England trip　Friendly Match  vs  U-18 England National Team
2015-11-15 (Sun.) - 15:00　Playing Time: 90min. (45min.×2)
Manchester City Academy Stadium (Manchester, England)

U-18 England National Team　5-1 (3-1, 2-0)　U-18 Japan National Team

Scores
9'　Goal against (U-18 England National Team)
27'　Goal against (U-18 England National Team)
30'　KUBOTA Kazune (U-18 Japan National Team)
33'　Goal against (U-18 England National Team)
64'　Goal against (U-18 England National Team)
90'　Goal against (U-18 England National Team)

Line-ups
GK: KOJIMA Ryosuke
DF: HASEGAWA Takumi, MORISHITA Reiya, TOMIYASU Takehiro, FUNAKI Kakeru
MF: DOAN Ritsu, SASAKI Takumi, WATANABE Kouta, KUBOTA Kazune
FW: KISHIMOTO Takeru, SUGIMORI Koki

Substitutes
GK: KATO Yuki
DF: YANAGI Takahiro, MATSUZAKA Dan, OKANO Jun, URATA Itsuki
MF: MIYOSHI Koji, ITO Hiroki, NAGANUMA Yoichi
FW: KATO Mutsuki, ITO Ryotaro

HT　KUBOTA Kazune → NAGANUMA Yoichi
66'　SUGIMORI Koki → MIYOSHI Koji
77'　DOAN Ritsu → KATO Mutsuki
83'　HASEGAWA Takumi → YANAGI Takahiro
83'　FUNAKI Kakeru → URATA Itsuki

Match Report

U-18 Japan National Team met the U-18 England National Team for a friendly at Manchester City Academy Stadium.

England, who have several players in the Premier League, took the initiative from the beginning. After eight minutes, Japan were intercepted in their penalty area after a lapse in judgment, and conceded a goal, letting England strike the opener.

In the 25th minute, Japan committed a foul in the penalty area. Although England earned a penalty, KOJIMA Ryosuke performed a strong save, not letting the opponent add insurance. However, after the 27th minute, England stole the ball on the left wing, and got through to fire a shot, building a two-goal lead.

Japan passed the ball around with some rhythm now and then, getting through to the opponent’s area. In the 30th minute, they sent a cross from the left side to the area in front of the goal, where KUBOTA Kazune ran from the other side to head home, closing the gap to one goal.

Japan pressed aggressively up front, looking for the equaliser. In the 33rd minute, however, the opponent stole the ball again on the left side to pass into the area in front of the goal, in which the forward reacted well to strike a goal. The match went into the second half 3-1 to England.

From the beginning of the second half, although Japan took the initiative, passing the ball around and staying ambitious for goal-scoring opportunities, they could not find the back of the net against the opponent’s solid defence. In the 64th minute, Japan conceded the fourth goal from an unnecessary back pass to the goalkeeper. 

In the 90th minute, England bounced back from Japan’s corner kick, and counter-attacked swiftly to fire a shot, winning the game 5-1.

U-18 Japan National Team could not display their full abilities in the match against a strong U-18 England National Team in an excellent environment to finish the tour.

Coach and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach
Although we couldn’t achieve a positive result, the players showed what we’ve been practicing and our playing style now and then, including when they scored a goal. The players as well as us, the staff, realised that continuous mistakes in passing or judgement led us to conceding goals. We learned a lot through this friendly against a top world-class team, England, away from Japan. I appreciate everything including my club staff for giving us this opportunity.

KUBOTA Kazune (Kashima Antlers)
We played in an excellent environment – great pitch and opponent. U-18 England National Team were physically strong and quick. We couldn’t start the game well, making careless mistakes repeatedly, which led us to concede goal. We couldn’t pick up our pace.

Personally, in defence I just stayed as a ball watcher, rather than properly marking the opponent, letting them get through me. As I didn’t approach them strictly enough, the opponent easily sent a pass forward to initiate attacks. I’ll take back the problems I found during this tour, and fix them to improve myself.

SASAKI Takumi (Vegalta Sendai Youth)
I learned a lot through the game against the U-18 England National Team. Both as an individual and a team, there was a huge level difference in ability as well as in experience. However, I’d like to have positive thoughts from this defeat, and make an effort to improve myself even more. I’ll be up for revenge within a few years.

KOJIMA Ryosuke (Waseda University)
We couldn’t get a good result, because our abilities and skills weren’t enough both mentally and physically. The opponent could change the game through a single play, and understood more about controlling the match. During this tour, including today’s game, I saw the level difference. I’d like to improve my individual skills as well as the team’s strength, so that we can beat teams internationally.

FUNAKI Kakeru (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We struggled in the game, as we conceded a goal early on in the match. We couldn’t gather ourselves up against a stronger and quicker opponent, never mind showing off our strengths. We should have passed the ball around more swiftly to get through the opponent. I learned that I need to focus more on the details in order to play internationally. So I’ll practice harder back in my club team.

Schedule

Note: All training, training matches and friendly take place with doors closed.