Postecoglou era underway as Yokohama settle for point

A late goal to Cerezo Osaka midfielder Yoichiro Kakitani held Yokohama F. Marinos to a 1-1 draw in what was Ange Postecoglou's first match in charge of the J1 League side.

Ange Postecoglou, coach of Yokohama F.Marinos Source: Getty Images

After guiding the Socceroos to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Postecoglou's long-awaited return to club football got off to a perfect start after left-back Ryosuke Yamanaka found the back of the net in brilliant fashion a little over 15 minutes into the first half.

In what was an attacking 4-3-3 formation, Postecoglou handed Socceroos defender Milos Degenek a starting berth alongside captain, and Japan legend, Yuji Nakazawa in the heart of the defence.

Yokohama created their fair share of chances on the night of their season opener, but failed to hold on for all three points after Kakitani's effort levelled the contest mere minutes from full-time.

Nevertheless, Postecoglou's Yokohama side will be happy with the result, with Cerezo eager to improve on their impressive third-placed finish from last season.

Yokohama will next face Kashiwa Reysol on Friday night (AEDT).