Pick Up Match

Club Fields Norbritz Hokkaido (Hokkaido) 1-2 (1st 0-0 2nd 1-2) tonan Maebashi Satellite (Gunma)

On Saturday 26th July, the 94th Emperor's Cup All-Japan Soccer Championship Tournament had the unfinished first round match between Club Fields Norbritz Hokkaido (Hokkaido) and tonan Maebashi Satellite (Gunma) at the Sapporo Atsubetsu Park Stadium. Norbritz got a spot in the tournament by defeating Sapporo University in the extra time in the Governor's Cup All-Hokkaido Football Championship final while tonal Maebashi Satellite upset the upper-rank team of their own organisation in the Gunma Association President's Cup final to move up to the national tournament.

In the first half, both sides showed great accuracy in their passes and aggressive offensive football. Rain started falling an hour prior to the start of the match, but it did not affect their performance at all.
It was after the match went into the second half that goals started being made. As the rain gradually got heavier, tonan Maebashi adjusted their game plan by kicking more long feeds to the front, which created a good opportunity for the first goal. In the 59th minute, Azumata Gaku sent in a cross, and the Norbritz's goalkeeper attempted but failed to catch the ball. It was Sekine Hideki there who shot the loose ball into the goal.

Meanwhile Norbritz also had Yamada Yosuke score the equalizer out of a melee after a set-piece in the 67th minute. As players off the bench scored for both sides, the 1-1 match went into the final moments. It was tonan Maebashi that got out of the close contest with the last laugh. In the 84th minute, DF Hoshino Yusuke received a cross from Kudo Takeshi and laid it into the goal with his right foot, which gave tonan Maebashi a lead again. Although Norbritz showed one last furious attack just before the time-up, tonan Maebashi kept protecting their single-goal lead with their rugged defence to the end.

Match Report

Comments

YUKI Shingo, Club Fields Norbritz Hokkaido
I think we didn't start the match well. Our decision-making was slow and we couldn't create our rhythm. Our defence worked well, so we subbed in a player with quickness because we wanted to finish this match within 90 minutes. But they showed solid defence and we couldn't break it down. It's disappointing that we didn't win this one and can't play against Consadole Sapporo in the second round.

YAMADA Yosuke, Club Fields Norbritz Hokkaido
Everything was at stake for us in this match, so it's very tough to accept this loss. We felt that we were playing well, so not being able to win at the end is even more disappointing. We regret that we gave up a goal by making mistakes, but the inaccuracy in our shooting in the penalty box is a bigger problem. We had enough opportunities and the number of shots we fired isn't so bad. We have to get better and be more accurate from now on.

WATANABE Tomohiro, Head Coach, tonan Maebashi Satellite
We arrived in downtown Sapporo late last night, and it was very hard to adjust our conditioning. Despite all that, our players fought very hard. In the first half, the field was slippery and we couldn't play how we wanted to play, but Sekine (Hideki) got off the bench and met our expectation with his goal. Anything can happen in football, so we will have good preparation and get ready for the second round against Consadole Sapporo.

SEKINE Hideki, tonan Maebashi Satellite
Everyone on this team knows that when I get on the pitch, they should feed long balls to me. That game plan worked well with today's pitch condition where balls can bounce longer in the rain. When I scored the goal, it was the loose ball after their goalkeeper failed to make a catch. I always try to be ready in front of the goal so that I can react to anything that happens there. I am from Hokkaido, so I have some history here in this Sapporo Atsubetsu Park Stadium. I am so happy because I scored and helped my team win on this pitch. I am looking forward to the next match.

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