2018 the 25th International Youth Tournament of Vaclav Jezek
3rd Match vs U-17 Hungary National Team
Fri. 24 August 2018 Kick-off 16:00 (local time) Match duration 90mins (45mins x2)
Slavia Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

U-17 Japan National Team 5-0 (2-0, 3-0) U-17 Hungary National Team

Scores
13' YAMAMOTO Rihito (U-17 Japan National Team)
31' ODA Yutaro (U-17 Japan National Team)
57' ODA Yutaro (U-17 Japan National Team)
66' KURIBARA Ibrahim Junior (U-17 Japan National Team)
89' YAMAZAKI Ryosuke (U-17 Japan National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: SUZUKI Zion
DF: NAKAMURA Takumi, KIMURA Seiji, BANGNAGANDE Kashif, SUMI Seiga
MF: ODA Yutaro, TAKADA Soya, MATSUOKA Daiki, YAMAMOTO Rihito
FW: SAKURAGAWA Soromon, KURIBARA Ibrahim Junior

Reserves
GK: UEDA Itsuki
DF: HATA Taiga, BABA Seiya
MF: INOUE Miki, MATSUMOTO Nagi, TSUKUI Takumi
FW: YAMAZAKI Ryosuke, SOMENO Itsuki, MATSUHASHI Yuan

Substitutions
HT' TAKADA Soya → MATSUHASHI Yuan
63' SAKURAGAWA Soromon → YAMAZAKI Ryosuke
66' ODA Yutaro → TSUKUI Takumi
66' KURIBARA Ibrahim Junior → SOMENO Itsuki
76' YAMAMOTO Rihito → INOUE Miki

Match Report

The U-17 Japan National Team faced the U-17 Hungary national team in their last group stage match. With both teams earning a win and a draw each, Japan as well as Hungary had a good chance to advance to the final with a win in this match. Since other teams’ goal differences could potentially affect the outcome, both sides were eager to win by some margin.

In the first half, Hungary displayed solid defence, while anticipating for their opportunity to counter attack. Once intercepting the ball, they quickly sent it up front to initiate rapid attacks. Japan, on the other hand, positioned themselves well, keeping a good distance between each other, as they swiftly applied pressure to prevent their opponents from playing freely. The Japanese defenders reacted well to the Hungarian forwards to give Japan the initiative in the game. In the 13th minute, YAMAMOTO Rihito (Tokyo Verdy Youth), who was anticipating for an opportunity at the centre, intercepted a pass and got by the opposing defender, creating a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper, where he calmly slotted the ball into the net to give Japan the opening goal. In the 31st minute, ODA Yutaro (Vissel Kobe U-18) dribbled deep into the opponent’s half before striking a shot from distance. With the help of the goalkeeper’s mistake, the ball found the back of the net to give Japan a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Japan sustained their rhythm in the second half, creating more goal-scoring opportunities. In the 57th minute, Oda earned a free kick just outside the penalty arc. He took the free kick himself and struck the ball directly at the goal. Although the shot was initially blocked by the defenders, he reacted to the loose ball and captured the goal to give his side their third goal. KURIBARA Ibrahim Junior (Mitsubishi Yowa SC Junior Youth) followed in the 66th minute when he received a pass from Oda before dribbling up into the penalty area to score their fourth goal. Just before the final whistle, in the 89th minute, YAMAZAKI Ryosuke (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth), who came off the bench, reacted to a cross from NAKAMURA Takumi (Higashi Fukuoka High School) and struck another goal. Japan earned a sweeping victory in their third match with a final score of 5-0.

As a result, Japan topped the group and advanced to the final, which will be held on the following day. Japan will meet the USA in the final.

Players' Comments

DF #3 KIMURA Seiji (F.C. Tokyo U-18)
It was great that we won today’s game 5-0, securing a place in the final. Although I believe we performed well as a team, there was still room to improve at the individual level. I made many mistakes which I shouldn’t have, and I must improve myself in that aspect. We are about to face the toughest challenge　of the tournament in the next match, so we will give our very best as a team to win the tournament.

DF #20 SUMI Seiga (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
Personally, I made too many mistakes in passing today, so I must fix that in our next match. I’d like to point out that out team stayed focused and vocal against Slovakia, who utilised long balls and counter-attacks, for the entire 90 minutes to keep a clean sheet. We will continue to perform well so that we can keep a clean sheet at the final and win the title.

MF #7 MATSUOKA Daiki (Sagan Tosu U-18)
I played against Hungary as the national team captain. We stayed vocal from our warm-ups and that helped us create a positive vibe throughout the match. During the match, we made great interceptions and communicated well about the pitch condition, how much time we have, and our defensive approach. We managed to score at a good timing and converted our chances well. We hope to continue on this trend and perform well in the final tomorrow. I’d like to improve myself during this tour before going back to my club.

MF #17 YAMAMOTO Rihito (Tokyo Verdy Youth)
I focused on making aggressive approach towards the goal from the beginning of today’s match, and as a result, I believe that it helped us score many goals. It was good that we saw much improved quality in the final third, which was something we had to work on after playing in the first and second matches. The next match will be our last match with this team, so we’d like to perform well as a team to win the tournament.

Schedule

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