Bahrain U19 Cup 3rd Match vs U-19 Mexico National Team
2016-3-28 (Mon.) - 16:00   Playing Time: 90min. (45min.✕2)
KHALIFA STADIUM (Bahrain/Manama)

U-19 Mexico National Team   3-2 (1-1, 2-1)   U-19 Japan National Team

Scores
34'   SAKAI Daisuke (U-19 Japan National Team)
45+1'   Goal against (U-19 Mexico National Team)
48'   DOAN Ritsu (U-19 Japan National Team)
53'   Goal against (U-19 Mexico National Team)
76'   Goal against (U-19 Mexico National Team)

Line-ups
GK: KOJIMA Ryosuke
DF: IWATA Tomoki, NODA Hiroki, TOMIYASU Takehiro, HATSUSE Ryo
MF: IWASAKI Yuto, KAMIYA Yuta, DOAN Ritsu, SAKAI Daisuke, KUBOTA Kazune
FW: OGAWA Koki

Substitutes
GK: HIROSUE Riku, YAMAGUCHI Rui
DF: KOJIMA Masaya, OMINAMI Takuma, HASHIOKA Daiki, FUNAKI Kakeru
MF: MORISHIMA Tsukasa, SASAKI Takumi, ITO Hiroki, ITO Ryotaro
FW: KAKITA Yuki, YOSHIHIRA Tsubasa

62'   KUBOTA Kazune → ITO Ryotaro
77'   IWASAKI Yuto → MORISHIMA Tsukasa
86'   KAMIYA Yuta → KAKITA Yuki

Match Report

The U-19 Japan National Team faced U-19 Mexico National Team, who has won 2 consecutive matches, for the last match of the Bahrain U19 Cup. To win the title, Japan had to beat them. Mexico’s formation was 4-2-4 whereas Japan was in a 4-2-3-1 formation; this was to gain the number of chances for Japan to get the ball in the middle. While Japan had a majority of the control from the 1st half, Japan’s SAKAI received the ball in the middle and smashed a long shot about 30m from the goal. It found the back of the net successfully and Japan made the opener. Japan continued to take control until the additional time of the 1st half; Japan had possession just in front of the Mexico’s goal but the ball was stolen and Mexico counter attacked down the right wing. Japan conceded a goal and the 1st half ended 1-1.

In the 2nd half, Japan got the control again. In the 48th minute, they stole the ball on the left wing of their half and moved the ball around well to the left wing. Japan’s HATSUSE crossed the ball to the front of the goal and DOAN jumped to smash it with his left foot. The shot successfully found the net and Japan got the lead 2-1. Japan wanted to score again to get the title, but gradually they started to make mistakes especially in the middle. In the 53rd minute, Mexico stole the ball from Japan in the middle and started attacking Japan’s left side and then broke through the rest of Japan’s defence with speedy dribble. The cross was headed to the Japan’s net and Mexico equalised again. 

Japan gave Mexico a free kick in the 76th minute, and allowed them to break through their left side by dribbling from a quick restart. Japan once again could block the attack but Mexico picked up the cleared ball and successfully scored from a goal mouth scramble. Japan conceded the 3rd goal and the score turned out to be 3-2. Japan continued to attack Mexico but the match ended without any further goals. They could not make any other decisive moment. 3 time consecutive match winner Mexico got the title, and the runners-up was Mali who beat Bahrain 4-1. Japan ended the competition in 3rd place. Additionally, Japan got Fair Play Award.

Coach and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach
We found this experience to be challenging since we conceded 7 goals in the past 3 matches. Today, we could do what we wanted to do in the 1st half and we could make the opener at a good time. However, we conceded goals because of careless mistakes and lack of sense of defence in the middle of the match. We have played against Mali, Bahrain, and Mexico, but all of them had good accuracy by scoring with only a few chances, taking advantage of our mistakes. I think our players got to understand this well in this opportunity. We still could do what we wanted to do: “we make traps to steal the ball and score.” Now we will analyse what things were good and what weren’t and get ready very well for the AFC U-19 Championship in October.

MF #10  SAKAI Daisuke (Oita Trinita)
After the 3 matches, what we got was 1 win and 2 losses. We finished in 3rd place. This tour was for having a simulation of the future competition, but if it were the AFC U-19 Championship, we can’t go through the group stage. We have to accept this fact very seriously and we want to spend productive time towards the championship in October. We still had good plays in both offence and defence, so I also accept these facts positively. 

DF #5  TOMIYASU Takehiro (Avispa Fukuoka)
As a team, we wanted to win, and as a player I wanted to keep a clean sheet since I had conceded 2 goals in the two previous matches. Even though we were leading the match in the 1st half, I made a mistake in how I treated the long ball and that made us concede the goal in the end. That goal made our atmosphere worse for the rest of the match and we could not win today. In the AFC U-19 Championship, we should never lose from the group stage. Today I understood again about the fact that one mistake can ruin the rest of the match to win. I won’t treat this experience as nothing. I want to grow up as a good player, paying attention to the detail in my team. 

Schedule

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