On Sunday 28 October, the U-19 Japan National Team faced the U-19 Indonesia National Team at the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 quarterfinals and won the match 2-0. With this win, the team has secured their entry into the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019.

The match started as the entire stadium was covered with supporters wearing the home team’s jersey colour red. Under a totally away environment, the U-19 Japan National Team started TANI Kosei (Gamba Osaka) in goal, along with SUGAWARA Yukinari (Nagoya Grampus U-18), HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Reds), KOBAYASHI Yuki (Vissel Kobe U-18), and HIGASHI Shunki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth) forming the defence line. The team captain SAITO Mitsuki (Shonan Bellmare) joined ITO Hiroki (Jubilo Iwata) in the defensive midfield position, while ABE Hiroki (Kashima Antlers) and FUJIMOTO Kanya (Tokyo Verdy) were placed in the flanks. KUBO Takefusa (Yokohama F・Marinos) and MIYASHIRO Taisei (Kawasaki Frontale U-18) were named as the two forwards to complete the line-up.

The early minutes of the match saw Japan taking the initiative, as Indonesia lined up five players in their defence to counter the Japanese offence. The home side denied Japan from creating chances as they showcased tenacious efforts in their defence. Despite the dominance shown by Japan, the team struggled to find the net. In the 11th minute, Kubo delivered a cross into the box from a freekick earned in the left flank. Hashioka was there to connect with the ball and shook the net with his header, but the play was called off-sides. Japan was forced to utilise their first substitute in the 14th minute, when Fujimoto injured his leg, as SAITO Koki (Yokohama FC Youth) was brought into the match. A minute later, Sato initiated an attack in the right flank and sent a pass to Sugawara, who delivered a cross towards the goal. This time, Abe timed him self well strike the ball at goal, but his header went over the crossbar. Indonesia on the other hand, earned a freekick in the 29th minute. The delivery from this spot kick was sent into a dangerous area in front of the goal, but Indonesia cannot connect with this ball to score a goal. Japan broke through the right flank in the 30th minute when Sugawara, Kubo, and Miyashiro combined well to carry the ball upfront. Miyashiro’s attempt to penetrate the penalty area was denied by the opponents, and the shot taken by Sugawara off the loose ball was also blocked by the opposing defender. Indonesia counter attacked Japan in the 36th minute and managed to take a shot at the goal but came short from scoring.

The long-awaited goal came in the 40th minute, when Japan initiated their attack from the right side. The ball was played to Ito, then to Higashi, who was waiting for the ball in the opposite side. Once receiving the ball, Higashi showed zero hesitation as he struck the ball with his left foot. The ball travelled nearly 30 meters to find the back of the net, which gave Japan the opening goal. Indonesia rallied back with another counter attack in additional time of the first half, but Hashioka made a timely block to keep the score intact.

It was Japan who created the first opportunity in the second half. In the 49th minute, Kubo and Saito combined well to break through the right flank. The ball was sent to Sugawara, who entered the penalty box before cutting back a cross towards the centre, but this attempt was blocked by the Indonesian defender. With the rain starting to fall in the 50th minute, Indonesia gradually picked up momentum to push forward. Following a missed opportunity by Japan in the 59th minute, the rain turned into a heavy downpour and thunder was heard throughout the stadium. The home side started to rally back, as they threatened the Japanese goal multiple times. In the 62nd minute, Indonesia broke through the left side of the Japanese territory to penetrate the box, but Ito was there to block this attempt. Three minutes later, Indonesia attacked the same flank as SADDIL (#15) delivered the final pass to WITAN (#8) who received the ball unmarked in the box, but goalkeeper Tani calmly made the save to deny their opportunity. In the 68th minute, Indonesia struck a shot directly from a freekick that captured the target, but Tani made another save to keep the Japanese lead intact.

Japan finally found their way through the solid defence showcased by Indonesia, as Kubo and Miyashiro broke through the right flank in the 71st minute. Kubo dribbled into the penalty area before sending the last pass to Miyashiro, who converted the opportunity to extend their lead to two goals. With momentum on their side, Japan came close to scoring another goal in the 79th minute when Sugawara delivered a cross to the second half substitute, TAGAWA Kyosuke (Sagan Tosu), who connected with a volley shot, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar. Kubo made one last attempt at goal in the 81st minute, when he carried the ball into the box and fired a shot from no angle, but the opposing goalkeeper made the save to deny his effort. The match ended with a final score of 2-0 as Japan showcased great composure and persistence to advance to the semi-finals.

