Four teams got through the quarterfinals of the 38th Japan U-12 Football Championship on Thursday 7 August at Susono ground in Susono city, Shizuoka.

Both Regista FC (Saitama) and Kashima Antlers Tsukuba Jr. (Ibaraki 2) played their first ever quarterfinals in this championship. Regista FC led the game, pressing Antlers Tsukuba, who never gave up. After 28 minutes, the balance was tipped. Tokiwa Kyota received a pass from Yamazaki Rin and struck a goal, which decided the match. Regista FC became one of the top four teams.

One of the quarterfinals was between two Kanto teams, JFC FUTURO (Kanagawa) and Kashiwa Reysol U-12 (Chiba). Kashiwa Reysol, who dominated possession by passing the ball, struck the opener toward the end of the game. In the last tem minutes, Tamura Soki scored two goals and Kashiwa Reysol won over a tenacious JFC FUTURO with a three-goal lead.

Cerezo Osaka U-12 (Osaka) fired in 11 shots and scored four goals in the first half. Five different players struck five goals and they advanced to the semifinals. Although Yokogawa Musashino Football Club Jr. (Tokyo) conceded a goal first, Fukuzaki Ryosei directly shot the cross from the right and turned the game around in the first half. They added another goal at the end and became one of the semifinalists.

The semifinals will be held on Friday 8 August in Numazu. There will also be the final of the dream tournament.

Comments

Fukuchi Tetsuya, the head coach of Regista FC (Saitama)
We had similar experiences before - couldn’t score even though leading a match. I told the players that they were staying calm, which was very good, probably thanks to those experiences. This team has many players, who have won different championships before. So they have confidence. From now, any semifinalist can win the championship.

Yamazaki Rin, Regista FC (Saitama)
I really wanted to win the match and score myself, if possible. I aimed at dribbling up front and shooting in order to contribute to the team’s victory. When I was going to shoot myself, the opponent’s player came close to me and I saw a teammate was free. So I decided to pass the ball. I’d like to think about what’s best for my team.

Kubo Ayumi, JFC FUTURO (Kanagawa)
The opposing team tends to play out wide. So we had a strategy, defending towards the centre when the opponent comes to the wing. However, we couldn’t do that on some occasions. We never gave up until the last whistle and we played in our style - having spirit. I learned a lot throughout this championship. I will keep trying so that I can win every championship in the future.

Funabashi Yu, Kashima Antlers Tsukuba Jr. (Ibaraki 2)
I’m devastated, because I couldn't win the one-on-one, we couldn’t get a good result as a team and on top of that, it was my last championship. We had a lot of support from the bench as well as from our families and the younger players off the pitch. As I’m a captain, I stayed confident. Thanks to this championship, we became even more united as a team. I’d like to have better skills and improve myself.

JFA-TV

Semi Final(Full Version)

The 38th Japan U-12 Football Championship

Duration: Mon. 4 August to Sat. 9 August 2014
Venue:
<1st round ～ Final Tournament (Quarter-finals)>
Gotemba Tokinosumika Susono Ground (Susono, Shizuoka)
<Final Tournament (Semi-finals / Final)>
Shizuoka Ashitaka Park Multi-purpose Field (Numazu, Shizuoka)