Uruguay striker Diego Forlan fell flat on his J-League debut as Cerezo Osaka lost 1-0 to defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Saturday`s season opener.
|Last Updated: Mar 01, 2014, 03:11 PM IST|Source: AFP
Tokyo: Uruguay striker Diego Forlan fell flat on his J-League debut as Cerezo Osaka lost 1-0 to defending champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Saturday`s season opener.
Former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid forward Forlan sparked a fresh buzz of excitement in the increasingly dowdy J-League when he joined Cerezo from Brazilian side Internacional in January in an estimated $5.9 million deal.
But the 34-year-old was unable to make an immediate impact alongside Japan international Yoichiro Kakitani at a packed-out Nagai Stadium, leaving the field in the 81st minute after Tsukasa Shiotani had given Sanfrecce the lead 10 minutes earlier.
"It was Forlan and Kakitani`s first time playing together, so you can`t expect too much," said Cerezo manager Ranko Popovic.
"It`s not only about Forlan and Kakitani. As a team we need to score goals."
Forlan had the best chance of an uneventful first half, shooting over the bar from distance after exchanging passes with Kakitani.
The Uruguayan then blasted a second-half free-kick into the wall after the referee had blown for a foul on Kakitani instead of allowing Ariajasuru Hasegawa to score from the advantage.
Shiotani volleyed home a Naoki Ishihara cross in the 71st minute to break the deadlock, before Forlan made way for substitute Kenyu Sugimoto.
"This is a great start for us," said Sanfrecce midfielder Toshihiro Aoyama, whose team are looking to win their third-straight league title.
"We weren`t paying too much attention to keeping Forlan and Kakitani quiet, but we didn`t let Cerezo play to their strengths and we kept our discipline well."
Elsewhere in the J-League, Sagan Tosu crushed newly promoted Tokushima Vortis 5-0, while Kashima Antlers also hit the goal trail with a 4-0 win over Ventforet Kofu.
Slovenian international Milivoje Novakovic scored the winner as Shimizu S-Pulse came from behind to beat Nagoya Grampus 3-2, and substitute Roger Gaucho scored in the 89th minute to give Albirex Niigata a 2-1 win over Vegalta Sendai.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.