Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament 2018
2nd Match vs U-15 France National Team
Thu. 1 November 2018 Kick-off 14: 00 Match duration 80mins (40mins x2)
Complexe Octave Lapize, Creteil, France

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

Scores
10' goal against (U-15 France National Team)
48' SHIMOKAWA Haruki (U-15 Japan National Team)
51' goal against (U-15 France National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: KANOSHIMA Yu
DF: OSAKO Aoto, SUWAMA Kosei, TANAKA Hayato, OISHI Ryoya
MF: YAMANE Riku, NAKAI Takuhiro, TOYODA Koki, MUKAI Hayate
FW: NOZAWA Leon, SHIMOKAWA Haruki

Reserves
GK: NAGATA Mio
DF: ISHII Reona, MATSUKI Kuryu, MIZUTANI Yusuke
MF: TOYAMA Haruki, NAKAMURA Jiro
FW: KATSUSHIMA Shinnosuke

Substitutions
HT OISHI Ryoya → ISHII Reona
HT TOYODA Koki → KATSUSHIMA Shinnosuke
HT NOZAWA Leon → TOYAMA Haruki
58' MUKAI Hayate → NAKAMURA Jiro
67' NAKAI Takuhiro → MATSUKI Kuryu

Match Report

On Thursday 1 November, the U-15 Japan National Team faced the U-15 France National Team at their second match of the Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament 2018. After dropping their first match against England 1-3, the host side were looking to bounce back, while Japan sought for back-to-back wins following their first match victory. Coach MORIYAMA sent out his players off to the pitch by telling them to dominate the match with their mobility and combinations.

It was the French side who came out applying aggressive pressure from the front line in the early minutes. The host side made collective approaches while maintaining great balance in the midfield. Japan tried to fight back, but with the opponents reaching the ball a step faster than them, the team struggled to possess the ball and faced a tough stretch early in the match. Japan conceded the opening goal after getting caught off guard in the 10th minute. Despite their efforts to level the match, the team failed to find their rhythm playing under the rain and the unstable pitch conditions, as the match entered halftime with a score of 0-1.

In efforts to fight back, Coach Moriyama utilised three of his substitutes and changed their system during halftime. This change gave Japan a new life as they picked up their pace in offence and created numbers of opportunities by penetrating the space behind the opposing defence line. With momentum on their side, Japan earned an indirect freekick inside the opposing box at the 48th minute mark. KATSUSHIMA Shinnosuke rolled the ball to allow SHIMOKAWA Haruki to strike a shot that pierced the net, equalising the match at 1-1. However, France came back attacking in the 51st minute, as they broke through the right flank and penetrated the central area where their forward converted this opportunity to retake the lead. Japan gave their efforts to level the match once more but came short from finding the net and lost the match 1-2.

Players’ Comments

DF #4 TANAKA Hayato (Kashiwa Reysol U-15)
I am glad to be called up to the U-15 Japan National Team. I am excited to be given the opportunity to face the worlds best teams. In our match against France, we couldn’t respond well against their crosses and conceded goals from it. As a defender, the fact that we allowed two goals is not acceptable. We hope to perform better in our match against England.

MF #10 YAMANE Riku (Yokohama F・Marinos Junior Youth)
I am very happy to be selected into the squad for this France tour. Today’s match against France turned out to be an unfortunate result for us. We struggled to cope against our opponent’s pressure and physicals, both as a team and as an individual. There were stints where we managed to move the ball around in good rhythms, but we couldn’t finish our plays with a shot in the attacking third. It made us realise that we must heighten our quality of plays in order to win against teams like France. We will learn from this experience and utilise them in our next match against England.

FW #18 SHIMOKAWA Haruki (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
It’s been a while since I was last called up to the national team, so I am very happy to be here. We are given the opportunity to play against the world’s greats at this tournament, so we are committed to utilise this opportunity to measure ourselves against the world’s standard. In our second match against France, we struggled to find our rhythm under the unstable pitch conditions and the weather. Although we managed to level the match with my goal, we conceded the go-ahead goal soon afterwards. It made us realise the importance of one goal. As a forward, I will continue to work hard to score goals and give my best to help the team win.

Schedule

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