Pick-up Match

Cerezo Osaka U-18 0-1 (0-1, 0-0) Nagoya Grampus U-18

The 14th Sec. of Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place from Saturday 22 to Monday 24 September, where Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) and Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) faced each other.

Seeking for their first victory in three matches, it was Nagoya who took the initiative of the match. Just as NARUSE Shunpei (#8) later reflected, “During our training sessions, we worked on our plays to force turnovers in the flanks to initiate our attacks deep in the opponent’s territory,” Nagoya dominated the midfield against the Osaka side. Forward SAKAKIBARA Kyota (#27) who mentioned after the match, “I didn’t want everyone to think that I got to start just because (HYODO) Kento was injured,” showcased great runs to anticipate for their opportunities to score the opening goal. In the seventh minute, Nagoya came close to scoring when they forced a turnover at the centre of the field, allowing Naruse to strike a shot, but his attempt went wide of the target. Defender SUGAWARA Yukinari (#7) initiated another opportunity in the ninth minute which was followed by a pass delivered towards the goal by ISHIDA Ryotaro (#17), but his effort could not connect with his teammates.

After creating multiple opportunities, Nagoya captured the opener in the 10th minute, when Naruse passed the ball to the right side to setup a one-on-one situation for Ishida. The initial shot was once blocked by the Osaka goalkeeper, but Ishida managed to collect the loose ball himself and redirected the ball towards the goal. Naruse who later mentioned, “I haven’t been scoring lately, so I was committed to score today,” made a sliding effort to convert the delivery into the goal to give his side the lead. Despite being suppressed by the aggressive pressure applied by Nagoya, the Osaka side came up with an opportunity in the 33rd minute, when their forward NEGI Koki (#9) responded to a loose ball following a corner kick, but his shot failed to find the target.

The second half saw the Osaka side taking control of the match, as their mobility and endurance has allowed them to execute their game plan. In the 50th minute, they intercepted the ball in the midfield and MAEDA Ryudai (#36) fired a shot at goal, but his attempt couldn’t capture the target. In the 66th minute, midfielder MATSUMOTO Nagi (#20) dribbled by two defenders before launching a shot from distance, but his effort was blocked by the opposing defenders. Matsumoto made another attempt in the closing seconds of the match as he responded to through ball delivered from the centre and struck a superb one-timer, but his shot that was heading towards the left-hand corner was parried by the Nagoya goalkeeper MITSUI Daiki. The whistle blew after this play and Nagoya earned a clean sheet victory as Sakakibara celebrated with a big smile, “We conceded four goals in our last match, so it was great that we managed to show our persistency and win with a clean sheet.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

MURATA Kazuhiro, Coach (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We entered the match poorly and turned over the ball too many times. We had to play more aggressively, but I wanted our players to acknowledge the issue by themselves and make the adjustments on the pitch, so I decided not to give directions in the first half. After correcting our approach during halftime, we managed to perform the way we intended, but we still lacked quality in our plays after forcing turnovers. We have seen great improvements in our physical form, so we must find ways to utilise our strengths to the full potential. There are many ways to achieve that, but at the end, it all comes down to how much effort these players want to give, so I want them to approach the remaining match with that in mind.

FW #9 NEGI Koki (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We couldn’t enter the match the way we wanted and struggled to respond against our opponent’s ball movements. Coach Murata told us during half time to shorten the distance between ourselves and we managed to pick up our pace in the second half. Although we were able to create opportunities, it was very difficult to find ways to score a goal today. Our team managed to stay on the same page and fight through the first half of the season despite lacking many of our core players. We will be put in a similar situation in the second half as well, but we will continue to fight as a team to finish the season strong.

KOGA Satoshi, Coach (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
I was anticipating that both teams will come out applying aggressive pressure in today’s match, and that initiating attacks from high positions will be the key to this match. We created numbers of opportunities but failed to convert them because we lacked quality in our plays at the final third. We also conceded many counter attacks after failing to cope with our opponent’s pressure. We must heighten our quality of plays and be able to showcase an attacking style football against any opponents.

DF #7 SUGAWARA Yukinari (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
Although we were exhausted from the travel, we managed to keep our focus from our warmup session. We have been emphasising to attack the ball aggressively from our training sessions, and there has been more competition among the team as of late. So, everyone on the pitch were able to give their very best and fight through the entire match. However, we couldn’t manage the match in the second half and conceded many opportunities to our opponents. This match made us realise that we still have long ways to go. Even when the opponents come out attacking aggressively, we had to keep our composure and play like we did in the first half. We must work hard so that we can showcase a better performance throughout the match.

Results of other matches

Hannan University Senior High School 2-3 (1-1, 1-2) Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18
Gamba Osaka Youth 5-2 (2-0, 3-2) Yonago Kita High School
Higashi Fukuoka High School 4-4 (1-1, 3-3) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth
Avispa Fukuoka U-18 3-2 (1-1, 2-1) Vissel Kobe U-18

Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) won their away match against Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka) after taking the lead three times, scoring the deciding goal in additional time of the second half. Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) scored five goals to defeat Yonago Kita High School (Tottori). As a result, the Tottori side has been relegated from the Premier League. The match between the two high-rankers, Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) and Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) ended in a tie after each team scored four goals apiece. Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) took down the heated battle against Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) after capturing the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute to win the match 3-2.

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

Tournament Information