Pick-up Match

Consadole Sapporo U-18    1-2(1st 0-1, 2nd 1-1)   Omiya Ardija Youth

Consadole Sapporo Under-18 (Hokkaido) took on Omiya Ardija Youth (Saitama) in matchday 3 of the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League East on 26 April.

Sapporo, who had lost in their first two games since the season opener, and Omiya, who had been saddled with draws in their first two, played a heated battle to score their first win of the season. The game saw a scoring action early. On 45th minute, KAWATA Kento reacted to the ball that KUROKAWA Atsushi dropped with his head. Kawata half-volleyed it into the net to give Omiya a lead.

Omiya created so many scoring opportunities afterwards with the tandem of Kurokawa and Kawata, but as head coach ITO Akira said after the game that his team got off to a good start but could not extend a lead and it was an issue, the team weren't able to capitalize on their chances for goals.

Sapporo, meanwhile, managed to endure the Omiya attacks and entered halftime just one goal down. And they gradually began paying back in the second half. “We started putting good passes for Tokuda (Kanta) and Suga (Daiki) and smelled for some scores.” As head coach YOMODA Shuhei stated afterward, SUGIYAMA Yuta and MOTOZUKA Toshiya were able to have the ball facing forward, and Consadole increased the number of passes supplied for the two men up front. On 58th, Suga, who reacted to Sugiyama's middle pass, netted a goal into the Omiya goal with his left leg to tie the contest.

The two sides played a see-saw battle after that, but the game ended in an unexpected way. On 86th, a Consadole defender tried to put a long ball from Omiya back to his own goalkeeper with a head, but the ball actually went in his own goal. Omiya retrieved a lead and wound up posting their first victory of the Premier League.

Coaches and Players'Comments

YOMODA Shuhei, Head Coach (Consadole Sapporo U-18)
We made too many mistakes in the first half. We wanted to connect passes and have quick counters after we got the ball. In the second half, we were shaken right and left by our opponents when we played our defence for a lot fewer times, plus they focused more on their own defence, we created more time to possess the ball. Because it was our home opener today, we wanted to seize an opportunity to have some momentum. We certainly regret with the result, but we want to take it positively that we were able to feel that we could change ourselves depending on how we'd play.

SUGA Daiki (Consadole Sapporo U-18)
We weren't able to play how we wanted to in the first half. But in the second half, we tried to play thinking, “we were down, but let's try to refresh our mind-set.” Our opponents seemed tired, too, and it gave us a chance to have some pace. I could score a goal, but it was regretting that we ended up losing in an unfortunate way in the end. Yet we cannot put our heads down forever, so we are going to have to think of what we have got to do going forward and train ourselves for our next game on Saturday.

ITO Akira, Head Coach (Omiya Ardija Youth)
We emphasized on attacking from the beginning. Kawata did a great job. But in terms of how we would have to find ways to score against opponents who play more defensively and extend our leads, we are going to have to work on it. Our defensive line played a little too low in the second half, but by changing our organising after we gave up a goal, we were able to make adjustments. As for the last goal for us, it happened because we were aggressively attacking. It was huge for us to take the close game, and it feels great to post our first win in the Premier League.

KUROKAWA Atsushi (Omiya Ardija Youth)
I wasn't able to score in our previous two games. For today, I thought that if I'd take a high spot to score, I'd have a chance. And I tried to be aware of make free running so we would turn on our offensive switch. We were once tied, but we quickly switched our mind-set. Because we maintained our mind-set for a win, working hard, I think that we were able to come up with the game-winning goal. I'm extremely pleased that we could grab the first win.

Results of other games

Ichiritsu Funabashi High School　1-0 (1st 0-0, 2nd 1-0)　Shimizu S-pulse Youth
Kashiwa Reysol U-18　1-2 (1st 0-1, 2nd 1-1)　Aomori Yamada High School
F.C. Tokyo U-18 　6-0 (1st 4-0, 2nd 2-0)　JFA Academy Fukushima
Kashima Antlers Youth　2-0 (1st 1-0, 2nd 1-0)　Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa

Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Chiba) retained a sole goal from SHIRAI Tatsuya on 76th, and shut out Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka). Kashiwa Reysol Youth (Chiba) cut a deficit to one goal, but Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) kept playing tenaciously after that and ended up extending their winning streak to three away. FC Tokyo Under-18 (Tokyo), who had scored four goals in the previous week, exploded offensively again, and put up six goals in a win over JFA Academy Fukushima (Fukushima). KAKITA Yuki scored a pair of goals as Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) tamed Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba). Antlers shut down Ryutsu Keizai and stood atop in the standings.