The second-round matches of the 28th Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth (U-15) Football Tournament took place on Sunday 18 December at various sites in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Pick-up Match 1

Yokohama F・Marinos Junior Youth Oppama　5-0（2-0, 3-0）Senrioka FC

In the first match at Hitachinaka City Sogo Undo Koen Athletic Stadium B, Yokohama F・Marinos Junior Youth Oppama (Kanto 4) played against Senrioka FC (Kansai 2). In the second minute, Senrioka pressed up front and created their first scoring opportunity, but the opponents’ goalkeeper managed to save the goal. F・Marinos Oppama, on the other hand, used the full width of the pitch, while their players switching positions flexibly, and found their rhythm. After 10 minutes, the team initiated attack from the left side and KATORI Kaito received the last pass to strike the opener. One minute after that, IDE Shintaro reacted to a loose ball from a one-two to score a goal, stretching their lead to two goals. Although Senrioka tried to create their opportunities through set pieces, they were not able to take a single shot. They substituted players to affect the game, but their offence remained ineffective before halftime.

In the second half, Senrioka exploited the space behind the opponents’ wingback. However, F・Marinos Oppama again struck a goal first. In the 54th minute, BROWNE Noah Kenshin, who received a cross from MATSUDA Eitaro, calmly knocked the ball into the right-hand corner of the goal. Then just one minute later, Matsuda reacted to the last pass from Browne Noah to score the team’s fourth goal. Although Senrioka never gave up and searched for goals until the final whistle, F・Marinos Oppama did not let them strike at goal. Instead, F・Marinos Oppama counter attacked and KAWANA Rennosuke added more insurance in the 83rd minute. F・Marinos Oppama won a sweeping victory 5-0.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Pick-up Match 2

Consadole Sapporo U-15　1-0（1-0, 0-0）Yokohama FC Junior Youth

The second match at Hitachinaka City Sogo Undo Koen Athletic Stadium B was between Consadole Sapporo U-15 (Hokkaido 1) and Yokohama FC Junior Youth (Kanto 3). The score changed just 30 seconds after kick-off. Sapporo sent the ball from the kick-off to the right side of the goal, where OYAMADA Ryo ran toward the near side to fire a shot with his right foot. Although the goalkeeper came forward, the ball still found the angle to roll into the net.

Both teams stayed competitive to take the initiative of the match near the centre and created more goal-scoring opportunities. YAMATO Ren of Sapporo fired a close shot in the third minute and OYAMADA in the 17th, only for them to be saved by the goalkeeper. SAITO Koki of Yokohama FC, at number 10, reacted to crosses and went close to the goal with a header in the 7th and 10th minute.

In the second half, Yokohama FC attacked more strongly, passing the ball freely using the full width of the pitch against the Sapporo side with players running tirelessly both in attack and defence while keeping things compact. Saito, the captain, was in the centre of play, taking nine shots – the highest number in both teams. Sapporo’s goalkeeper KAWAKAMI Shun saved the goal superbly, and did not let Yokohama FC find the back of the net. Despite difficult periods for Sapporo, all the players stayed focused until the end, displaying their high work-rate. The team gave a corner kick away just before the final whistle, but the players defended tenaciously to sustain their lead and won the match.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

The quarter-finals will be held on Friday 23 December across sites in Ibaraki in order to decide the best four teams.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

IZUMI Junki (Yokohama F・Marinos Junior Youth Oppama)
As we didn’t know much about the opponents, we faced the game focusing on our playing style. Although we started the match poorly, we managed to find our rhythm and perform well. We failed to reach the quarter-finals in the JAPAN Club Youth (U-15) Football Championship this summer. So we were determined to go further in this tournament. We achieved our original aim, but we’d like to aim higher. We need to avoid careless mistakes, while converting the chances and defending tenaciously. I’d like to perform as hard as possible, bearing those points in mind.

YOSHIZAWA Hideki, Coach (Senrioka FC)
We aimed to defend solidly and attack from the flanks against the opponents, who were good at keeping possession. The level of basic skills in youth teams of J clubs, including trapping, kicking and dribbling, is much higher. They can also choose the best play by judging the situation. We tried to display each player’s strengths, such as dribbling and passing. This generation have strengths and weaknesses, which is fine. Our team this year has got the power to move forward. The second graders, who came off the bench today, experienced an opportunity ‘to showcase themselves.’ I hope the players learned something here for the next competition.

YABUTA Mitsunori, Coach (Yokohama FC Junior Youth)
The players displayed what they have been practising. Having said that, they couldn’t control their emotions or beat themselves, which may have led to poor accuracy of shots in front of the goal. The team became really united despite the result. I hope the players made the most of it and learned something, while this experiencie of a highly-competitive tournament should last a lifetime.

HOMMA Youhei (Consadole Sapporo U-15)
I expected a tough game today, since I was still tired from the 1st round. It was more difficult than I expected and I felt the last 20 minutes were so long. I believe that playing patiently brought us this victory. We tend to play aggressively to win games. Defence, including strength in tackling, was the key in today’s match. This tournament is our opportunity to display what we have been working on for three years. As we ended in third place in the JAPAN Club Youth (U-15) Football Championship, which was really frustrating, I’d like to play each match with a strong fighting spirit.

28th Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth (U-15) Football Tournament

2016-12-17(Sat.)～2016-12-28(Wed.)
First Round～Quarter-finals：Various Stadiums in Ibaraki Prefecture
Semi-finals～FinalAjinomoto Field Nishigaoka(Tokyo)
Tournament Information
Fixtures and Results (Japanese version only)