Final Tournament 1st Match  vs  Kunimi High School

Sanix Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament
Sat 21 March 2015 Kick Off 9:30 Playing time 80 min (40min halves)
Green Field B (Munakata, Fukuoka)

U-17  Japan National Team　1-0 (1st 1-0 2nd 0-0)　Kunimi High School

Scores
9min IWASAKI Yuto (U-17 Japan)

Starters
GK：INOUE Seiya
DF：UMEMURA Go、TOMIYASU Takehiro、ASADA Shogo、FUNAKI Kakeru
MF：KAJIYAMA Kanta、SAITO Mitsuki、ITO Hiroki、SASAKI Takumi
FW：SAKIMURA Yusuke、IWASAKI Yuto

Substitutes
GK：TSURUTA Kaito
DF：TANAKA Kosuke、MORIOKA Riku、MORISHITA Reiya、NISHIMOTO Takanobu
MF：NAGASAWA Ryosuke、WATANABE Kouta、FUJIMOTO Kanya、WATANABE Yo
FW：ITO Ryotaro、TAGAWA Kyosuke

71min　SAITO Mitsuki　→　WATANABE Kouta

Match Report

The U-17 Japan National Team took the initiative from the beginning of the first half, moving the ball around and initiating attacks. In the ninth minute, IWASAKI Yuto reacted to a corner kick and struck the opener from a header. Although the players stayed ambitious for goals, the game went into the second half 1-0.

Comments

SAITO Mitsuki（Shonan Bellmare Youth）
Although we could keep possession and finish with shots in the first half of the quarterfinal, we lost the ball from our mistakes and let the opponent attack with long-distance shots in the second half. We couldn’t play our style. Personally, I was able to play, while bearing in mind that I should react to loose balls and move the ball up the pitch. Having said that, as the head coach mentioned, I found areas I need to improve, including creating more space between me and my teammates or keeping some angles open when I receive the ball.

ASADA Shogo（Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18）
I started the game against Kunimi High School. Personally, I felt pressed and couldn’t judge things well. I went close with a header, but missed it when we needed to stretch our lead from 1-0. I’m pleased that we kept a clean sheet in the second half despite many tight moments. Although our team lost the semi-final, I’d like to get ready for the third-place play-off.

UMEMURA Go（Shimizu S-Pulse Youth）
I played at right back against Kunimi High School. As the opponent used many long-distance passes, I focused on controlling the defensive line. Personally, I found that I needed to improve the quality of forward passes and crosses. In the second half, although we were pressed several times, it was good that we kept a clean sheet. We lost the semi-final, but I’d like to refresh my mind to win the match tomorrow.

Final Tournament, Semifinal  vs  Aomori Yamada High School

Sanix Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament
Sat 21 March 2015 Kick Off 14:00 Playing time 80 min (40min halves)
Global Stadium (Munakata/Fukuoka Prefecture)

U-17 Japan National Team   0-1 (1st 0-1 2nd 0-0)  Aomori Yamada High School

Scores
6min Goal Against（PK）（Aomori Yamada High School）

Starters
GK：TSURUTA Kaito
DF：TANAKA Kosuke、MORIOKA Riku、MORISHITA Reiya、NISHIMOTO Takanobu
MF：SASAKI Takumi、WATANABE Kouta、FUJIMOTO Kanya、WATANABE Yo
FW：ITO Ryotaro、TAGAWA Kyosuke

Substitutes
GK：INOUE Seiya
DF：UMEMURA Go、TOMIYASU Takehiro、ASADA Shogo、FUNAKI Kakeru
MF：KAJIYAMA Kanta、SAITO Mitsuki、ITO Hiroki、NAGASAWA Ryosuke
FW：SAKIMURA Yusuke、IWASAKI Yuto

HT　SASAKI Takumi　→　IWASAKI Yuto
71min　TAGAWA Kyosuke　→　KAJIYAMA Kanta

Match Report

Aomori Yamada High School pressed the U-17 Japan National Team from the beginning with set pieces and long throws. In the sixth minute, Aomori scored the opener from a penalty kick due to a foul by U-17 Japan in the penalty area. Although U-17 Japan kept possession and initiated the attack, looking for goal-scoring opportunities, they made careless mistakes in controlling or passing the ball. In the second half, Japan took the initiative, and had a number of shots on goal. However, they couldn’t find the back of the net because of some superb saving from the opponent’s goalkeeper. The U-17 Japan National Team lost the match 1-0. They will play the third-place play-off against Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth tomorrow.

Comments

NISHIMOTO Takanobu（Kashima Antlers Youth）
I got stuck into in the match against Aomori Yamada High School. The quality of our game was low from the first half, and we couldn’t pick up our pace. We conceded a goal early on in the match, which lead us into some difficulties. We couldn’t score despite some goal-scoring opportunities. We found many tasks to be fixed. I’d like to improve the quality of our game to win the match tomorrow.

MORISHITA Reiya（Cerezo Osaka U-18）
Although we said ‘let’s focus on the initial burst’ in today’s semi-final, we conceded a goal from a penalty kick just after the kick-off. We refreshed our mind to play our style and initiated attacks, but we made careless mistakes in combinations or passing in midfield. We couldn’t find the back of the net and lost the game, missing several goal-scoring opportunities. As tomorrow will be the last match of the Sanix Cup, we’d like to play and win as a united team to finish this tournament.

KAJIYAMA Kanta（Nagoya Grampus U18）
We played two matches, the quarterfinal and the semi-final, today. We learned that an easy mistake at midfield lead us to lose the ball and that our quality in front of the goal needed to be improved. Tomorrow we will play the third-place play-off. So I’d like to show what we’ve learned during this trip, looking for both good results and content.

Schedule