The 15th Delle Nazioni Tournament Semi-final vs U-15 Portugal
Sun. 29 April 17:30 kick-off Playing Time 70min.(35min.x2)
Torviscosa, Italy

U-15 Japan National Team 1-2 (1-1, 0-1) U-15 Portugal National Team

Scores
20' Goal against (U-15 Portugal National Team)
43' SHIMOKAWA Haruki (U-15 Japan National Team)
55' Goal against (U-15 Portugal National Team)

Starting Line-ups
GK: KANOSHIMA Yu
DF: OSAKO Aoto, SUWAMA Kosei, TANAKA Hayato, MORITA Sho
MF: YASHIKI Yusei, KATO Daichi, YAMANE Riku, TAKAYANAGI Eijiro
FW: NAKAMURA Naoki, SHIMOKAWA Haruki

Reserves
GK: KANEDA Yamato
DF: KIKUCHI Shuta, SANO Kazuki
MF: ASANO Naoki, HIRAKAWA Takuto, YASUDA Kojiro
FW: TAKAHASHI Anri, KATSUSHIMA Shinnosuke

Substitutions
HT SUWAMA Kosei → KIKUCHI Shuta
55' NAKAMURA Naoki → TAKAHASHI Anri
67' KATO Daichi → ASANO Naoki

Match Report

The semi-final match between the U-15 Japan National Team and U-15 Portugal National Team took place on Sunday 29 April, where Japan lost to Portugal 1-2, placing themselves into the 3rd-4th place playoffs.

After qualifying through to the knockout stage as winner of their group, Japan carried its momentum into the semi-final match, taking control of the match with their mobility. In the 15th minute midfielder TAKAYANAGI Eijiro penetrated the left side, making his way into the central area before firing a shot. The shot was denied by the opposing goalkeeper, but Japan continued onto creating numbers of chances. However, the Portuguese side took advantage of a passing error made by Japan, creating a one on one situation and converting the opportunity to take the lead. Trailing by a goal, Japan created numerous chances to take shots, but could not score the equaliser and entered half time 0-1.

Japan continued to take the initiative of the game in the second half. Their aggressive approach to force turnovers upfront prevailed in the 43rd minute. Midfielder YASHIKI Yusei delivered a pass to forward SHIMOKAWA Haruki who made a run and fired a shot from a difficult posture. His shot was deflected by the opposing goalkeeper, but the ball had enough momentum to find the net. With the scores tied at one apiece, Japan kept on attacking while eliminating Portugal from creating chances.

However, 20 minutes into the second half, Japan were caught pressing too far into the opposing half, allowing Portugal to counter attack with one simple pass. The Portuguese forward converted the opportunity to give his side the go-ahead goal. With strong intention to advance to the final, Japan kept on attacking, continuing their dominance on the field, but failed to score a goal, finishing the match with a score of 1-2.

U-15 Japan National Team will now face U-15 USA National Team in the 3rd place playoff on Tuesday 1 May.

Players' Comments

GK #12 KANOSHIMA Yu (FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa)
This was my second time being selected into the National Team, and I am very happy for that. We are given the opportunity to face European teams and other teams from different countries that we don’t normally get to play, so I would like to make the most out of this experience. Last time when I was called up to the team, I wasn’t able to really indulge myself in the feeling of responsibility, so this time I would like to be committed to give all I’ve got in representing my country. The pitch we played today was bigger than what we are used to playing, so I focused on supporting the space behind the defence line. We conceded the first goal, and despite leveling the match at one point, we gave up another goal and lost the match. Personally, I managed to do well against crosses. Heading into the 3rd place playoff, we will look back at the scenes where we conceded the goals today and improve what we lacked, so that we can win our next match. We cannot win the title anymore, but with the next match being our last match playing with this squad, we would like to give all we’ve got and go back to Japan with no regrets.

FW #16 NAKAMURA Naoki (Sagan Tosu U-15)
I am very glad I was able to participate in this tour. Through this tour I was able to see what I am capable of, and at the same time what I must work on. In the first match against England, facing physically stronger and faster players, I couldn’t play my usual game, it was difficult to even receive the ball in that match. Through the following matches, I thought of what I can do to improve my game and made me realise that I still have long ways to go to become a better player, which was a positive thing for me. I will make sure that this will not just end as a good experience but feed off this tour and utilise it wisely for my football career. I will do my best in the 3rd place playoff so that we can finish off the tour on a high note before we head back to Japan.

Schedule

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

The 15th Delle Nazioni Tournament

Tournament dates: Wed. 25 April 2018 - Tue. 1 May 2018
Tournament information