SPORT FOR TOMORROW South America - Japan U-17 Football Exchange Programme
U-17 Japan National Team vs U-17 Chile National Team
Sat. 23 February 2019 Kick-off time 18: 00 (Local time) Match duration 90mins (45mins x2)
Estadio Munichipal de San Bernardo (Santiago, Chile)

U-17 Japan National Team 3-1 (2-0, 1-1) U-17 Chile National Team

Scores
15' WAKATSUKI Yamato (U-17 Japan National Team)
33' WAKATSUKI Yamato (U-17 Japan National Team)
52' goal against (U-17 Chile National Team)
84' NARUOKA Hikaru (U-17 Japan National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: SUZUKI Zion
DF: NAKANO Shinya, YAMADA Nao, FUJIWARA Yudai, SUZUKI Kaito
MF: MITO Shunsuke, NARUOKA Hikaru, TANAKA Satoshi, TANAKA Katsuyuki
FW: WAKATSUKI Yamato, TOYAMA Shoji

Reserves
GK: NOZAWA Taishi Brandon
DF: HATA Taiga, SHIMOKAWA Taiyo, SUMI Seiga
MF: ARITA Keito, NAKANO Keita
FW: TSUKUI Takumi

Substitutions
60' TANAKA Katsuyuki → TSUKUI Takumi
60' FUJIWARA Yudai → HATA Taiga
76' MITO Shunsuke → ARITA Keito
76' TOYAMA Shoji → NAKANO Keita
87' WAKATSUKI Yamato → SHIMOKAWA Taiyo
87' SUZUKI Kaito → SUMI Seiga

Match Report

On Saturday 23 February, the U-17 Japan National Team capped off their Chile tour by facing the host, U-17 Chile National Team. With both sides coming off a loss to the U-17 Paraguay National Team, Coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro sent off his players by telling them, “Strong teams do not lose back-to-back matches, even if they were playing on the opponents’ home turf.” The Japanese Coach also reminded his players of the team concept “To increase the ball possession to lessen the time in defence.”

In the early minutes, it was the Japanese side who showed more eagerness to win the match as they penetrated the spaces behind the opposing defence line to seek for their opportunities. The opening goal came in the 15th minute, when NARUOKA Hikaru forced a turnover deep in the Chilean territory before sending the final pass to WAKATSUKI Yamato, who capitalised on the through ball to give Japan a 1-0 lead. In the 33rd minute, this time Wakatsuki induced a foul in the box to earn a penalty kick, which he converted himself to double the lead by halftime.

In efforts to change the dynamics of the match, the second half saw the Chilean side making changes to their line-up. Their approach proved to be effective as they managed to capture their first goal in the 52nd minute to make it 2-1. The match entered a deadlock from this point on, as both teams showed great intensity to display a heated battle. The deadlock was broken by Japan in the closing minutes, as Naruoka nailed a direct freekick from no angle at the 84th minute mark to seal the deal, as Japan took the final match of the tournament 3-1.

The Japanese players exemplified their coach’s words of “Winning the match even at the opponent’s home turf,” and finished the tournament with a record of one win and one loss. The final match was attended by many children from the Santiago Japanese School, where the players paid a visit on Thursday 21.

The U-17 Japan National Team will leave Chile on Sunday 24, and return to Japan on Tuesday 26.

Players' Comments

DF #3 SUZUKI Kaito (Jubilo Iwata U-18)
I feel like everyone was emotionally fired-up today and we attacked with great aggression. We showcased great defence as well and earned a well-deserved victory. However, I still vividly remember the bitterness I felt from our match against Paraguay. As a defender, the fact that we conceded two goals from very few chances created and lost the match where we had total control over, is something unacceptable. It will be up to us, if we utilise the experience we gained here in South America or not, so once I return to Japan, I will do my best to implement what I learned here to my daily trainings.

MF #8 NARUOKA Hikaru (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth)
First of all, I am glad to be selected into the squad for this tour. In today’s match against Chile, I was able to score a goal and the team managed to earn a victory. We managed to give our very best and showcased a dominating performance. However, I am still regretting the play I made that led to our opponent’s goal in yesterday’s match. Compared to the other players, I still have long ways to go in terms of my ability to make adequate decisions and quality plays, so I will work on those aspects in my daily trainings.

MF #14 MITO Shunsuke (JFA Academy Fukushima U18)
This was our final match of our Chile tour. We managed to feed off of the disappointment we felt from yesterday’s loss to Paraguay and capture the victory. During this tour, we faced many difficulties both on and off the pitch, but within this week or so, we managed to strengthen our bond as a team and become a better team. Through the matches played in South America, I personally was able to gain precious experience which I would not be able to gain in Japan. With the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled ahead of us this year, we will cherish each and every day from here on. Once I return to my team, I will utilise the experience I gained here in South America to keep myself motivated at a high level. Lastly, I am so glad that we were able to finish off this tour on a high note.

FW #10 TOYAMA Shoji (Gamba Osaka Youth)
With our final match against the U-17 Chile National Team being played at our opponents’ home field, we knew the match was going to be a tough one, but it made it that much more meaningful for us to walk away with a victory. The team managed to enter the match with a great focus which allowed us to take the initiative. There were times where we were forced to be on the defensive end, but we stayed persistent and created opportunities by exploiting the spaces behind our opponents. At a personal level, I wasn’t able to score a goal and as a forward, that is a major disappointment. Once I return to Japan, I will feed off of this bitterness and improve myself so that I can become a forward that can score against any opponents.

Schedule

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

About “SPORT FOR TOMORROW”

“SPORT FOR TOMORROW” is an international sport contribution initiative led by the Japanese government, which was announced by Prime Minister ABE Shinzo during the IOC Congress in order to promote the bidding activities for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. It is aimed to spread the value of ‘SPORT’ to more than 10 million people across all generations in over 100 nations, especially in developing countries, from the year 2014 leading up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.