Pick Up Match

JFA Academy Fukushima 1-2 (1st 1-1, 2nd 0-1) Ichiritsu Funabashi High School

JFA Academy Fukushima (Shizuoka) met Ichiritsu Funabashi (Chiba) at Torimi Athletic Stadium in Kagamiishi, Fukushima, in the Prince Takamado Trophy held for its Week 10 on Sunday 24 August.

JFA Academy Fukushima took the initiative at home early in the match, showing quick charges in their offence and defence. In the 10th minute, Kagayama Taiki opened the scoring when he left-footed a cross fed by Takamori Hiromu from the left flank. Academy Fukushima continued to dominate the match focusing on side attacks but could not convert them to add up the lead.

On the other hand Ichiritsu Funabashi started to create their attacking rhythm with short passes after advice from Head Coach Asaoka Ryuzo, saying “let’s pass the ball when we can pass for sure.” They gradually increased the amount of time for attacking by dodging opposing defence pressure. Then Shirai Tatsuya brought the score level when he headed home a corner kick from Koya Seishiro in the 45th minute.

The second half became a close match as well as the first half. The team who dominated the ball was Academy Fukushima as they did not hesitate to shoot and recorded the total of 10 shots only in the second half. Ichiritsu Funabashi rallied back with their tenacious defence. As Academy Fukushima’s head coach Nakata Yasuhito looked back after the match, “we were forced to take shots,” Ichiritsu Funabashi showed clever defence including putting bodychecks even after shots fired.

The persistently defending Ichiritsu Funabashi did not miss a goal-scoring opportunity. In the 85th minute, they initiated a swift counter attack catching the opposition who pushed up forward. After Nagato Ayumu beat defenders and rushed into the box with his fast feet, he sent a final pass to Uzawa Keita, who rolled it into the net to give his side a comeback victory.

Comments

NAKATA Yasuhito, Head Coach (Academy Fukushima)
I’m very disappointed. We could get into the game smoothly but our momentum went away after the water break in the first half. Because we couldn’t keep midfielders close, we ended up with giving away the momentum. What we need to correct from now on is to adjust our plays on the pitch when we get behind. We’ve got to get a fresh start to be ready for the upcoming match against Shimizu S-pulse and more.

HAMADA Chikara (JFA Academy Fukushima)
The opponent’s goal at the end of the first half shocked us. I regret that we couldn’t come up with any solution to come back even though we knew we had lost our momentum after taking the lead. It was a long-awaited match in Fukushima. My friend told me “good luck” at the break, but we couldn’t get a good result. That’s disappointing. Anyway, I need to refresh my mind because the next match is coming up soon.

ASAOKA Ryuzo (Ichiritsu Funabashi High School)
I’m solely happy to win the first game of the season’s second half. My players showed us their tenacious plays and strong desire to get the ball with organised defence. The solid defence leads to the good offence. In the second half, we were successful in presenting our strength, scoring a goal on a counter attack with fast-footed players.

SHIMURA Ko (Ichiritsu Funabashi High School)
The away points are big for us. As a matter of course, I wanted to finish the match with a clean sheet as a goalkeeper. Even though we had a lot of difficult stretches, the fact we just only lost the least goal is one of the positive points. We finished a camp just before today’s game and have deepened our unity. We will work together even in the inferior situation and grow as a team.

Other Results

Consadole Sapporo U-18　1-1（1st 1-0, 2nd 0-1）　Shimizu S-pulse Youth
Aomori Yamada High School　5-0（1st 0-0, 2nd 5-0）　Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa
Kashiwa Reysol U-18　2-1（1st 1-0, 2nd 1-1）　Kashima Antlers Youth
Tokyo Verdi Youth　1-7（1st 0-5, 2nd 1-2）　Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth

Two teams won with ease. Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) gained a perfect 5-0 win over Ryutsukeizai Kashiwa High School (Chiba) with goals including Yamashita Yuto’s hat trick. At the match between two clubs based in Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy Youth and Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth, the latter won with seven goals including Disaro Akira Silvano’s three goals. League-leading Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) snatched a close 2-1 win over Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) with Kato Hayato’s extra-time winner in the second half, seeing their lead extended to four points while runners-up Shimizu S-pulse Youth (Shizuoka) drew with Consadole Sapporo U-18 (Hokkaido) on the road.