The second Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April, where Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) faced the Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto).

Pick-up Match

Vissel Kobe U-18 1-3 (0-2, 1-1) Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18

In a match between two sides who won their first match of the season, it was the Kyoto side who took the initiative in the early minutes. Kyoto’s forward KOMIYA Takeru (#11) and midfielder YAMADA Fuki (#10) applied aggressive pressure from the attacking third to contain the build-up plays initiated by the Kobe side, as Komiya reflected after the match, “We told each other in our pre-match meeting to stay aggressive from the front line. We were confident that we can force turnovers, so we wanted to capitalise on those opportunities to score goals.” In the 22nd minute, Kyoto forced a turnover before exploiting the space behind the Kobe defence line. Defender KAWASHIMA Kosuke (#20) made the run into the left flank and delivered a low driven cross that induced a fumble from the Kobe goalkeeper. It was Komiya who converted the loose ball to give Kyoto a one goal lead, as he mentioned, “It’s the forwards’ job to anticipate for those deflections, so I was waiting for that moment.” Kyoto doubled their lead in the 33rd minute when Yamada and Koyama combined with each other to break through the left side. Midfielder NAKANO Keita (#15) capitalised on the cross delivered by Koyama to make it 2-0.

As Coach NODA Satoru mentioned after the match, “Those were two goals we could have prevented,” Kobe made the adjustments during the first half in efforts to get back into the game, as they shifted the position of YAMAUCHI Kakeru (#7) from the number 10 role to a defensive midfield position. Kobe utilised their substitutions actively in the second half to add layers to their offence, but Kyoto remained composed to deny the attempts made by their opponents, as NOHAMA Tomoya (#8) recalled, “We knew our opponents were going to push forward, so we stayed calm and focused on our defence.” Kyoto’s patient performance was paid off in the 85th minute, when their counter attack induced a hand ball committed deep in the opposing end. Yamada converted this free kick to add another goal to their tally. Despite conceding a goal to Kobe in the 87th minute, Kyoto held on to their lead to take down the match with a final score of 3-1.

Coaches and Players' Comments

NODA Satoru, Coach (Vissel Kobe U-18)
It’s regretful that we couldn’t collect the ball to our defensive midfielders and create more situations where we faced forward. We weren’t able to settle down with the ball and made too many passing errors in the early minutes, which made it tough for us to find our rhythm in offence. Even when we did manage to press forward, we kept on making mistakes to allow our opponents to create opportunities from their counter attacks. We wanted to show more ball movements and penetrate the flanks, but we weren’t able to do that. This match really exposed our weakness and made us realise that we need to improve ourselves

DF #3 HIGASHIDA Masaki (Vissel Kobe U-18)
All the goals we conceded came from our own mistakes, and we also struggled to deal with the wet pitch condition, which really exposed our lack of techniques. We could have prevented the goals by adjusting our positions and communicating more with each other. Although we managed to create more opportunities in the second half, it was disappointing that we were only able to score a goal. It felt like our opponents did a better job in showcasing their playing abilities and play with more intensity.

TESHIMA Kazuki, Coach (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
I sent off my players by telling them to apply aggressive pressure and they did a great job from the early minutes of the match. The two goals scored in the first half came from our aggressive approach so that was really good. It would’ve been better if we managed to create more attacking opportunities in the second half, but our players did well to defend against our opponents who applied more numbers upfront. It’s hard to perform the same way throughout the entire 90 minutes. We were able to acknowledge the dynamics of the match and earn ourselves the victory today.

MF #8 NOHAMA Tomoya (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18)
After winning the first match, both teams entered this week with a positive momentum. Facing an opponent who wants to possess the ball, we focused on applying pressure from the front line, which is something we have been working on from last year. Our approach worked out effectively today, as we managed to build our momentum from our short-counters and score two goals in the first half. Starting off the season with two consecutive wins will give us great confidence moving forward. We hope to continue on this trend and win our home opener against Cerezo Osaka U-18 in our next game week.

Results of other matches

Avispa Fukuoka U-18 1-2 (0-0, 1-2) Ozu High School
Ehime FC U-18 1-2 (1-0, 0-2) Gamba Osaka Youth
Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth 3-0 (1-0, 2-0) Cerezo Osaka U-18
Higashi Fukuoka High School 2-4 (0-1, 2-3) Nagoya Grampus U-18

Two teams from Kyushu collided in this game week as Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) took on Ozu High School (Kumamoto), where Ozu captured two goals in the second half to secure their first win of the season. In the match between Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) and Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka), the Osaka side came from behind in the second half to win the match. Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) welcomed Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) to their home where they earned a sweeping victory after scoring three goals. Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) and Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) exchanged multiple goals, but it was the Nagoya side who prevailed at the end with a score of 4-2.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

League Duration: Sat. 6 April - Sun. 8 December 2019

League Information