The JOC Junior Olympic Cup 18th All Japan Youth Women's Football Tournament had its semi-finals on Tuesday 6 January at J-GREEN SAKAI, Osaka.

Game 1 of Semi-final

Nippon TV Menina (Kanto 1/Tokyo)   9-0 (1st 4-0, 2nd 5-0)   Vicsale Okinawa FC Navita (Kyushu/Okinawa)

The Game 1 of semi-finals started in rain, and as the match went on, the pitch was gradually waterlogged by torrential rain that made the difficult pitch condition. The score saw the first action in the 10th minute when Menina’s Toriumi Yuka fired home her fifth goal of the tournament. In the 15th minute, Ueki Riko smashed a loose ball in front of goal into the net to double the score. In the 38th minute, Ono Nana scored from a penalty kick earned through her dribble penetration to give her side a three goal lead. On the other hand, Vicsale Okinawa repeatedly conceded goals early on and that depressed the players as head coach Kuniyoshi Atsushi said “The third goal got us down.” They allowed one more in the closing minutes of the first half to enter the break with four goals down.

During the half-time, Menina’s head coach Suzuki Shun demanded players to be aware of accuracy of basic skills such as controlling and kicking the ball. The boss sent on three fresh legs to seek additional goals. Then, the substitutes lived up to his expectation to put their side further ahead. Vicsale Okinawa, being desperate to catch up, got the ball back and connected it to up front but were unable to finish. In the additional time, Vicsale captain Miyasato Rui created a chance on the right flank but failed to take a shot just before the match ended. Menina claimed one of the final match spots with a nine-goal rout including Ueki Riko’s hat trick.

Match detail (Japanese version only)

Game 2 of Semi-final

JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-18 (Kanto 3/Chiba) 0-1 (1st 0-1, 2nd 0-0) Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Youth (Kanto 2/Saitama)

The clash between the two teams who know each other well in the league matches and others turned out to be an emotional battle as there were intense fights all around the pitch. In the early phase of the match, while JEF surpassed the opponents with speedy attacks, Urawa’s tenacious defence did not allow JEF to shoot the ball. In the 26th minute, Urawa’s offensive end responded to the defensive end’s efforts. Urawa struggled with JEF defenders’ pressure early on, but Takahashi Hana headed home from a right corner kick to open the scoring. The opposing JEF tried to level the score as Sato Mizuka and others fired shots, but those did not come through. The first half ended at 0-1.

In the second half, JEF won the ball at higher position and got close to the opposing goal to look for an equaliser, but failed to break through Urawa’s defence who were desperate to halt them. Although JEF had a misfortune that centre back and captain Oya Madoka was sent off the pitch by injury, they kept composure and geared toward goal. Urawa also did not lose their concentration and prevail with tenacious defence until the end. Urawa eventually kept the lead earned in the first half to advance to the final.

Match detail (Japanese version only)

Comments

KANNO Oto (Nippon TV Menina/Tokyo）
We were unable to finish and score early on even though we had the ball round the box. In the second half, we were able to show what Menina normally play, attacking with passes on sides, so that we had more shooting opportunities. (About the scoring scene) I just shot the loose ball deflected off an opposing player. Then the shot went into the net. I'm happy about it. The next is the final. We all will fight together, personally I will score, and we will definately win the crown.

KUNIYOSHI Atsushi, Head Coach (Vicsale Okinawa FC Navita/Okinawa)
The fact that we had an opportunity to play against one of Japan’s top teams, the four-straight champions, is certainly great for our future. We wanted to get at least one goal. Our players tried hard and played out with never-give-up mindset until the end, but we were not good enough. The third conceded goal got us down. We still have one more left to play in the third place match. We will keep appreciating the experience that we get in this stage, we will perform to the best of our ability and hopefully get the medal.

SATO Mizuka (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-18/Chiba)
We had no win last year over Urawa. Today we said to each other “We definitely get a win” before the match. We got our pace early on, but we were unable to come back after giving up a goal, and the first half finished at 0-1. We had aggressive attacks up front, but what was most disappointing was that we weren’t able to score. The opponents had physical intensity and were sticking to winning at every single play. In the third place match, we will fight out for us and for third-grade teammates who didn’t get to come here and get the medal.

TAKAHASHI Nana (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Youth/Saitama)
I was thinking that “I will definitely score in the semi-final and get to the final,” so I was very happy at the moment when I scored. We’ve practiced set pieces as a team and personally put more emphasis on heading training. I believe that finally paid off. JEF were a very good team. In the final, I will try hard with a mind-set that “we win the championship for JEF as well.”

JFA-TV

JOC Junior Olympic Cup The 18th All Japan Youth Women's Football Tournament

Sat. 3 January - Wed. 7 January 2015
Osaka/J-GREEN Sakai

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