On Monday 26 December, the first and second matches of the first round of the 40th Japan U-12 Football Championship were played at Kagoshima Fureai Sports Land. The morning saw very good weather, but at the time for the second match in the afternoon, the temperature went down and even light rain occasionally fell onto the pitches. The participating young players, however, did not stop displaying enthusiastic plays in all the groups.

The contest between Renofa Yamaguchi U-12 (Yamaguchi) and Gamba Osaka Junior (Osaka) caught the most attention in Group A. Gamba Osaka outplayed in the first half utilising their superior physicality, but Yamaguchi gradually understood how to cope with it and took advantage of their ball movement prowess. In the 29th minute, MURAI Ten of Yamaguchi struck a furious shot from the right flank for the opening goal. Late in the match, Gamba also caught their momentum, but Yamaguchi’s hard work kept protecting the one-goal lead until the end.

Group D saw Consadole Sapporo U-12 (Hokkaido) take off with two straight wins. Each of them did not come easily, but they somehow took the initiative and finished the day all victoriously.

Close battles were in display in Group C as well. Ishii SSS (Tokushima) conceded early two-goal lead to Matsumoto Yamaga F.C. U-12 (Nagano). But they did not give up and kept playing hard. Ishii scored one goal back in the second half, and although they fell a bit short and lost the match, their fighting spirit was well conveyed to the audience.

Sagan Tosu U-12 (Saga) of Group H took on Vertfee Takahara Nasu (Tochigi) in the first match. After finishing the first half with a 0-0 tie, Sagan Tosu started taking the ball to Vertfee’s goal often in the second half. They created many opportunities with mid-range shots and set-pieces, and when the match concluded, it ended up with Tosu’s 4-0 rout.

The Group L match between Kameyama SSS (Shiga) and Fuchu Shinmachi F.C. (Tokyo) was no less exciting with both sides playing to their strength. After Fuchu Shinmachi’s ADACHI Kazuki converted a direct free-kick, Kameyama fought back with TANAKA Takumi’s goal off a long feed from the back. Fuchu Shinmachi eventually controlled the possession more before NAKAMURA Kenta, receiving OKUYAMA Masayuki’s long throw, scored the go-ahead goal to give Fuchu Shinmachi the 2-1 victory.

On Tuesday 27, the same facility will hold one more first-round match left and the round of 16 contests to be competed by the teams with better records in the group stage.

Players' Comments

SUIZU Takahiro (Renofa Yamaguchi U-12 / Yamaguchi)
We wanted to score the opening goal, so it was good that we just did that (in the match against Gamba Osaka). Even with the difference (of body size), we are the same six graders. So we knew that we would be able to win, if all of us could join our forces. In the matches to play later, we want to play together and go for goals just as we did in the Gamba Osaka match. My personal goal is to be the top scorer of this tournament.

HAYASAKA Yushi (Consadole Sapporo U-12 / Hokkaido)
In the match against Estrellas FC, I was a little nervous when we went into the penalty kick. But I was glad that I could put it just where I wanted and we took the lead first. I couldn’t play well in the two matches we played today, so in the next match I want to show my normal self. I am good at shooting from mid-range and taking advantage of my dribbling. So in the next match, I want to show my plays to score goals.

FUKUI Taichi (Sagan Tosu U-12 / Saga)
(In the match against Vertfee Takahara Nasu) I think we could have scored more, so we want to make sure to score when we can. It was good that we took the control of the match, and we want to keep clean sheets when it comes to defence. The goal in this tournament is to win the championship. As we advance, the matches will be tougher. So we have got to score when we are supposed to. So I will tell that to my teammates. My strength is passing, so I want to feed good passes that lead to goals.

ADACHI Kazuki (Fuchu Shinmachi F.C. / Tokyo)
(In the match against Kameyama SSS) I was trying to put that direct free-kick into goal. I was nervous just after the match started, but it was good that we scored first. Getting the opening goal created good momentum for us. We were telling each other that we would be able to win if we did what we were supposed to do as a team. So I am happy that it just came true like this. We will keep playing one match at a time, do what we are supposed to do, stay focused and keep winning until the final.

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

40th Japan U-12 Football Championship

Tournament Period：
Sunday 25 December - Thursday 29 December

Tournament Venue：
1st round/Round 16   Kagoshima Fureai Sports Land (Kagoshima)
Quarter-Final   Kagoshima Kamoike Auxiliary Field (Kagoshima)
Semi-Final/Final   Kagoshima Kamoike Auxiliary Field (Kagoshima)

Tournament Information