2019 SBS Cup International Youth Soccer
1st Match vs U-18 Belgium National Team
Thu. 8 August 2019 18:30 Match duration 80mins (40mins×2)
Fujieda Soccer Stadium (Shizuoka)

U-18 Japan National Team 2-0 (1-0, 1-0)U-18 Belgium National Team

Scores
30' ODA Yutaro (U-18 Japan National Team)
54' FUJIO Shota (U-18 Japan National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: ITAHASHI Yosei
DF: MIHARA Shuma, NISHIO Ryuya, BABA Seiya, KATO Hijiri
MF: NAKAYAMA Riku, DOHI Kodai, MATSUMOTO Nagi, ODA Yutaro
FW: FUJIO Shota, SAKURAGAWA Soromon

Reserves
GK: OBATA Yuma
DF: IDE Keita, KIMURA Seiji, ISHIDA Ryotaro
MF: IWAMOTO Sho, NAKAMURA Ryuga, ISHIURA Taiga, AYUKAWA Shun
FW: HARUYAMA Misaki

Substitutions
57' ODA Yutaro → AYUKAWA Shun
57' SAKURAGAWA Soromon → HARUYAMA Misaki
67' MIHARA Shuma → ISHIDA Ryotaro
67' NAKAYAMA Riku → ISHIURA Taiga
67' DOHI Kodai → NAKAMURA Ryuga
78' FUJIO Shota → IDE Keita
78' MATSUMOTO Nagi → IWAMOTO Sho

Match Report

On Thursday 8 August, the U-18 Japan National Team started off the SBS Cup International Youth Soccer with a 2-0 victory against the U-18 Belgium National Team.

The match started off with both teams aggressively pressing forward to showcase an intense and heated battle. Following the 10th minute mark, Japan gradually took over the ball possession and created a close opportunity in the 13th minute, when ODA Yutaro responded to a loose ball following a shot taken by NAKAYAMA Riku, but Oda’s shot was denied by the goal post. Two minutes later, Japan once again threatened the Belgian goal when FUJIO Shota, Nakayama, and SAKURAGAWA Soromon struck consecutive shots, but with the opposing goalkeeper making superb efforts to block the shots, Japan once again ended empty handed. While Belgium anticipated for their chances through counterattacks, Japan continued to apply pressure upfront and finally broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. The goal came when MIHARA Shuma broke through the right flank before sending a low grounder towards the goal, allowing Oda to convert the cross to give Japan a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Japan continued to show their dominance in the second half, as they kept their pressure high and created numbers of close opportunities. After the team came off a long distance travel and with the humid summer weather of Japan, Belgium showed signs of fatigue and couldn’t seem to find ways to carry the ball upfront. While their opponents started to run out of gas, Japan took advantage of the situation as they made their two fullbacks, Mihara and KATO Hijiri, run up and down the space in the flanks. In the 54th minute, Fujio responded superbly to an early cross delivered by Mihara and captured the second goal for Japan. The home side managed to keep their composure and utilised the substitutions effectively to earn a 2-0 victory in their first match of the tournament. The U-18 Japan National Team will now face Shizuoka Youth, who has won their first match against the U-18 Colombia National Team.

Players' Comments

GK #1 ITAHASHI Yosei (Sagan Tosu U-18)
Looking back on today’s match against Belgium, I made numbers of kicking mistakes. Such mistakes can really affect the momentum of the game in a negative way, so it made me realise that I need to be more accurate with my deliveries. If I keep playing like this, I would not be able to play at the J.League or in foreign leagues. This tournament should allow me to get a grip on what I can do and cannot do, so I hope to bring back as many homework as possible to my club. I will improve on the aspects I wasn’t able to do well in today’s match while continuing on the positive plays. I must not pressure myself to do something I cannot do but focus on giving my best efforts on what I am capable of doing.

MF #8 ODA Yutaro (Vissel Kobe U-18)
We were able to start off the match with great intensity and managed to take control of the match from the first half. I personally felt like I was able to work well with my teammates in offence and showcase plays we have worked in our training sessions. At this tournament, we will continue to challenge ourselves against the world’s top teams and strive to display our best performance on the field. In tomorrow’s match against Shizuoka Youth, I will work even harder than today to help the team win the match.

MF #14 DOHI Kodai (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth)
We saw many scenes where we lost the fifty-fifty balls in today’s match. We had to get to the ball quicker and utilise our body to win the battles. We are asked for results both as a team and as individuals at this tournament, so we hope to showcase good performances that can earn us wins. We have a very intriguing match tomorrow, so we will work hard to outplay our opponents and win the match. I will give my utmost efforts to survive in this team.

FW #9 FUJIO Shota (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We were able to take the lead in the early minutes of the first half and managed to showcase the things we have been working on. However, we must not sit on our laurels, and continue to work hard to win the second and third match. We are given the opportunity to face rare opponents at this tournament, so we hope to win all the matches to win the title. There are so many things I can learn from the opponents, so I will make the most of this experience to become a better player.

Schedule

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

2019 SBS Cup International Youth Soccer

Tournament Dates: Thu. 8 - Sun. 11 August 2019
Venue: Fujieda Soccer Stadium, Ashitaka Park Stadium, Kusanagi Athletic Stadium (Shizuoka)

Tournament Information