ŌSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — Cerezo Ōsaka opened its J1 League season with a commanding 4-1 away victory over Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday. The visitors scored early and often at IAI Stadium Nihondaira, with Rafael Ratão leading the charge with two first-half goals. Vitor Bueno added another before halftime. Takashi Inui and substitute Kengo Furuyama scored second-half goals to complete the rout for Cerezo Ōsaka, which defied pregame projections that heavily favored the home side. The loss was the first of the campaign for Shimizu S-Pulse. Both Ratão and Shimizu’s Hayato Okuda received yellow cards in the 66th minute.