International Friendly 1st Match vs U-19 France National Team
2016-8-31 (Wed.) - 17:00 Playing Time 90min. (45min.×2)
Pibarot stadium in Clairefontaine（Clairefontaine, France）

U-19 France National Team　0-3 (0-0, 0-3)　U-19 Japan National Team

Scores
58'　DOAN Ritsu (PSO) (U-19 Japan National Team)
76'　MIYOSHI Koji (U-19 Japan National Team)
81'　IWASAKI Yuto (U-19 Japan National Team)

Line-ups
GK: KOJIMA Ryosuke
DF: FUJITANI So, OMINAMI Takuma, NAKAYAMA Yuta, HATSUSE Ryo
MF: DOAN Ritsu, WATANABE Kouta, KAMIYA Yuta, ENDO Keita
FW: KISHIMOTO Takeru, OGAWA Koki

Substitutions
GK: HIROSUE Riku, OSAKO Keisuke
DF: IWATA Tomoki, KOGA Taiyo, MACHIDA Koki, FUNAKI Kakeru
MF: MIYOSHI Koji, ICHIMARU Mizuki, HARA Teruki, SUGIMORI Koki
FW: KAKITA Yuki, IWASAKI Yuto

HT　KISHIMOTO Takeru → IWASAKI Yuto
62'　OMINAMI Takuma → KOGA Taiyo 
73'　FUJITANI So → IWATA Tomoki
73'　ENDO Keita → MIYOSHI Koji
73'　OGAWA Koki → KAKITA Yuki
76'　KAMIYA Yuta → HARA Teruki

Match Report

The U-19 Japan National Team played an international friendly against the host the U-19 France National Team on Wednesday 31 August.

France captured a title in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship and have already earned a spot in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea Republic. Meanwhile, Japan had fell 1-3 to France in the SUWON JS CUP in Korea in May, so they were spirited to avenge the defeat.

In the first half, Japan got the ball with their collective defence high up in the field and had their attacks early on, but France eventually controlled the game as they had better possession of the ball. Yet Japan managed to get away from some dangerous situations and finished the half with a 0-0 score.

Early in the second half, France kept their momentum, but Japan gradually were able to adjust to their attacks. In the 58th minute, DOAN Ritsu, who received the ball on the right side of the French half, dribbled into the box and was fouled by a defender to earn a penalty kick. Doan netted the spot kick with composure to give Japan a lead.

In the 76th, Japan got the ball in their own half and initiated a counterattack. They launched a cross into the box and then MIYOSHI Koji, who came in as a substitute, turned his body and scored a goal. In the 81st, Doan, once again, dribbled up and fired a low-arched middle shot. The French goalkeeper once saved it, but another substitute IWASAKI Yuto reacted quickly to it and slotted home to give Japan a 3-0 lead. Japan spent more time in defence than their counterparts, but wound up being on the winning side against powerhouse France.

The second game against the U-19 France National Team will be played on Saturday 3 September.

Players' Comments

MF #15  DOAN Ritsu (Gamba Osaka)
We played against France, whom we lost 1-3 in the SUWON JS CUP previously. We shared our thoughts that we would stick to winning it before the game and got in it in good mind-set. We got away with a 3-0 win, and it was great that we defended when we had to and didn't give up any goals with resilience. Offensively, I felt it would be better if we had better possession of the ball. Our trip continues, so we would like to prepare for the next game, which we are going to try to play as if it is the final qualifiers.

DF #6  HATSUSE Ryo (Gamba Osaka)
This trip is our final trip overseas before the qualifying round and it's a valuable time for us. And we beat France 3-0 today and it was such an important win for us. We still have things to improve on, but it feels great to have won this first game of this trip. We shall not be satisfied and do our best being united as one going forward.

MF #7  KAMIYA Yuta (Shonan Bellmare)
I'm glad that we beat France. I came off the pitch in the middle of the game, but I think I was playing making good decisions. As a team, we had a better balance both offensively and defensively, playing compactly. In the middle of the second half, we had some tough stretches defensively, but we did not concede any goals. It means that we gained the experience necessary for our growth. It was a good game for us ahead of the final qualifiers. Taking advantage of this game, we would like to play well against France and UAE prior to the final qualifiers.

DF #3  NAKAYAMA Yuta (Kashiwa Reysol）
We had played against the U-19 France National Team in our Korea trip, so we came in with a good image. We were able to win 3-0, but we still have issues to fix, so we would like to work on those. But in terms of playing resiliently and scoring, we performed well. And we would like to continue to develop ourselves with the spirit as challengers on a daily basis. We will reflect on our good and bad points and would like to work as hard as we can to make further improvements in the remainder of the camp.

FW #9  OGAWA Koki (Jubilo Iwata)
We played against one of the top teams in the world and it was great that we beat them. Personally, I had too many occasions where I lost the ball, leaving me with issues that needed to addressed. We just began our trip, so we would like to capitalise on this experience, correcting the issues we had today.

Schedule

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