2019 SBS Cup International Youth Soccer
2nd Match vs Shizuoka Youth
Fri. 9 August 2019 18:30 Match duration 80mins (40mins×2)
Ashitaka Park Stadium (Shizuoka)

U-18 Japan National Team 3-1 (2-0, 1-1) Shizuoka Youth

Scores
20' HARUYAMA Misaki (U-18 Japan National Team)
24' SAKURAGAWA Soromon (U-18 Japan National Team)
69' goal against (Shizuoka Youth)
71' ODA Yutaro (U-18 Japan National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: OBATA Yuma
DF: ISHIDA Ryotaro, KIMURA Seiji, IDE Keita, MIHARA Shuma
MF: ISHIURA Taiga, IWAMOTO Sho, NAKAMURA Ryuga, AYUKAWA Shun
FW: HARUYAMA Misaki, SAKURAGAWA Soromon

Reserves
GK: ITAHASHI Yosei
DF: NISHIO Ryuya, KATO Hijiri, BABA Seiya
MF: NAKAYAMA Riku, ODA Yutaro, MATSUMOTO Nagi, DOHI Kodai
FW: FUJIO Shota

Substitutions
HT SAKURAGAWA Soromon → ODA Yutaro
63' NAKAMURA Ryuga → MATSUMOTO Nagi
63' HARUYAMA Misaki → FUJIO Shota
63' AYUKAWA Shun → NAKAYAMA Riku
69' MIHARA Shuma → BABA Seiya

Match Report

On Friday 9 August, the U-18 Japan National Team played their second match of the SBS Cup International Youth Soccer against Shizuoka Youth, where they earned a 2-1 victory to mark back-to-back wins. A crowd of 4,133 gathered to watch this match, as the two sides have gone neck and neck against each other in the past tournaments. Despite winning the match in penalties last year, the U-18 Japan National Team has entered this year’s match with a record of two wins and three losses in their last five encounters against Shizuoka Youth.

The local side, Shizuoka Youth, mainly consists players from Shimizu S-Pulse Youth, Jubilo Iwata U-18, and JFA Academy Fukushima U-18, and the team entered the second match following a win over the U-18 Colombia National Team. Against the Shizuoka side, the national team rotated most of their players from the first match and started off the match with great intensity.

The two sides showcased a close and heated battle from the early minutes, but it was the national side who scored the opening goal. In the 20th minute, defender ISHIDA Ryotaro sent a pass to IWAMOTO Sho, who delivered a through ball behind the opposing defence line that allowed HARUYAMA Misaki to break away and score the first goal. Four minutes later, SAKURAGAWA Soromon converted a pass delivered by Haruyama to double the lead for the national side. Shizuoka Youth responded by taking two close shots from distance in the 26th and 31st minute, but their attempts were denied by the goalkeeper OBATA Yuma and the goal post respectively. Although Sakuragawa came close from scoring the team’s third goal from a counterattack in the 33rd minute, his shot failed to capture the target, as the match entered halftime with the U-18 Japan National Team leading 2-0.

The second half saw the national side take control of the game, as they showed great composure in their defence. However, it was the Shizuoka side who scored the next goal, as Shizuoka Youth converted a corner kick to get within a goal in the 69th minute. Despite conceding the goal, the national side struck back in the 71st minute, when ISHIURA Taiga delivered a long ball to ODA Yutaro, who dribble his way into the centre and struck a superb shot from distance that shook the net. The U-18 Japan National Team managed to keep their composure and hold onto their lead to earn back-to-back wins at the tournament. With the tournament title at stake, the team will now face the U-18 Colombia National Team, who has won 5-1 against the U-18 Belgium National Team on the same day, as their final opponent of this tournament.

Players' Comments

GK #12 OBATA Yuma (Vegalta Sendai Youth)
With today’s match being a match between two Japanese sides, we had extra motivation to do well and win the match. We knew it was going to be a difficult match, but our team managed to enter the match with great intensity and score an early goal to get our momentum going. However, we started to play a little too passively in the second half and I personally made numbers of mistakes in our build-up plays, so those are some aspects we need to improve on. Although we conceded a goal from a corner kick, our team managed to regather our composure and score back a goal soon after, so that was a good reaction showcased by our side. At this tournament, we are given the rare opportunity to face foreign teams, so I hope to showcase my best performance to help the team win the title. We will prepare ourselves ahead of our match against Colombia and give our best efforts to finish the tournament on a high note.

DF #3 KIMURA Seiji (F.C. Tokyo U-18)
I didn’t play in our first match, so I really wanted to leave good results in today’s match. However, we lacked composure in the early minutes of the match and turned over the ball to our opponents too easily. The goal scored by our offence really helped us find our rhythm, but this match really made me realise the areas I need to improve on. I played today’s match as the game captain, and although I wasn’t able to showcase enough leadership to unite the team, it gave me a great learning experience. We have one more match to play, so we will prepare ourselves well and work hard as a team to win the title.

DF #19 ISHIDA Ryotaro (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
Today’s match against Shizuoka Youth made me realise that I need to improve on how I enter the match. I played too passively and failed to showcase my strong points in the first half. Although I managed to get myself involved in our offence in the second half, I still lacked quality to assist goals, so I hope to improve on my passing skills to help the team score more goals. The final match will be an important match for the team to win the title, while it will also be a critical match for the individual players to make a statement to earn our spot into the U-18 Japan National Team. I will give my utmost efforts for the team’s victory and for my own growth as a football player.

MF #16 ISHIURA Taiga (Tokyo Verdy Youth)
Although we were able to create some chances in today’s match, we need to be more creative and create more opportunities to score goals. We managed to apply quick pressure and showcase fast transitions in defence, but we hope to polish the qualities and our cohesion as a team to give ourselves more time with the ball. Through this tournament, I will learn as much as possible from the opponents and my teammates, so that I can become an essential player for the team.

FW #11 SAKURAGAWA Soromon (Jef United Ichihara Chiba U-18)
With both teams coming off a win in the first match, this was a crucial match for both sides. I am glad that I was able to score in such match, but my overall performance was pretty bad, so I hope to make the necessary adjustments ahead of our final match. Through the matches against Belgium and Colombia, I hope to get a grip on which aspects of my game is effective and where I lack to compete at the world level. With the teams given a day to prepare themselves, both Colombia and Japan will certainly enter the final match in great condition. Our team has strengthened our bond through this tournament, and I hope to showcase my colour by holding the ball upfront and getting myself involved in our team’s goals.

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