U-16 Japan National Team  vs U-18 Goa Selection (India)
2016-6-2 (Thu.) - 16:00   Playing Time: 45min.×1
PJN Stadium (Goa/India)

U-16 Japan National Team   3-0 (3-0) U-18 Goa Selection (India)
*The match was called off after the 1st half due to thunderstorm.

Scores
7'   SUZUKI Toichi (U-16 Japan National Team)
28'   NAKAMURA Keito (U-16 Japan National Team)
37'   MATSUMOTO Nagi (U-16 Japan National Team)

Line-ups
GK: TANI Kosei
DF: HIRAKAWA Rei, KUWAHARA Kaito, KANO Kanato, MATSUMOTO Nagi
MF: KOZUKI Soichiro, SEHATA Gijo, HIGASHI Shunki, SUZUKI Toichi
FW: KURIHARA Ibrahim Junior, NAKAMURA Keito

Substitutes
GK: AOKI Kokoro, KOKUBO Leobrian
DF: SUGAWARA Yukinari, KIKUCHI Kenta, KATSURA Rikuto, NISHIO Ryuya
MF: KUBO Takefusa, FUKUOKA Shimpei, KIDA Hinata
FW: MIYASHIRO Taisei, YAMADA Hiroto

Match Report

“00 JAPAN” played against U-18 Goa Selection Team on 2 June in their trip to India. The match was called off after the 1st half due to thunderstorm, while Japan was leading the match 3-0. 

Just like the match they had on the previous day, it was a simulation match for the AFC U-16 Championship India which kicks off at 16:00 in the same stadium. The temperature was high, and there was sun light even at the time of kick-off, hence they have to deal with this weather unlike the other matches that kick off at 20:00. Japan changed most of their players from the previous match and it worked successfully. 

Right after the kick off, on the 3rd minute, midfielder KOZUKI Soichiro broke through the left wing with intense dribbling and passed it to forward NAKAMURA Keito, but his shot couldn’t find the net.

On the 7th minute, midfielder SUZUKI Toichi scored from a penalty which he had won, and Japan got the opening goal. On the 28th minute, midfielder HIGASHI Shunki made a deep pass to Nakamura who sneaked into the front and trapped the goalkeeper calmly and scored the team’s additional goal. After the goal, Nakamura and forward KURIHARA Ibrahim Junior reached the opponent’s goal with set plays and going behind the opponents defence, but they couldn’t score due to a lack of quality of passing and scoring accuracy.

However, on the 37th minute, Suzuki’s cross was headed down by Kozuki and midfielder MATSUMOTO Nagi hit a volley, this shot successfully found the net and Japan got their 3rd goal. Japan took control of the game, yet a lot of issues were found in terms of scoring accuracy in the 1st half. 

Right after the beginning of the 2nd half, a strong thunderstorm started and the match was called off considering everyone’s safety.

“00 JAPAN” has finished their training camp in Goa, India, and will move to Vietnam tomorrow for the further training.

* "00 JAPAN" is the nickname of the U-16 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

Players' Comments

DF #16  HIGASHI Shunki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth)
Today I played as a defensive midfielder which I don’t have many experiences doing. A player who can do multiple positions is advantageous both for yourself and for the team, hence I want to keep training well to maximise what I can do in any given positions. As a team, we didn’t have scoring accuracy. We have to have a strong motivation to score a goal. Personally, I could improve the accuracy of my passing and deep passes compared with the last match against U-18 India National Team on previous day. I will continue to work for improving the quality of my movement to improve my scoring accuracy and to be involved more in the team’s play. 

MF #8  SUZUKI Toichi (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
During the match, there were few players who took leadership hence there was a lack of coaching voices. Throughout the match we didn’t have much scoring accuracy. I could score today, but I want to be able to score more, maximising my advantages. In Vietnam we will play against strong teams so we will check what was wrong today to win these upcoming matches in Vietnam. In India, everything I have experienced such as condition adjustment, new environment, and pitch condition, was a good lesson to me. I will do my best in each day to show a 100% of what I can do in the AFC U-16 Championship in India 2016. 

FW #13  NAKAMURA Keito (Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth)
How we started the match was fine, but our shots didn’t find the net and gave them opportunities to counterattack many times in the end. Good things were that we could keep the ball most of the time and didn’t allow them to establish their rhythm of play. I could go behind the opponent’s defenders well, but my left-foot shot just floated upward, so I have to keep my position more compact to smash stronger shots. I will continue to work on this in my daily training. In Vietnam, we want to improve our team combination and sense of unity even stronger. 

Schedule

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