Day three of the JFA 5th U-18 Japan Futsal Championship took place on Saturday 4 August, as the four quarterfinal matches and the two semi-final matches were played. As a result, the two team who fought in the same group stage, Teikyo-Nagaoka High School (Hokushinetsu1/Niigata) and Fugador Sumida Falcons (Kanto1/Tokyo) advanced to the final.

The first quarterfinal match held at Kamei Arena Sendai was played between Nagoya Oceans U-18 (Tokai/Aichi) and Sakuyo High School (Chugoku/Okayama). The match saw early action as Nagoya’s MIZOGUCHI Tsukasa struck the opening goal in the very first minute following a corner kick. However, Sakuyo followed just a minute later when SAKAMOTO Hiroto converted the pass delivered by KOJI Yudai to level the match. Then, after another minute, a long ball launched by the Sakuyo goalkeeper, TAKEUCHI Mizuki ended up finding the back of the net of the Oceans’ goal, giving Sakuyo the lead.

Despite the desperate efforts made by the Oceans side, with the help of the superb saves made by Takeuchi, Sakuyo kept their one goal lead deep into the second half. The Nagoya Oceans did manage to equalise though, when MORI Taisei converted the opportunity following a kick-in on the 34th minute mark. In the closing minutes of the match, Sakuyo retook the lead with HASHIMOTO Reira’s mid-range shot, but the Oceans once again level the match with their power-play which led to NOJIRI Yamato’s goal. After the 40-minute regulation time ticked away, the match was decided by a penalty shootout, where Sakuyo prevailed 2-1, punching their ticket into the semi-finals.

The second quarterfinal match saw Teikyo-Nagaoka High School squaring off against Sapporo Otani High School (Hokkaido1). In the 10th minute, Teikyo-Nagaoka’s TANAKA Katsuyuki opened the scorings off a corner kick. This goal led to an intense exchange of goals, as the first half ended with a score of 3-2 in favour of the Teikyo side. The second half saw the tide change as Sapporo Otani rallied with NOBURAKI Dylan’s equaliser in the 25th minute, followed by ITAYA Naoto’s go-ahead goal in the 30th minute.

Teikyo-Nagaoka, who won the title two years ago, did not back down easily. In the 32nd minute, YACHIDA Teppei levelled the match, which led to HARUYAMA Misaki’s goal just two minutes later. Yachida scored another goal in the closing minutes, when he was given the opportunity to strike from the second penalty spot. With their late match surge, Teikyo-Nagaoka High School advanced to the semi-final where Sakuyo High School awaits them.

The other side of the bracket was played at the Xebio Arena Sendai, where Seiwa Gakuen High School Soccer Club FC (Host Region/Miyagi) and Nichinan Gakuen High School (Kyushu1/Miyazaki) squared off in the first quarterfinal match. It was the Nichinan side who opened the scoring, but Seiwa FC’s ace, MIURA Ryuya tied the match at one apiece, followed by MORIYAMA Haruka’s goal to take the lead. With both teams each scoring a goal towards the end of the match, Seiwa Gakuen made their way through with a 3-2 victory.

The second quarterfinal match saw the same match up from the final of the Kanto qualifiers, as Chuogakuin High School (Kanto2/Chiba) and Fugador Sumida Falcons fought for the remaining seat into the semi-finals. Seeking for revenge from the qualifiers, Chuogakuin made their case with INAGAKI Shin’s brace, but conceded a total of seven goals, including the hat-trick scored by the Falcons’ second grade striker, SUZUKI Shota. The match ended with a final score of 7-4 in favour of the Falcons, once again defeating Chuogakuin to advance to the top four.

Although all matches in the quarterfinals were close bouts, the two semi-final matches turned out to be lopsided. In the match between Seiwa Gakuen FC and Fugador Sumida Falcons, which took place at Xebio Arena Sendai, the Falcons took the lead in the first half by scoring two goals and never looked back, as they tallied five more goals in the second half to win the match 7-2. After losing in the semi-finals last year, the team advanced to the final for the first time.

The other semi-final match was played simultaneously at Kamei Arena Sendai, where Sakuyo High School and Teikyo-Nagaoka High School faced each other. In this match, it was the Teikyo side who took the initiative, as the team racked up four goals within the first 11 minutes, including Haruyama’s hat-trick. With the momentum on their side, the team went onto take a commanding five goal lead into halftime, followed by three more goals in the second half. Despite conceding two goals in the second half, including the last-minute goal from Sakuyo’s KURODA Tomoki, the team cruised through the semi-finals with a final score of 8-2, advancing to their second final in three years.

As a result, Seiwa Gakuen FC and Sakuyo High School will play in the third-place match on Sunday 5 August at 10am, and the final between Fugador Sumida Falcons and Teikyo-Nagaoka High School will take place at 12:30pm on the same day. The Falcons will seek for their first national title, while the Teikyo side seeks for their second title.

Coach and Players' Comments

AKASAKO Takashi, Coach (Nagoya Oceans U-18)
Although we managed to score the opening goal against Sakuyo, we couldn’t find our rhythm after the goal. We made necessary adjustments to the long balls during the group stage, but we still had issues dealing with those situations. That is my fault as a coach, as I had to encourage my players more than anything. I usually do not praise my players and try to be strict towards my players, but I told them today that, “Although we couldn’t be the best, we still fought courageously.”

HASHIMOTO Reira (Sakuyo High School)
Including myself, we just weren’t good enough. We told each other to keep it simple in the early minutes, but after advancing to the semi-finals for the first time, we got overwhelmed. Although we kept telling each other to “play it simple,” we couldn’t play our game, and once we conceded the first goal, our opponents took the momentum completely. With the team unable to perform the way we wanted, the match turned out lopsided. With the suspension, I will not be able to play in the third-place match, but I hope our team wins the match, because this is such a great team. I want my teammates to give their best.

ITAYA Naoya (Sapporo Otani High School)
The opponents had the upper hand in offence. We had our chances to extend the lead after coming from behind, but failed to convert, which allowed our opponents to gain momentum. They had a player who was very good at holding the ball upfront. When he keeps the ball, a gap was created between my teammates and I, and it was hard to respond when they utilised that space. We have been working on our transitions between offence and defence, while fighting hard for the ball in fifty-fifty situations. Those are some mutual concepts we strive for in both futsal and football. This tournament made us realise that what we have been working on is something essential to win matches, so we hope to utilise this experience to become a better football player.

HARUYAMA Misaki (Teikyo-Nagaoka High School)
(In the semi-final) We managed to take a five-goal lead. We had all the momentum and the atmosphere surrounding us including the bench was great. I think we were able to showcase our eagerness to advance to the final. The final score of 8-2 is a positive result and it should give us confidence ahead of our next match. I honestly didn’t think it would be this lopsided, but it was our coach’s birthday today, so we told each other to, “Celebrate his birthday with a great win,” which may have allowed us to enter the match with a good vibe. At the final, we will face the Falcons who we have faced in the group stage. Last time we played theme, we conceded the opening goal, so we will focus to apply pressure from the early minutes, just like we did today, and anticipate scoring a goal with a short-counter. We will prepare ourselves to enter the match in good shape.

JFA 5th U-18 Japan Futsal Championship

Tournament Dates: Thu. 2 - Sun. 5 August 2018
Tournament Venue: Xebio Arena Sendai/ Kamei Arena Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Tournament Information