Pick-up Match

Yonago Kita High School 2-4 (2-2, 0-2) Vissel Kobe U-18

The 13th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place on Saturday 15 and Monday 17 September, where Yonago Kita High School (Tottori) faced Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo).

Kobe entered the match with a strong intention as ODA Yutaro (#9) later described, “With the team losing three matches in a row, we really wanted to turn things around by winning this match.” However, it was Yonago Kita who took the initiative of the match with their aggressive pressure from the front line. Their aggressive approach prevailed in the 21^st minute when they forced a turnover deep in the opponent’s territory to free up SANO Kaishu (#7) to face the goalkeeper one-on-one, which he calmly converted to give the Yonago side the opening goal. Three minutes later, in the 24^th minute, HAMADA Rui (#9) capitalised an assist from TANAKA Junpei (#29) to double their lead against the Kobe side.

As Yonago Kita’s Coach NAKAMURA Shingo later reflected, “Things can go awfully wrong when you sit on your laurels,” Yonago’s momentum soon died down, despite taking the early 2-0 lead. In the 31^st minute, Kobe’s striker USUI Yuuki (#13) scored his side’s first goal, followed by the equaliser scored by Oda in additional time of the first half, assisted by HARA Mikoto (#10).

With momentum on their side, it was Kobe who took control in the second half, as KOBAYASHI Yuuki (#4) later described, “Our team stayed on the same page to exploit the space behind our opponents, which allowed us to evade the pressure applied against us.” In the 55^th minute, defender MIGITA Kaede (#5) delivered a long feed towards the Yonago goal, forcing the opposing goalkeeper to react to the ball. Oda responded to this delivery a step ahead and capitalised on the opportunity to score the go-ahead goal, as he later reflected, “During halftime, I was told to anticipate for those long balls.”

Kobe further extended their lead in the 78^th minute, when Hara delivered a cross into the goalmouth scramble. The delivery deflected off a defender and was blocked by the goalkeeper, but Oda was there to convert the loose ball to give his side a two-goal lead. The final five minutes saw Yonago Kita attack with great aggression, but the Kobe defence line led by OZAKI Yusei (#22) who was making his Premier League debut as a third-year middle school player, sustained the lead to earn the victory.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

NAKAMURA Shingo, Coach (Yonago Kita High School)
We allowed them to possess the ball too much in our last encounter, so we enter the match with the intention to apply pressure from the front line. Although we managed to execute our game plan, we over-reacted when we conceded a goal. We looked a bit tired towards the end of the first half, and I was hoping we can hold on to our lead, but it didn’t go in our favour. It almost seemed like we performed better after we conceded the lead.

MF #8 TAKAHASHI Ryo (Yonago Kita High School)
It was our third consecutive match where we scored the opening goal and unlike the other two matches, we managed to take a two-goal lead, so we really wanted to sustain the lead into halftime, but when we conceded the first goal, we were mentally rattled. During halftime, our coach also mentioned that we were over-reacting by the fact we allowed our opponents to level the match. We’ve been competing with the intention to perform well despite the outcome of the match, but we haven’t been able to do that in the first half of the season. Although we’ve been doing a better job in the second half of the season, we haven’t been able to earn good results, so we must nurture a stronger mentality.

NODA Satoru, Coach (Vissel Kobe U-18)
We entered the match expecting them to take a defensive approach similar to how they played in our first encounter, but they actually came out applying aggressive pressure and we were caught off guards by it. We wanted to initiate our attacks from Kobayashi, but their defence showcased great speed to capitalise on their counter attack. I feel like if we have done everything we should have done, we could have gone without conceding that goal. Our injured players have finally returned, and we have been able to play with our best squad. We can place ourselves in good position to avoid relegation, if we can win our next match against Avispa Fukuoka U-18, so we will focus to win our next match.

FW #9 ODA Yutaro (Vissel Kobe U-18)
After conceding the two early goals, our team’s atmosphere was not so great, but the two goals we scored in the first half has given us great momentum into the second half. During halftime, we were told to take on the opposing players one-on-one, so I was eager to attack. This was my first hat-trick at the high school level, so I am very happy. I have gained so many experiences through the tours and national team activities during this summer break, so I wanted to utilise that experience to contribute for the team. I still have many aspects to improve, but I am glad I was able to help the team win today.

Results of other matches

Gamba Osaka Youth 2-0 (1-0, 1-0) Cerezo Osaka U-18
Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 0-1 (0-1, 0-0) Avispa Fukuoka U-18
Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth 2-2 (1-1, 1-1) Hannan University Senior High School
Nagoya Grampus U-18 4-4 (1-3, 3-1) Higashi Fukuoka High School

Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) won the Osaka Derby match against Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) after scoring a goal each in both halves. Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) held onto their 43^rd minute goal to earn an away win against Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto). The match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) and Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka) ended in a draw after both teams scored two goals apiece. Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) came back from three goals behind to draw against Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) to share a point apiece.

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

Tournament Information