Today the AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 has finally kicked off with 2 opening matches of Group A. “00 Japan”, the U-16 Japan National Team is in Group B and they will face the U-16 Vietnam National Team at 20:00 (local time).

One day before the match, the team had training sessions from the evening to do final preparation. When they visited the hosting place Goa, in India in June, the conditions were very difficult for them to play due to the high temperature and humidity, but this evening the temperature was 25℃ and it was much easier for them to play; the players’ conditions seem ready for the match tomorrow.

Some players, who had had minor injuries at the beginning of this trip, are now back to the team’s normal training and all 23 members had a good 90 minutes training in a positive mood.

On this day, the coaches of these 4 countries of the Group B attended the official press conference at GMC Stadium. At the end of the conference, all coaches shook hands with each other, wishing the best of luck.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYAMA Yoshiro, Coach
We are very happy that we can play for this championship. We are in a challenging group, so I want the players to keep a challenging spirit and a sense of respect to any opponent players. What is important for us most of all, is to do our best in each match. Furthermore, our target is to qualify for the final tournament becoming one of top 2 teams of this group and to win the quarter-final which is the pathway to the FIFA U-17 World Cup - this is the biggest target of us. We will firstly play against Vietnam; they are the team which has been stronger in recent years. Since individual players have speed and good technique, it will be very difficult for us, but it is important that all of our players will use 100% of what they can do on the pitch. Then good results will follow us, I believe.

MF #17  SEHATA Gijo (JFA Academy Fukushima U18)
It has been 10 days since our trip has started for this championship, and I have been able to play with a good sense of tension more than before. As a team, we have a good sense of tension and relaxation. I believe that we can carry on going to the first match of this championship in a very good mood. In the up-coming matches, I want to play with a sense of responsibility and pride as a squad player hence I will prioritise the team’s victory more than what I want to do as a player. We will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, going through this qualifier in Asia.

FW #18  YAMADA Hiroto (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
I think my condition has been improved for the first match tomorrow. When I will be called up to the pitch, I will do my best to contribute to the team’s victory, making the most of my advantages. In any competitions, the first match is very important in terms of gaining momentum. To win the title, we really want to win the first match tomorrow. Since we came to India, there has been a lot of sudden heavy rain. It can happen in our match tomorrow, so we will get ready well to deal with the situation.

MF #20  MATSUMOTO Nagi (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
When the squad members were firstly announced for this AFC U-16 Championship India 2016, my name was not there and it was very frustrating for me. I was very surprised when I was called up later, but I was very happy at the same time. When I joined in the team, I understood that all players are highly motivated. Since I joined the team later than the others, I want to catch up with them as soon as possible. In the matches I want to compete well in any intense moments and once I can steal the ball, I want to make good chances. In this team, there are 6 players from my team Cerezo Osaka, hence I feel easier to play. As a united team, we want to win the title to go through to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in a positive mood.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.
*If India, the hosting country of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, advances to the semifinals, the playoff matches will be held on 29 September and 2 October deciding the fifth place among the four losing teams in the quarterfinals.

AFC U-16 Championship India 2016

2016-9-15(Thu.)～2016-10-2(Sun.)
TV Broadcasting (Japanese version only)
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