo almost took the lead, though, early on, when a fortunate deflection saw the ball bounce over the 'keeper and towards goal, but Kwon Kyung-won rushed in to hook the ball clear as it headed for goal. Hiroto Yamami then got on the end of a bullet right-wing cross but could not direct it on goal, as both teams looked to break the deadlock. With no real clear cut chance it remained 0-0 at the break.

The 2nd half saw the cut and thrust of a derby game but again, nothing really testing the goalkeepers, until Leandro Pereira thought he had scored for Gamba with a firm header and the goalkeeper stranded, but the ball was blocked by Riku Matsuda, and the Cerezo defence heaved a collective sigh of relief and the pik half of Osaka held out for their draw.

Team - Ichimori, Yanagisawa, Miura, Kwon, Kurokawa (Fujiharu, 63), Onose, Saito, Dawhan, Fukuda (Ishige, 80), Sakamoto (Leandro Pereira, 63), Yamami (Wellington Silva, 85)