In the other quarterfinal match played on this day, Quatar defeated Thailand with a final score of 7-3 after the match entered extra time. Japan will now face the winner of the match between Saudi Arabia and Australia played on Tuesday 30 October.

Coach and Players’ Comments

KAGEYAMA Masanaga, Coach (U-19 Japan National Team)
We had prepared ourselves in case our opponents came out with a defensive approach, so we weren’t surprised in that aspect. However, the pitch condition and the rain were something out of our control. Also, the crowds’ cheer that erupted every time our opponents carried the ball upfront had a little effect on our players. Our patience was being tested in the second half, and I am proud of my players for making the adjustments during the match and switching their tactics to utilise the opponent’s momentum to initiate counter attacks. Whenever I told my players to be patient, the players replied back by telling me that they were well focused and had no problem on the pitch. It tells me that these players have grown as a player during this tournament and gained great confidence as we played each match. The players were well aware that in this match, the result was more important than the process. They did a great job to take in consideration of the weather and did what they had to do to lead the team to victory. Even though we have not been as successful at the world stage in the past four tournaments, Japan has gained strengths for sure. In the past, we have experienced losing in a match like this where a win and a loss meant a world of difference, so I really wanted to make sure to give these players a chance to play at the world stage. That was the dream and hopes of everybody who are involved in the Japanese football community. The players did a wonderful job to materialise that dream and gave us great confidence moving forward.

DF #2 HIGASHI Shunki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth)
(Regarding the opening goal) I saw the space in front of me, so I was determined to take a shot when the ball came to me. Following the first two matches, I wanted to get myself more involved in our offence, so I am glad I was able to contribute to our offence today. Our patience was being tested for a long stretch, but we were expecting such situations to come. It was a complete away match, and we couldn’t here our teammates’ voices on the pitch, but we kept fighting as a team. I am glad we managed to keep a clean sheet. This experience of playing in an away atmosphere has given us a great experience. I will continue to play my style, regardless of the surrounding environment.

DF #4 HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Reds)
We managed to defend and attack as a team today. I think I was able to do my job as well. We were aware that our opponent’s side players were fast, and the forwards were going to try to run into the space behind us, so I was able to stay composed and respond just as we planned. As a member of Urawa Reds, I am used to playing under huge crowds, so I felt like I had the advantage in that aspect. I also managed to keep my focus despite the heavy rain. My strengths lie on my ability to win the one-on-one duels, and I think I was able to showcase that in our match today. I am glad the team managed to keep a clean sheet. We are relieved to earn a spot into the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but we still have two more matches in this tournament, so we will stay focused to win our next match.

DF #5 SUGAWARA Yukinari (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
After experiencing the FIFA U-17 World Cup, I’ve always wanted to play at the world stage again, so I am very happy that we have clinched our spot. However, our goal is to win this tournament, so we will continue to fight. We still need to show more hard work in both offence and defence and make more runs down the field. We will prepare ourselves well ahead of our next match.

MF #7 ITO Hiroki (Jubilo Iwata)
The first goal was a superb goal by Higashi, but the set up that led to that play was very well executed, as we managed to switch the field while evading the pressure applied by multiple Indonesian players. It took us a while until we scored our second goal, but we knew this wasn’t going to be an easy match today. It helped that we managed to end the first half with a 1-0 lead today.

FW #9 KUBO Takefusa (Yokohama F・Marinos)
I am happy that we managed to earn our spot into the FIFA U-20 World Cup. We all fought until the very end and survived through the tough stretches as a team. I feel like everyone was able to play up to their full potential in this match today. When I was positioned in the right side in the second half, I focused on making my runs down the line. Towards the end of the match, I was able to break through multiple times from a similar play, so I manage to keep my composure in the scene where I assisted the second goal. I made my decision based on the timing of which Miyashiro made his run, rather than where the opposing defenders were positioning themselves. We entered the match with zero intention to lose, but this is a team that can fight hard as a team, and even if we did lose, I wouldn’t have any regrets with this team. We are not a perfect team yet, but we are in the process of becoming something great, and that is why we managed to win a match like today.

Schedule

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

AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018

[Top 4 teams will earn spot into the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019]
Tournament Dates: Thu. 18 October - Sun. 4 November 2018
Next Match: Semi-Finals Thu. 1 November 19:30 (21:30 Japan time) vs winner between U-19 Saudi Arabia and Australia
Broadcasted live at CS tv asahi CS ch2
Tournament Information