AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 Group Stage 2nd vs U-19 Iran National Team
2016-10-17 (Mon.) - 16:30 Playing Time: 90min. (45min.×2) 
Bahrain National Stadium (Manama/Bahrain)

U-19 Iran National Team   0-0 (0-0, 0-0)   U-19 Japan National Team

Line-ups
GK: KOJIMA Ryosuke
DF: HATSUSE Ryo, TOMIYASU Takehiro, NAKAYAMA Yuta, FUNAKI Kakeru
MF: DOAN Ritsu, KAMIYA Yuta, SAKAI Daisuke, NAGANUMA Yoichi
FW: OGAWA Koki, NAKAMURA Shunta

Substitutions
GK: HIROSUE Riku, WAKAHARA Tomoya
DF: FUJITANI So, ITAKURA Kou, MACHIDA Koki, IWATA Tomoki
MF: ENDO Keita, ICHIMARU Mizuki, HARA Teruki, MIYOSHI Koji
FW: IWASAKI Yuto, KISHIMOTO Takeru

65'   NAKAMURA Shunta → IWASAKI Yuto
68'   KAMIYA Yuta → HARA Teruki
74'   NAGANUMA Yoichi → MIYOSHI Koji

Match Report

The U-19 Japan National Team met U-19 Iran in the second group-stage game of the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016. As Japan could secure a spot in the knockout stage if we they won the coming game, the U-19 Japan National Team replaced three players to start the match. When the game kicked off at 16:30 local time, it was a little cooler than usual with the temperature under 29 degrees.

Japan took the initiative from the beginning of the game, passing the ball around rhythmically. After getting through to the opponent’s area numerous times, and staying ambitious for goals, the defender NAKAYAMA Yuta (Kashiwa Reysol) ran towards a free kick from the midfielder DOAN Ritsu (Gamba Osaka) to take a shot with a header in the fifth minute. However, the shot unfortunately hit the cross bar, and he failed to secure the opener. Iran, on the other hand, struck a long-distance shot by surprise in the eighth minute, which went over the head of the goalkeeper KOJIMA Ryosuke (Waseda University). The shot also hit the cross bar, and the match stayed scoreless until halftime.

In the second half, Japan continued to keep moving to maintain possession, looking for goals, while the Iranian players started to show fatigue. In the 54th minute, although DOAN fired a shot from the penalty area, the opponent’s goalkeeper defended it superbly. Japan struggled to attack against a solid Iranian defence. After 80 minutes, however, the forward OGAWA Koki (Jubilo Iwata) passed the ball to DOAN in front of the goal, and the midfielder MIYOSHI Koji (Kawasaki Frontale), who came off the bench, received it to take a shot with his right foot. The goalkeeper saved it again, and the follow-up shot by OGAWA unfortunately went wide. Iran continued to attack with counter-attacks and set pieces from Japanese mistakes, creating close goal-scoring opportunities. The Japanese centre backs NAKAYAMA and TOMIYASU Takehiro (Avispa Fukuoka) defended calmly to keep a clean sheet until the final whistle.

Despite the scoreless draw, Japan earned a precious one point to get through to the knockout stage. The third match will be on Thursday 20 October against U-19 Qatar to book a place in the quarterfinal.

Coach's and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach
I expected today’s game against Iran would be tough. Although we kept possession from the beginning of the first half, thinking of a whole 90-minute game, and made the opponent move around, the accuracy and the quality of our attackers were not good enough. As a result, we struggled throughout the match. In terms of defence, I’d like to point out that the players managed risks well, staying cautious against the opponent’s height. We failed to earn three points, but I’m satisfied with the players’ performance, which managed to bring us one point. We’d like to prepare well for the coming match against Qatar, so that we can get a victory.

DF ＃19  FUNAKI Kakeru (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
As Iran threw many players into defence in today’s game, I tended to receive the ball without any markers at full back. Although I wanted to pass it to the space behind the opponent or send a forward pass to create goal-scoring opportunities, I struggled to make them work. Since we drew today’s match, we must win the next one. I’d like to prepare well in order to make sure we’ll earn a victory.

MF ＃11  NAGANUMA Yoichi (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
We aimed to keep possession as long as possible, getting through the opponent’s defensive blocks. However, despite several opportunities, we couldn’t score a goal and ended with a draw. Personally, I should have contributed more to the goal and could have got through the opponent with fewer ball touches, using my teammates in a more efficient way. We found many areas for improvement in today’s game. Even though we didn’t perform well, we can still advance to the knockout stage if we win the coming match. So I’d like each of us to get ready, so that we can face the next game in the best condition.

FW ＃11  NAKAMURA Shunta (Kashiwa Reysol U-18)
As a team, I think we started the first half of the match more smoothly than our first game. I was on the pitch for the first time in the championship, but I could play with a real positive enthusiasm. Having said that, I struggled to bring the ball towards the goal, and didn’t have many opportunities to take shots. I couldn’t display my strengths. I have an impression that our coming opponent U-19 Qatar play with speed, and pass the ball around. Although it’s not going to be easy, I’d like to pursue victory as a united team.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.
*The Championship's top four ranked teams will then fly the Asian flag at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017. If Korea Republic, the hosting country of 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, advances to the semifinals, the playoff matches will be held deciding the fifth place among the four losing teams in the quarterfinals.

AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016

2016-10-13(Thu.)～2016-10-30(Sun.)
More Information