The U-19 Japan National Team topped their group after winning their third group-stage match against Qatar in the AFC U-19 Championship. The following day on Friday 21 October, they had their first day off after arriving in Bahrain. From the beginning of the tournament, the Japanese squad only had two days between matches, and now that they will be competing in the quarterfinals three days from now, they decided that recovering from the tightly-scheduled games was more important than having training.

On the next day (Saturday 22), with only two days prior to the quarterfinal against the Republic of Tajikistan, the Japanese squad went through regular training sessions. In the morning of the same date, the coach of Japan, UCHIYAMA Atsushi, and the coach of the Republic of Tajikistan attended the press conference and discussed about their views and expectations of the quarterfinal match.

The day prior to the quarterfinal match on Sunday 23, the squad members practiced making the final preparation for the game against the Republic of Tajikistan. Keeping a good level of tension, they went through set plays and played an intrasquad scrimmage in a relaxed mood for one and a half hours. Winning this match will qualify for the U-20 FIFA World Cup, and the U-19 Japan squad is trying to book a place in the competition for the first time since 2007. The important match will kick off at 16:15 local time (or 22:15 Japan time).

Players' Comments

MF #15  DOAN Ritsu (Gamba Osaka)
We are working hard every day to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Tajikistan match is an important one for all of us. I do feel the pressure, but I am looking forward to the game tomorrow. We are ready for the contest, and all we need to do now is to believe in ourselves. We will enter the match with confidence.

MF #10  SAKAI Daisuke (Oita Trinita)
Tomorrow’s match is undoubtedly an important one. I’ve experienced the last U-19 AFC Championship two years ago, but failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup. To avenge the previous disappointment, we certainly would like to win the game tomorrow. I expect the contest to be a difficult one, but, together with my cherished teammates, we will do our best and book a place in the world tournament.

FW #13  KISHIMOTO Takeru (Cerezo Osaka)
Ahead of the important quarterfinal where the ticket to the U-20 World Cup is at stake, we are making the best preparation possible. I believe the team is in excellent form. Personally, I am mentally prepared to score goals when I get on the pitch and contribute to the team. As I understand, the Republic of Tajikistan defend solidly and try to create chances from counter-attacks. While coping with their quick transitional attacks, we still need to focus on scoring goals. We are determined to win the match tomorrow and book a place in the U-20 World Cup.

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.)
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