The 16th Delle Nazioni Tournament vs U-15 Turkey National Team
Sunday 28 April 2019, 18:00 (Local time) Match duration 70mins (35mins x2)
Latisana, Italy

U-15 Japan National Team 5-3 (2-1, 3-2) U-15 Turkey National Team

Scores
6' KITANO Sota (U-15 Japan National Team)
7' goal against (U-15 Turkey National Team)
23' OSAKO Rui (U-15 Japan National Team)
36' NARAHARA Yoshiki (U-15 Japan National Team)
45' KITANO Sota (U-15 Japan National Team)
50' goal against (U-15 Turkey National Team)
65' SUZUKI Hiroto (U-15 Japan National Team)
71' goal against (U-15 Turkey National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: SAGA Tessho
DF: UEDA Yuta, SUZUKI Riku, IKEGAYA Ginjiro, SAKAI Shunya
MF: ASAOKA Hiyu, OSAKO Rui, NARAHARA Yoshiki, KITANO Sota
FW: OSAKA Sina, NAITO Yamato

Reserves
GK: MIYAMOTO Rui
DF: KIRIYAMA Ryuto, FUJITA Takahiro, TAKAI Kota
MF: YAMAZAKI Taishin, ITO Yamato, SATO Mikuto
FW: SAITO Yuzuki, SUZUKI Hiroto

Substitutions
HT ASAOKA Hiyu → ITO Yamato
48' OSAKA Sina → SAITO Yuzuki
48' OSAKO Rui → KIRIYAMA Ryuto
54' KITANO Sota → YAMAZAKI Taishin
54' NAITO Yamato → SUZUKI Hiroto
68' UEDA Yuta → TAKAI Kota
68' NARAHARA Yoshiki → SATO Mikuto

Match Report

After arriving to Italy on Wednesday 24 April, the U-15 Japan National Team played their first match of the 16th Delle Nazioni Tournament against the U-15 Turkey National Team on Sunday 28. Prior to the match, Coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro spoke to his players, “Let’s stay eager to win, don’t be scared of making mistakes, and keep on challenging ourselves.”

With the rain pouring down from the morning, the match kicked-off with a sloppy pitch condition, but both teams entered the match with great intensity. It was Japan who scored the opening goal, when OSAKO Rui delivered the ball to the left flank. Midfielder KITANO Sota received the ball before breaking through the open space and firing a left footed shot that shook the net in the sixth minute. However, Turkey responded just a minute later, when they broke through the centre and struck the equaliser from mid-range. Following this goal, both sides struggled to keep possession of the ball, but another opportunity came towards Japan when they earned a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. Osako calmly converted the spot-kick to give his side the lead. The rain got even stronger as time progressed, and the match entered half time with Japan leading the match 2-1.

By the time the match entered the second half, the pitch had turned into a huge water puddle. However, Japan took advantage of the pitch condition, as they broke through the flanks to create opportunities. In the 36th minute, Japan penetrated the left flank to deliver the ball to NARAHARA Yoshiki, who scored the team’s third goal. Kitano followed in the 45th minute to make it 4-1. Turkey managed to score back a goal in the 45th minute, when they converted a loose ball inside the penalty box, but Japan’s late substitute, SUZUKI Hiroto captured the net in the 65th minute to make it 5-2. Despite conceding another goal to Turkey before the final whistle, Japan managed to hold on to their lead, as they won their first match of the tournament 5-3.

The U-15 Japan National Team’s second match will be on Monday 29, when they face the U-15 Russia National Team, who has won their first match against the U-15 UAE National Team 5-1.

Players’ Comments

GK #1 SAGA Tessho (JFA Academy Fukushima U15)
The group stage of the Delle Nazioni Tournament has started today. I have a mixed feeling of excitement and nervousness, which I’ve never felt before. I am so happy that I was able to make it to Italy with this U-15 Japan National Team and I hope to implement this precious experience to my football career. In our first match against Turkey, we struggled in the first half, as we faced many tall players and the pitch condition was not very favourable for us. However, we managed to stay committed to win the match and showed great unity as a team to earn the victory. I was not able to adapt to the environment and couldn’t keep my composure today, so I hope to become a reliable goalkeeper that can keep his cool at all times.

MF #8 NARAHARA Yoshiki (Sagan Tosu U-15)
I am honoured to be selected into this traveling squad of the U-15 Japan National Team. The tournament kicked off today, and we faced Turkey in the first match. As a team, I feel like we were able to enter the match with a strong intention to win the match. We struggled dearly in the first half, but we managed to create many opportunities in the second half. We ended up earning a 5-3 victory, but we could have saved some of those conceded goals, so we are not satisfied with this result. I personally felt like I was able to cope with the foreign players and got myself involved in two goals, so I am happy with my performance. We hope to top the group stage and win the tournament.

MF #10 KITANO Sota (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
The Delle Nazioni Tournament has just begun, and we faced Turkey in our first match. I am now playing for my country, so I felt the pressure and the sense of responsibility in this match. With the pouring rain, we weren’t able to showcase our best performance, but I personally was able to score two goals to contribute to the team’s victory, so I am happy about that. However, the quality of my through-passes was not so great today, so that is something I must improve on. At the AFC Championship qualifiers, we will be playing under even tougher environments, so we must be able to make the adjustments accordingly. The team is surrounded with a great vibe, so we hope to continue on this trend and work hard as a team to take down the title.

Schedule

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

The 16th Delle Nazioni Tournament

Tournament Dates: Sat. 27 April - Sat. 4 May 2019

Tournament Information