Pick-up Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth   1-0 (0-0, 1-0)   Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18

On 27 and 28 August, the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League WEST saw Matchday 10, as Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) faced Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto).

This was the first match of the second half of the season. While the match was evenly matched in the beginning, Hiroshima made their first chance in the 7th minute. YAMANE Towa, receiving a through pass from MITSUYA Makoto, ran into the penalty area, but could not break free from Kyoto defender, ASADA Shogo, and take a shot.

In the 8th minute, Kyoto, on the other hand, moved up to the opponents’ half after SHIMAMURA Takuya stole the ball and connected with HASHIMOTO Jin on the left wing, who crossed it to the front of the goal, but was cleared away by the Hiroshima defender. Gradually, Hiroshima started to control the match and create more attacking opportunities by good ball movement but they couldn’t break through Kyoto’s solid defence. The first half ended scoreless.

In the second half, Kyoto could not keep up with Hiroshima and allowed the opponents to control the match. Hiroshima’s player, IYOHA Osamu Henry, said after the match: “we kept moving from the first half and gradually we found space behind the defensive line. We then had more goal-scoring opportunities.”

The game-in-the-balance finally moved in the 68th minute. Hiroshima’s Mitsuta, receiving a square pass from AKEHI Tomohiro on the right side of the penalty area, re-connected with Akehi, who took a shot calmly and over the goalkeeper, scoring the opener. 

Hiroshima continued their attack. They had a pair of scoring chances. In the 76th minute, Mitsuta, receiving a pass from Ahehi while shedding off the defenders, and, in the 79th minute, Fujihara Yoshito, connecting with a long ball from SATOOKA Ryuto, both attempted a shot, but were denied by the Kyoto’s goalkeeper, FUJIHARA Yoshito. They could not add to their lead.

Towards the end of the match, Kyoto aggressive attacked but Hiroshima’s defenders kept a high level of concentration until the end and kept them from scoring the equaliser. They barely snatched a victory with a minimum score of 1-0. From this result, Hiroshima moved to the top of the table, ahead of Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka).

Coaches' and Players' Comments

SAWADA Kentaro, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth)
At the beginning, we were not settled and didn’t take sufficient time in building up our offence. However, in the middle of the first half, we started to balance the attacks from the sides and the centre. Since we played the postponed match of the Matchday 3 against Ozu High School last week, it helped us to get mentally ready for the game today. I was hoping to be the top team at the end without being considered as such, but now that we became the leader in the middle of the season, we need to play accordingly. From now on, we will face even more challenging matches, and it becomes imperative that we improve on our scoring accuracy and defence. 

AKEHI Tomohiro (Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth)
We have beaten Kyoto earlier in the season. Today, we had a long time being pushed back by them and I got an impression that they are formidable opponents. I couldn’t score in the last match, so I really wanted to score and contribute to the team’s victory.

In the first half, they had better possession of the ball, and we failed to score. However, in the second half, we geared up and worked harder, scoring the game-deciding goal. We are now the top of the WEST, but I want to concentrate on each game, not thinking too much about our current position.

MORIOKA Ryuzo, Coach (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
We wanted to win, if we had the chance. Hiroshima, being the league leaders, were not easy for us. I advised the players, “we are not going all out. We are looking to scrape at least a point out of the match,” entering the match putting emphasis on defence.

Even though we tried to press from the front line, they didn’t lose the ball so easily. Our tactics primarily had to focus on creating defensive blocks. How we started the game was not bad. Until the 30th minute, we had scoring chances after stealing the ball. However, after that, we got tired both mentally and physically due to long stretches of strenuous defence and allowed the opponents to push us back.

ASADA Shogo (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
We entered the match smoothly. We defended well (as intended) and made scoring chances. However, in the second half, our backline stayed too deep and helped the opponents to freely hold the ball. After conceding the goal, we finally had a stronger mentality to go forward and created better chances, stealing the ball a number of times. However, we failed to score and lost the match.

In order to increase the chance of winning, we have to change something. Obviously, we need to improve our accuracy of shots. In addition, we need to compete as a united team, while building the common grounds where we can work on.

Other Matches

Oita Trinita U-18   1-1 (0-0, 1-1)   Cerezo Osaka U-18
Higashi Fukuoka High School   0-0 (0-0, 0-0)   Vissel Kobe U-18
Ozu High School   3-0 (2-0, 1-0)   Gamba Osaka Youth
Nagoya Grampus U18   1-2 (0-0, 1-2)   Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School

Oita Trinita U-18 (Oita) shared the spoils with Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) in a 1-1 draw. The match, Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) vs. Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo), ended in a scoreless draw.

Ozu High School (Kumamoto) played against Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka). They scored the opener in the 16th minute by TANAKA Takumi, and, in the 39th minute, stretched their lead from a spot kick scored by SUGIYAMA Naohiro. In the second half, they extended their lead by scoring their third and won their third victory of this season.

Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School (Hyogo) haven’t won any matches since their opening match. After conceding the opening goal by Nagoya Grampus U18 (Aichi), they managed to turn the match around scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes. They move up from the bottom of the table.

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