The fourth sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Chugoku took place on Saturday 26 September.

Pick-up Match

Hiroshima Minami High School 1-6 (0-4, 1-2) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth

Although both teams are based in Hiroshima, it was the first time in 10 years that the two sides’ top team faced each other in an official match. Ahead of the match, Hiroshima Minami’s KANDA Hayato (#10) shared his aspiration, “I used to play for their junior youth team, but could not advance to the youth category, so I had an even stronger motivation to win this match.” However, it was Sanfrecce who took the initiative of the match.

As Sanfrecce’s TAKEUCHI Takato (#8) mentioned, “An early goal can open the floodgates for multiple goals, so we wanted to showcase our dominance from the beginning,” the club side penetrated the left flank from kick-off. Combined with TAKAYANAGI Eijiro (#25), Takeuchi broke through the middle and scored a right footed shot to give Sanfrecce a 1-0 lead in just 40 seconds, as he later reflected, “Eijiro delivered a perfect pass, so I just had to convert it.” With the team gaining momentum from the early goal, their defence line pressed up to add more layers to their offence, as ITO Taiyo (#5) mentioned, “Our two fullbacks have been actively involved in our offence this year.”

With Sanfrecce dominating the match with their quick ball movements, the second goal was scored in the 20th minute, when Takayanagi converted a pass delivered by SHIROMIZU Kota (#6). KANNO Taketo (#11) followed in the 35th minute, when he capitalised on a cross with a spectacular volley. In the 38th minute, a cross delivered by MITSUHIRO Kento (#18) ended up in the gaol net and gave Sanfrecce a 4-0 lead at halftime.

The four goals conceded in the first half have put Hiroshima Minami in a deep hole, as NIIDA Itsuki (#5) described their game plan prior to the match, “We want to keep the first half scoreless and start attacking in the second half.” However, Niida later reflected on how they changed their game plan after the first half, “We had nothing to lose at that point. We were committed to press forward with our build-up plays.” As Niida mentioned, Hiroshima Minami started to increase their ball possession in the second half. In the 55th minute, Kanda assisted the goal of NAKAJIMA Toya (#18) to cut down the deficit. However, with Sanfrecce making five substitutes in the second half, the club side regained their momentum to score two more goals, as coach TAKADA Tetsuya mentioned, “There is a fierce competition within the team.” The match between two Hiroshima sides ended up with Sanfrecce claiming the victory in dominant fashion. Sanfrecce has now scored 27 goals during the four game winning streak, showcasing their dominance in the league.

Coaches and Players' Comments

NAKAMOTO Yohei, Coach (Hiroshima Minami High School)
We were not able to keep up with our opponents’ speed and lost our composure. We finally found our defensive shape mid-way through the first half. During halftime, I told my players to focus on keeping our defence compact and apply pressure from the front line, which allowed us to possess the ball longer. However, our opponent was more critical in front of the goal and we ended up conceding two more goals in the second half. Through this match, we learned that a simple mistake could lead to a goal. It was an unfortunate result, but it was great to see our team play better in the second half. We hope to learn from these league matches and strive to become a better team.

MF #5 NIIDA Itsuki (Hiroshima Minami High School)
We knew our opponent was the better team. They are good at constructing their attacks from the flanks, so we trained all week to defend against crosses. However, we were overwhelmed by their speed and conceded early in the match. As we tried to regroup, we gave up another goal from our own mistake, and that really demoralised us. I feel that if we were able to prevent that second goal, this match would have turned out very differently. There were times where we had some negative vibes flowing during our training sessions, but prior to facing Sanfrecce, we were all highly motivated to beat them. We hope to carry that vibe throughout the season and continue to work hard towards each match.

TAKADA Tetsuya, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
It was great to see our team score four goals in the first half, but we also made many mistakes. We entered the second half poorly and conceded a goal. The hot weather might have had an effect, but that cannot be used as an excuse. I want our team to be able to manage the game more wisely. We have been able to take control of the ball possession at this league, but we must heighten the quality of our ball control, combinations, and positionings in order to become a better team. We are lacking matches with intense atmosphere this season, but I hope our players can improve themselves through these matches.

MF #8 TAKEUCHI Takato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
Although we were able to take control of the match by scoring early in the first half, we conceded a goal from my mistake in the second half, which caused our team to lose momentum, so I must reflect on that aspect. We managed to score two goals after conceding that goal, but we had more opportunities we could have converted, so we must be more critical in the attacking third. This season, our goal is to win all matches by scoring lots of goals. We will utilise this league to build our team ahead of the JAPAN Club Youth Football Championship in December.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020

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