The first and the second games in the first round of the 39th Japan U-12 Football Championship were held on Saturday 26 December at Kagoshima Fureai Sports Land in Kagoshima city. It was sunny during the first match in the morning, but the cloud came over in the afternoon and with it a chill. Despite the weather, the players put on some exciting performances.

In group four, the captain OBUCHI Raiju of Sagan Tosu U-12 (Saga) stayed ambitious for goals by dribbling and getting through to the space behind defenders. He contributed to his team’s two consecutive victories with two goals at the beginning of the second game against Nagoya Grampus U12 (Aichi). Renofa Yamaguchi U-12 played as a united team to turn around both their games. A never-give-up attitude provided a good opportunity to the team. These two teams have earned six points in group four.

AC Junior (Miyagi) met Kosugi SC (Toyama) in group seven. Although HARUKI Shinnosuke from Kosugi struck the opener at the beginning of the game, Junior passed the ball around smoothly, taking the initiative to turn the game around. Junior won the game 6-2. The team also beat V・Varen Nagasaki U-12 (Nagasaki) closely in the second match.

Kashiwa Reysol U-12 (Chiba) attacked against Yasu JFC (Shiga) from the beginning in group eight. Although Yasu looked for goals, they could not find the back of the net at all.

The other match in group eight between JEF HACHINOHE FC (Aomori) and FC Hikawa (Shimane) was exciting. In the 16th minute, JEF HACHINOHE struck the opener, and added insurance with a shot from ONO Shuto, who got through to the goal from the opponent’s mistake in clearing the ball. However, WATANABE Kodai calmly scored from a set piece, closing the gap for Hikawa. Then MOCHIDA Yuki struck three goals, turning the game around from two goals behind.

Regista FC (Saitama), who ended in third place in the previous cup, won two consecutive matches in group one, while both S.S. Create (Osaka) and Vertfee Takahara Nasu U-12 (Tochigi) won two games. The crowd cheered a lot whenever players performed well, as games in each group were so close and exciting, including see-saw games and turn-around matches.

Players' Comments

HAYASAKA Sota (Miyagi/AC Junior)
I don’t think we played well in the second half of the match against Kosugi SC. Although we conceded a goal in the first half, we levelled the game shortly after. We performed well in the first half, but lost our rhythm, slowing down our attacks in the second half. We are aggressive in attacks. So it was good that we could score, but I’m not satisfied with what we did in the second half. I’d like to show our attacking ability more.

YAMATO Yuzuki (Chiba/Kashiwa Reysol U-12)
I aimed to play with swift judgement today. We didn’t play that well in the first half of our opening game, but we gradually improved the quality of our play throughout the matches. I believe I led our defenders. Having said that, Yasu JFC passed forward very quickly, having strong forwards up front, who received several passes at the beginning. I’d like to fix the way we start the game next time, which is our problem.

KATO Hiroto (Yamaguchi/Renofa Yamaguchi U-12)
I received an excellent pass from the defensive midfielder and scored the equaliser in the game against Heisyou SSS. As I saw the goalkeeper move towards the side when I had the ball, I aimed at the other side. I think I stayed calm. We were hoping to win the first two games in a good way, building up positive momentum for the next day. So I was glad we won two consecutive matches. As a team, we didn’t start well and couldn’t play as we wanted. We picked up our pace in the second half, though.

KUROSAWA Kosei (Gunma/Fanaticos)
I couldn’t contribute to the team in the prefectural tournament, as I couldn’t strike a goal. So I was determined to score this time in the national tournament and lead the team to a victory. I’m pleased I could display my strength - dribbling, as well as firing a goal. We played our attacking style in both two games. I’d like to show our ability in tomorrow’s game and win the match with a high-quality performance.

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

Match 1st Goal Digest

The 39th Japan U-12 Football Championship

Duration: Sat. 26 December - Tue. 29 December
Venue:
1st round/Round 16   Kagoshima Fureai Sports Land (Kagoshima)
Quarter-Final   Kagoshima Kamoike Auxiliary Field (Kagoshima)
Semi-Final/Final   Kagoshima Kamoike Athletic Stadium (Kagoshima)
More information