Pick-up Match

Nagoya Grampus U-18 3-1 (1-0, 2-1) Yonago Kita High School

Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June saw the sixth Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST. Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) played against Yonago Kita High School (Tottori) on Sunday 24 June at Toyota Sports Center in Toyota city, Aichi.

It was Nagoya who took the initiative at the beginning of the match. Forward ISHIDA Ryotaro (#17) later noted, “Since our opponents created a block to defend us, I knew we could not forcefully get through the centre. So, I tried to draw them into the flanks before penetrating the centre.” Nagoya showcased good ball movements as they effectively used the width of the pitch, while anticipating to put in a forward pass to create a goal-scoring opportunity. However, Yonago Kita’s defenders, including YOKOYAMA Ryoga (#32), showed their persistency as they played physical defence. Nagoya managed to gain a numerical advantage in the flanks and waited for their opportunities. In the 25th minute, Nagoya finally broke through the right flank from their combination play. Midfielder NARUSE Shumpei (#8), who made a run from the opposing side to the centre, struck the opener to shake up the match.

Nagoya also dominated Yonago Kita in defence with a collective pressure from their front line. Even when Yonago Kita got through towards the goal, defender SUMI Seiga (#30) made sure that the opponents had no chance to take a shot. The Coach praised Sumi as, “His reactions are getting better through the matches. He is becoming tougher.”

Both teams displayed an equally matched battle in the second half, but it was Nagoya who managed to score the next goal in the 78th minute. Midfielder TANABE Kohei (#14) launched a long ball to the opposing end from the right side, where Naruse awaited. The ball was then delivered to INOUE Ryoya (#13) who ran up the flank before sending a cross towards the goal. Midfielder MURAKAMI Yukito (#18) converted the cross to give his side a two-goal lead.

With time winding down, Yonago Kita was left with no options but to attack. Midfielder HARADA Kai (#11), who came off the bench, got through to the centre from the left to score the long-awaited goal in the 80th minute. The goal gave momentum to Yonago Kita to potentially score the equaliser, however, Nagoya’s Ishida broke through the right side using his speed and struck a dynamic goal in the 92nd minute. Ishida, who showcased great defensive efforts from the front line throughout the entire match, later commented, “despite the fact we conceded a goal, our defenders performed really well. So, I wanted to reduce their pressure by performing as a defensive switch.” Nagoya won the match with a final score of 3-1.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

KOGA Satoshi, Coach (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
We are glad to win the match, but despite our dominance in the midfield, we lacked numbers in our attack to capitalise on our opportunities. The scene where we conceded the goal sums up how we couldn’t keep our concentration for the full 90 minutes and how our approach to the ball were to easy. During the league break, we played in the JAPAN Club Youth Football Championship qualifiers, and despite facing tough matches, we managed to showcase great patience while attacking the opponents when necessary. However, we couldn’t perform that way in our match today as we showed too many flaws. We must use this experience to improve ourselves ahead of our next match.

FW #17 ISHIDA Ryotaro (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
We lost two of our main players during our training session, and I entered the match with the intention to cover for those two players, but I couldn’t convert any of our chances for the most part of the match. This match reminded me that I don’t have enough skills to take on the final line of the opposing side. I also felt the need to work more closely with our defensive midfielders in order to cope with the competition level at the Premier League. I am glad that I managed to score a goal at the end. If I can put up good results at the youth level, it gives me a good chance to get called up to the top team, so I want to be more eager to gain good results.

NAKAMURA Shingo, Coach (Yonago Kita High School)
After conceding the opening goal, there were stints where we played good defence as we managed to contain our opponents. Although there were times we won the ball in fifty-fifty situations, there were also times where we couldn’t respond fast enough, so we must improve in that aspect. On the other hand, players who hasn’t gotten their chance to start were given the opportunity to start the match, so that was a major gain for us. In our next match we will be facing the Hiroshima Youth team who we have scrimmaged numbers of times before we entered the Premier League. We are looking forward to facing them at this level, as we will be focusing on our defence in the flanks more than we have done today.

DF #32 YOKOYAMA Ryoga (Yonago Kita High School)
I was very nervous at first, but the older players told me to “take it easy.” The level of our opponents were very high, but we managed to showcase what we have worked on in our training sessions this week, as we constructed a block in defence while I was able to display my strong point by playing physical defence. However, we lost our concentration level towards the end of the match, so we must improve on that and train ahead of our match next week. We are currently in the relegation zone, so we must rebuild our defence and escape from that zone.

Results of other matches

Cerezo Osaka U-18　0-3 (0-3, 0-0)　Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth
Vissel Kobe U-18　0-4 (0-1, 0-3)　Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18
Higashi Fukuoka High School　1-1 (1-1, 0-0)　Hannan University Senior High School
Gamba Osaka Youth　Postponed　Avispa Fukuoka U-18

Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) entered an away match against Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka), where midfielder OHORI Ryonosuke (#14) opened the scoring for Hiroshima where they marked their third win by scoring three goals. League leaders Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) and second place Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) squared off, and it was the Kyoto side who came out victorious after HATTORI Kohei and NAKANO Ryoma scored two goals each. Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) and Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka) shared a point apiece after a close battle. The match between Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) and Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) was postponed due to the effects of the earthquake that struck the northern part of Osaka prefecture. The new schedule will be announced at JFA.jp.

Tournament Period：Sat. 7 April 2018 ～ Sun. 9 December 2018

Tournament Information