Pick-up Match

Gamba Osaka Youth　0-2（0-0, 0-2）Higashi Fukuoka High School

Matchday 11 of the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League WEST was held on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September. Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) squared off against Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka).

Both teams aimed to win for the first time in the latter stage of the league. Higashi Fukuoka took the initiative from the beginning, grabbing their first opportunity in the 4th minute. TAJIRI Kyotaro, who broke through the left side, sent a low cross into the penalty area, but it was knocked away by the opponent. Although KUWASAKI Yuya reacted to a loose ball and fired a shot directly, it hit the defender failing to score an opener. After 36 minutes, FUKUDA Yuya ran towards a cross ball from the right and met with a header, but it was once again blocked by the defenders.

G Osaka, on the other hand, waited for their chance to use their swift counter-attacks straight down the pitch off interceptions. However, as MESHINO Ryotaro later noted: “we were pressed playing with five players at the back, which isolated players up front when we needed to attack.” As a result, they struggled to attack effectively. The match went into the second half without G Osaka having any goal-scoring opportunities.

Higashi Fukuoka continued to stay in control in the second half. After 51 minutes, TAJIRI, who cut into the centre from the right side, struck a shot, only for it to be denied by the crossbar. Soon after, goalkeeper MAESHIMA Masaya’s kick found the tailing wind and went close to finding G Osaka’s net.

Meanwhile, G Osaka started to attack more often and create their own scoring opportunities. While SHIBAMOTO Ren sustained the possession of the ball, Meshino got through on goal in the 57th minute.

The game went back and forth until the 62nd minute. As soon as G Osaka stole the ball to attack, Higashi Fukuoka intercepted and advanced swiftly to the opponents’ penalty area. FUJII Kazuki reacted to a loose ball in front of the goal and slotted it in, striking the opener. Immediately after, in the 64th minute, Higashi Fukuoka's SATO Ryoga, who came off the bench, added another score to stretch their lead.

In the last 10 minutes, although G Osaka changed their system to throw everything into attack, they could not find the back of the net before the final whistle. Higashi Fukuoka earned three points after defeating G Osaka.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

MIYAMOTO Tsuneyasu, Coach (Gamba Osaka Youth)
We tried out three defenders today instead of the normal four, so that we could put pressure from the sides. In the first half, I think attempting to steal the ball up front worked quite well. We played the match as we aimed to do until conceding a goal in the second half. Having said that, we couldn’t advance forward after stealing the ball today, which is a problem in our offence that needs attention. We performed better compared to the previous match. So we’d like to focus on scoring in the next game.

MESHINO Ryotaro (Gamba Osaka Youth)
Learning from our 3-0 defeat in the previous match, we focused on staying strong around the ball and starting the match well. I believe we did well in the first half, but we couldn’t move the line forward enough after intercepting the ball. We also failed to attack with quality. It was a shame that we couldn’t score from the scoring chance we had just after conceding a goal. As I know my performance – whether I can score a goal or not – impacts the momentum of our team, I do feel responsible.

MORISHIGE Junya (Higashi Fukuoka High School)
Without our two main players due to their poor condition, we didn’t have the best team to play for this match. I told the players prior to the game: “if the substituting players perform well, I’ll use them again in the coming matches.” Winning a game under difficult circumstances meant a lot to us. Although we moved towards the goal with the ball, we couldn’t break through the opponents’ solid defence in the first half.

As we expect similar games in the prefectural qualifiers of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, it’s good to learn what we currently need to work on. Now, staying in the league (avoiding relegation) becomes more realistic for us with this victory. It means a lot that we can play the coming matches in a more relaxed way.

KODAMA Shintaro (Higashi Fukuoka High School)
We couldn’t create decisive goal-scoring opportunity even when we advanced near the goal line in the first half, which showed where our problem lies. G Osaka have many players with excellent skills. As it’s hard to defend one-on-one, we attempted to rob the ball as a team (with more than one player). I believe this tactic worked well throughout the game. We were under pressure from the opponents’ attacks towards the end of the match, but remained focused to keep a clean sheet just like we did in the game against Vissel Kobe U-18 on the previous matchday. This match brought us some confidence in defence.

Other Matches

Ozu High School　0-1（0-0, 0-1）Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth
Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18　2-0（1-0, 1-0）Oita Trinita U-18
Cerezo Osaka U-18　2-1（0-1, 2-0）Nagoya Grampus U18
Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School　1-1（1-0, 0-1）Vissel Kobe U-18

Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima), who reached the top on the previous matchday, played an away match against Ozu High School (Kumamoto) this week. The team maintained their one-goal lead with KATSURA Rikuto’s shot in the 67th minute and won the game 1-0.

Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) beat Oita Trinita U-18 (Oita) to earn three points by scoring one goal in each half.

Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) met Nagoya Grampus U18 (Aichi) at home. Although Cerezo Osaka let the opponents strike the opener in the first half, the team succeeded in turning the game around with goals from ARIMIZU Aki and NAKAJIMA Motohiko.

The Kobe derby, between Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School (Hyogo) and Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo), shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

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