Friendly Match  vs  U-15 Korea Republic National Team
2015-12-11 (Fri.) - 15:00   Playing Time: 80min. (40min.×2)
Kumamoto Sogo Athletic Park Auxiliary Field (Kumamoto)

U-15 Japan National Team   4-1 (1-1, 3-0)   U-15 Korea Republic National Team

Scores
22'   MIYASHIRO Taisei (U-15 Japan National Team)
34'   Goal against (U-15 Korea Republic National Team)
49'   KUBO Takefusa (U-15 Japan National Team)
68'   KOZUKI Soichiro (U-15 Japan National Team)
73'   MIYASHIRO Taisei (U-15 Japan National Team)

Line-ups
GK: OUCHI Issei
DF: KUWAHARA Kaito, SEKO Ayumu, KOBAYASHI Yuki, SUGAWARA Yukinari
MF: HIRAKAWA Rei, FUKUOKA Shimpei, NAKAMURA Keito, KUBO Takefusa
FW: TANAHASHI Akito, MIYASHIRO Taisei

Substitutes
GK: TAKAYAMA Shioki
DF: SEBATA Gijo, NAMAIZAWA Yohan, IWAI Ryuji, INOUE Miki, NISHIO Ryuya
MF: FUJIWARA Shiryu, KIDA Hinata, KOZUKI Soichiro, YOSHIDA Tasuku, SHIMIZU Ryoma, HIGASHI Shunki

51'   TANAHASHI Akito → FUJIWARA Shiryu
65'   NAKAMURA Keito → KOZUKI Soichiro
68'   KUWAHARA Kaito → NISHIO Ryuya
75'   HIRAKAWA Rei → SEBATA Gijo
75'   KUBO Takefusa → HIGASHI Shunki

Match Report

"00JAPAN", U-15 Japan National Team short-listed squad, played the third practice game of this camp in 40-minute halves against the U-15 Korea Republic National Team again, and won 4-1.

Although Japan, who lost to the same opponent two days before, stayed aggressive from the beginning of the game, the players struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities against the physically stronger Korean’s defenders. The game went backwards and forwards. Japan gradually picked up the pace with SEKO Ayumu’s long-distance passes and HIRAKAWA Rei’s through balls. NAKAMURA Keito took a shot in the 13th minute, and TANAHASHI Akito in the 18th minute, both of whom, however, could not find the back of the net.

Then after 22 minutes, MIYASHIRO Taisei in the centre, who reacted to a loose ball of Japan’s passing, knocked the ball into the left-hand corner, striking the long-awaited opener. Nakamura Keito and Tanahashi Akito played coordinately to create another goal-scoring opportunity, but Nakamura’s shot went wide. In the 34th minute, Japan gave a corner kick away due to some careless play, which Korea Republic headed home to level the game. The match went into the second half at 1-1.

The coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro encouraged the players during halftime: "play hardest in the second half to show the opponent whether you will physically lose to them again just like the first match or prove you have improved yourselves since the first game." Japan pressed Korean Republic in the second half, playing strongly near the ball, which was hugely different from the first match. 

After 48 minutes, Hirakawa Rei took a long-distance shot, which closely missed the goal. Then in the 49th minute, as a result of Japan’s persistent attacks, KUBO Takefusa, who received the ball in the centre, scored a goal with a superb long-distance shot. Although the match became more and more aggressive, with one player being sent off, Japan stayed calm.

In the 68th minute, KOZUKI Soichiro, who came off the bench, received the ball in front of the goal and got through the Korean defenders with skillful ball control to score Japan’s third goal. Then after 73 minute, Miyashiro Taisei in front of the goal calmly slotted the ball home. During injury time, the midfielder HIGASHI Shunki, who also came off the bench, took a long-distance shot, only for it to hit the bar. Japan won the game 4-1, and they will meet Ozu High School next. 

* "00 JAPAN" is the nickname of the U-15 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

Players' Comments

HIRAKAWA Rei (F.C. Tokyo U-15 Musashi)
As we lost to the U-15 Korea Republic National Team and it could ever happen again, we had a strong determination to win today’s match. I’m really pleased that we managed to win a competitive match by running through the 80-minute game until the end. Although I focused on preparing myself well before receiving the ball, I was not competitive enough against a physically stronger opponent. So I’d like to improve my core strength. I’d like to win tomorrow’s game as a team to show our achievements on this trip.

HIGASHI Shunki (F.C. Zebra)
I’m glad that I could show off my strength - dribbling through to take a shot - despite the short time I spent on the pitch. It means a great deal for our team that we won against the U-15 Korea Republic National Team, to whom we lost once before. Having said that, I’d like to improve our ability to score goals. As there is a good atmosphere in this team, I’d like to finish this trip with two consecutive victories tomorrow. I’ll play, focusing on the theme of this trip, "intensity and quality", with my teammates. 

MIYASHIRO Taisei (Kawasaki Frontale U-15)
We had a great atmosphere from the warm-up today, and we played as a united team until the final whistle. Personally, we could create many opportunities by cooperating in defence with those up front to score goals. We switched between attack and defence, swinging the opponent’s defenders to the right and left, to create some goal-scoring opportunities. However, we still have some problems in the accuracy of shots and the quality of last passes. I am not satisfied with today’s victory, and will look for a positive result tomorrow to finish this trip.

Schedule

*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.