Training Match
Wed, 11 June 11:00 Kick Off （45minutes×2）
J-GREEN Sakai

U-21 Japan National Team　1-2（1st1-0）　Japan University Selection Team

Scores
1-0　28min   IWANAMI Takuya（U-21 Japan National Team／Vissel Kobe）
1-1　70min　HACHIKUBO Hayate（Japan University Selection Team／Hannan University）　※PK
1-2　83min　HACHIKUBO Hayate（Japan University Selection Team／Hannan University）　

Match Report

On 11 June, the last day of the camp, the U-21 Japan Provisional National Team had a training match against the All-Japan University Select Team to wrap up the training camp which started on 9 June at J-GREEN Sakai in Sakai, Osaka.

As the U-21 Japan National Provisional Team controlled the flow of the match, led by Suzuki Musashi of Albirex Niigata, Oshima Ryota of Kawasaki Frontale, and Iwanami Takuya of Vissel Kobe, all playing for J1 clubs, at the 28th minute Iwanami headed in the corner kick from Akino Hiroki of Kashiwa Reysol to finish the first half with a 1-0 lead.

Even after subbing 10 players for the second half, the U-21 Japan National Provisional Team dominated the match and kept creating scoring opportunities. However, while those opportunities left wasted one after another without a goal, they gave away a PK to the opponent at the 70th and had the match tied.
The All-Japan University Select started gaining momentum with the first goal, and went on to score another to gain a lead at the 83th minute. The U-21 Japan National Provisional Team kept trying to turn around the match again, but failed to do so against the stellar defence by the All-Japan University Select, who are in the same age category for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. At last the U-21 provisional squad lost the match 1-2.

Comments

TEGURAMORI Makoto Head Coach
(Speaking of the objective of the training camp) While our players who are also on the J-League U-22 Select had their league matches and this U-21 camp and the league matches again, I wanted this training camp centred on our J1 players.
So we added J1 and J2 players whom we haven’t called upon to the team before to get more players to be familiar with our team concept.
(With this three-day training camp) I think we have been able to do what we wanted. Today’s training match was against the players selected from universities who all are in the same age category for the next Olympics. So in a sense it was a tryout for them as well as a match between two rival teams.

(Speaking of today’s result) It would have been better, if we had won the match, but the loss gave this U-21 squad an even bigger lesson. Maybe we were supposed to lose this match to go to the next level.

Q. What did you speak to the players during the camp?
A.I told them to have a big goal. Our national team is now in Brazil trying to show what Japan can do to the world. Now all eyes are on them. The players here are also expected to lead Japan after the current national team. We have to be committed to do better eventually than guys in Brazil now. We are here to get ready for that.

To do that, what we have to do now is to get on the same page with one shared team concept, which is to do offense and defence collectively with everybody. This generation doesn’t have a player we can call a super star, but we have many decent players. When we build our brand of football collectively, without relying on a few individuals, we will be a good team, as far as I am concerned now. That’s what I told them.

OSHIMA Ryota（Kawasaki Frontale）
Before this time I couldn’t participate in everything (in training camps). This time it was just three days, but we even had a training match on the last day and it was a very good experience for me.
(He had to leave the last training camp in March midway due to a match of his club.) Last time all I could do was talking. This time I could play in a match. We came out with a loss, but I could try offensively what I had been trying to do.The fact that I couldn’t score a goal is a missed assignment for me as I go on, but it was good that I could play with that kind of attitude.

UEAD Naomichi（Kashima Antlers）
It’s just a training match, but it’s very disappointing that we missed a win. We had a clear understanding of what we wanted to do, clearer in the training camp in March than in the AFC U-22 Championship in January, and even clearer in this camp than the camp in March. So in that sense we are satisfied. Our first goal is to defend our title in the Asian Games, but our real goal lies after that. We want to keep practicing for it with the right attitude every single day.

Schedule