International Friendly 3rd Match vs U-19 UAE National Team
2016-9-7 (Wed.) - 17:45   Playing Time 90min. (45min.×2)
AL-SHABAB FOOTBALL CLUB (Dubai/UAE)

U-19 UAE National Team   2-4 (1-2, 1-2)   U-19 Japan National Team

Scores
13'   Goal against (U-19 UAE National Team)
17'   OGAWA Koki (U-19 Japan National Team)
29'   MIYOSHI Koji (U-19 Japan National Team)
65'   SUGIMORI Koki (U-19 Japan National Team)
71'   Goal against (U-19 UAE National Team)
77'   KISHIMOTO Takeru (U-19 Japan National Team)

Line-ups
GK: OSAKO Keisuke
DF: FUJITANI So, OMINAMI Takuma, NAKAYAMA Yuta, HATSUSE Ryo
MF: DOAN Ritsu, WATANABE Kouta, KAMIYA Yuta, ENDO Keita
FW: MIYOSHI Koji, OGAWA Koki

Substitutions
GK: KOJIMA Ryosuke, HIROSUE Riku
DF: IWATA Tomoki, KOGA Taiyo, MACHIDA Koki, FUNAKI Kakeru
MF: IWASAKI Yuto, ICHIMARU Mizuki, HARA Teruki, SUGIMORI Koki
FW: KAKITA Yuki, KISHIMOTO Takeru

HT   OGAWA Koki → KISHIMOTO Takeru
HT   MIYOSHI Koji → IWASAKI Yuto
HT   KAMIYA Yuta → HARA Teruki
HT   NAKAYAMA Yuta → MACHIDA Koki
HT   OMINAMI Takuma → KOGA Taiyo
63'   HATSUSE Ryo → FUNAKI Kakeru
63'   ENDO Keita → SUGIMORI Koki
63'   WATANABE Kouta → ICHIMARU Mizuki
66'   DOAN Ritsu → KAKITA Yuki
73'   FUJITANI So → IWATA Tomoki

Match Report

The U-19 Japan National Team played the final international friendly of this trip against the U-19 UAE National Team in hot and humid conditions with the temperatures of 34 degrees. 

Japan started slowly, making mistakes in passes partially due to the heat in the first half. In the 13th minute, the opponent counter-attacked on the right to strike the opener. However, Japan soon attacked back. After 17 minutes, ENDO Keita received a corner kick from KAMIYA Yuta on a header to deflect the ball. OGAWA Koki reacted to it and scored the equaliser. In the 29th minute, DOAN Ritsu, who received the ball in the centre, dribbled up to send a through ball towards the goal. MIYOSHI Koji ran towards the area behind the opponent’s defenders to strike a goal with his right foot, turning the game around. The match went into the second half 2-1.

Japan stayed in control from the beginning of the second half. After 65 minutes, FUJITANI So intercepted on the right and initiated an attack. SUGIMORI Koki, who came off the bench, ran from the left to receive the ball, and calmly slotted it into the goal, stretching their lead to two goals. Japan gave away a free kick due to a careless foul in the 71st minute and conceded a goal from a direct shot. However, IWATA Tomoki, who was brought on to play at right back, sent an accurate long pass in the 77th minute, to KISHIMOTO Takeru. Kishimoto ran towards the space behind the opponent’s defensive line to receive it and struck a superb shot, checking the goalkeeper’s movement. 

Japan beat UAE 4-2 to finish their trip, which included France, with two wins and one loss. 

Coach and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach
We played two games against France and one against the UAE during this trip, preparing strongly for the AFC U-19 Championship in October. We stayed competitive against France, the European champions for this generation, and learned where Japan needed to improve. As for the game against the UAE, we realised how we must control the match in the heat and humidity of the Middle East. I’m sure our experience will bring us some advantage in October. Although there is only a short time before the AFC U-19 Championship, we’d like to get ourselves ready and in good condition.

GK #23  OSAKO Keisuke (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Youth)
Today’s game was our opportunity to show off what we’d achieved during this trip. Having said that, the quality of each play was not great, which prevented us from finding our rhythm. I learned once again that passive play could lead to some careless mistakes. So I have to play more aggressively without fear of mistakes. I’ll stay motivated and play hard back at my club to improve even more.

FW #13  KISHIMOTO Takeru (Cerezo Osaka)
I believe we played as a united team today, so that we could finish our trip with a victory. However, it was really hot and we couldn’t start the game well, which is an area we need to work on. Despite our losses, we did score with our opportunities. We performed well in the second half and added another score to win the game, which brought us some confidence. With only a short time before the final qualifying round, I’d like to think what I could do to improve myself more back in my club.

DF #3  NAKAYAMA Yuta (Kashiwa Reysol)
We played the last game of this trip against the UAE today. We made many mistakes from the beginning of the first half, and struggled to find our rhythm. It was one of our worst starts, as we let the opponent strike the opener. Although our performance didn’t improve much, it was good to turn the game around. However, we shouldn’t play like this in the final qualifier. In the second half, I believe we played better and scored as we wanted to, despite the fact we conceded a goal. I learned that our mistakes could make the situation difficult for us, and I experienced some unique Middle Eastern tactics. So I’d like to work on them. I’ll practice hard back in my team, so that I can improve myself from this experience.

Schedule

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