Pick-up Match

Cerezo Osaka U-18 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18

The 11th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September, where the league leaders, Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) squared off against third place Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto).

The vital match between the two high ranking teams started off with both teams showcasing quick transitions, as they engaged in an intense battle. While Osaka sought for opportunities by penetrating the left flank with the combinations of KONDO Kuraba (#32) and SHIMOKAWA Taiyo (#30), Kyoto made aggressive attacks from both flanks, as NAKANO Ryuma (#28) and NOHAMA Tomoya (#15) made runs down the line. However, as TAKESHIMA Kyosuke (#2) later reflected, “Although we managed to initiate our attacks from the flanks, we lacked quality in our last passes,” Kyoto struggled to finish their plays with a shot. In the 43rd minute, Nakano Ryuma made a great individual effort in the right side, but his cross could not connect with anyone at the centre, as the first half ended scoreless for both teams.

The second half saw the Osaka side taking the initiative, as they picked up their intensity. By utilising their substitutes effectively, the team showed great ball movements, as shown in the 65th minute, when FUJIO Shota (#18) fought for the ball to allow the second half substitute MAEDA Ryudai (#36) to strike a shot at goal, but his effort was denied by the opposing goalkeeper. Kondo followed with another opportunity made in the 72nd minute, when he played a give-and-go with Maeda before launching a powerful shot, which induced a fumble by the Kyoto goalkeeper, but his side failed to convert the loose ball. In the 78th minute, Maeda chased a long ball into the penalty area and fired a shot, but his attempted struck the goal post.

While the Osaka side failed to convert their opportunities, a golden opportunity arrived for Kyoto, just as their goalkeeper INOO Takumi (#1) mentioned, “Our opponents were good at counter attacking, so we were anticipating for our chances while staying patient in our defence.” In the 82nd minute, KAWASHIMA Kosuke (#22) responded to a pass delivered by NAKANO Keita (#25) before sending a cross towards the centre. KOMIYA Takeru (#18) made a timely run to convert this cross to give his side their first goal, as he later reflected, “I was a little bitter on the fact I couldn’t start the match, so I played with that emotion.” He continued by mentioning, “(HATTORI) Kohei made a great run towards the near post which left me unmarked. I wasn’t so sure where the ball would end up, so I just went in committed to strike a header.” Kyoto went onto sustain their one goal lead to win the match, stepping into the league lead.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

MURATA Kazuhiro, Coach (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We couldn’t get off to a good start today. Despite managing to carry the ball upfront, we couldn’t add layers to our attacks. I told my players during halftime that if we can showcase our usual performance, our opponents will have a tough time keeping up with us. In efforts to create chances, we applied aggressive pressure from our front line, but conceded a goal in a regretful fashion. We will be missing many of our players from next week, due to their duties with the national team and the J3 matches, so I hope to see our reserve players stepping up during the absence of these players.

FW #32 KONDO Kuraba (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
I made too many mistakes in the first half but managed to stay composed in the second half. We managed to create many opportunities to take shots, so if we could have converted those chances, we would have won the match. We also didn’t give up much opportunities to our opponents, so this loss is certainly disappointing. The team seemed to get rattled by our opponents’ speed in the first half of the season, but we have gotten used to it in the second half and managed to showcase our style of football more freely. Although we lost the match today and dropped our rankings, we will strive to start winning again. I personally would like to score more goals and continue to play in our future matches.

YAMASHITA Hiroki, Coach (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
Our players showcased a great effort today. They kept running until the end and displayed a collective approach in both offence and defence. The second half substitutes also executed their jobs well. Our previous match against Higashi Fukuoka, where we conceded late in the match, has given us the ability to stay persistent even when we are facing tough stretches. We have many players who can think on their own, so I was just there to watch them solve the problems on the pitch. I simply just told them to work hard as a team and make runs for their teammates.

DF #2 TAKESHIMA Kyosuke (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
Although we managed to get off to a good start, we faced a tough stretch early in the second half. But after conceding late in the match against Higashi Fukuoka, we kept our focus until the very end and fought hard for the entire match. Our team is striving for the same goal, while nurturing a new level of cohesiveness. Not only the players on the bench, but players who remained in Kyoto also cheered for us, giving us a great sense of unity. Every player is ready to play at any given time and that has given us great strengths as a team./p>

Results of other matches

Hannan University Senior High School 2-3 (1-2, 1-1) Nagoya Grampus U-18
Gamba Osaka Youth 2-2 (1-1, 1-1) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth
Vissel Kobe U-18 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Higashi Fukuoka High School
Avispa Fukuoka U-18 2-1 (1-1, 1-0) Yonago Kita High School

Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) won their away match against Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka) to keep their undefeated streak since the ninth Sec. Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) and Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) displayed an equally matched see-saw game, where they ended up sharing a point apiece. Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) managed to score a goal in each half to defeat Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo). Ninth place Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) earned three points off of the last place Yonago Kita High School (Tottori) to step out of the relegation zone. As a result of this week’s matches, the top five teams are now placed within one point.

Tournament Period：Sat. 7 April 2018 ～ Sun. 9 December 2018

Tournament Information