On Sunday 17 June, the final match day of the U-16 International Dream Cup 2018 JAPAN presented by The Asahi Shimbun was held at Yurtec STADIUM SENDAI. The U-16 Spain National Team was crowned as Champions while the U-16 Japan National Team finished the tournament in fourth place.

The first match of the day saw the U-16 Senegal National Team clash against the U-16 Paraguay National Team, where Senegal took the lead early in the second half when their midfielder Insa Boye scored a header off a free kick. Minutes later, Paraguayan midfielder Nelson Nicolas Ruiz Diaz shook the net with a direct free kick to level the match.

The two teams displayed an equally matched battle, sending the game into penalty shootouts. With both goalkeepers showcasing superb saves, the shootout went on to the 13th kicker. The African side came out victorious when their goalkeeper stopped the final attempt made by the South American side. Once the match was over, the members of the Senegal squad thanked the supporters in the stand and celebrated their victory by dancing to the crowd.

Official match detail of U-16 Senegal vs U-16 Paraguay

The second match of the day attracted a record breaking 7,005 spectators to cheer on the U-16 Japan National Team, as the home side faced the U-16 Spain National Team who sat in first place after playing two matches. It was the Spanish side who took the initiative of the match as their forward Jordi Escobar scored the opening goal in the 12th minute. In the 20th minute, fellow forward Germán Valera also scored after dribbling up the field form the halfway-line, giving his side a two-goal lead.

Japan managed to control the ball possession in the second half, as they scored their first goal in the 84th minute, when their midfielder NARUOKA Hikaru reached out to the ball delivered over his shoulders. However, Spain came scoring right back in the 87th minute, closing the door on Japan, as the match ended with a final score of 1-3. As a result, it was Spain who took down the title.

Official match detail of U-16 Japan vs U-16 Spain

Final Results

Champion: U-16 Spain National Team
Runner-up: U-16 Paraguay National Team
Third Place: U-16 Senegal National Team
Fourth Place: U-16 Japan National Team

Top Scorers

2 Goals
9　Aliou Badara Baldé (U-16 Senegal National Team)
17　Insa Boye (U-16 Senegal National Team)
9　Jordi Escobar (U-16 Spain National Team)

The Asahi Shimbun Award

3　HANDA Riku (U-16 Japan National Team)
9　Aliou Badara Baldé (U-16 Senegal National Team)
1　Iván Martínez (U-16 Spain National Team)
20　Diego Joel Torres Garcete(U-16 Paraguay National Team)

MVP

10　Germán Valera (U-16 Spain National Team)

Comments

David Gordo, Coach (U-16 Spain National Team)
I am glad our players got to win this tournament. The three teams we faced all displayed a different style of football. The Japanese players controlled the ball well in the second half, and their individual qualities were on display. We certainly witnessed their potential. Our players managed to come up with and make the necessary adjustments during the difficult match, and I am sure it gave them a great experience. The fact that the players were able to enjoy the tournament also gave them a great opportunity to grow as a player.

DF #2 Ibrahima Baldé (U-16 Senegal National Team)
This tournament gave us great experience as we were given the opportunity to play against strong teams like Japan, Spain, and Paraguay. I think we were able to execute what our coach wanted us to do. We worked hard to win this title. Through this tour in Japan, we were able to learn about the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, and we were also given the opportunity to learn about the Japanese culture. We are very satisfied with the time spent in japan.

Marc Chervaz U-16, Assistant Coach (U-16 Senegal National Team)
Through this tournament, we learned that our team can very much cope with the world’s best teams. Although we managed to dominate the match for the entire 90 minutes, we couldn’t score within the regulation time and won the match by penalty kicks. Our team fought very well through out the tournament, and I believe our team deserves to win the tournament.

Mouhamed Samb, Executive Comitee Member (U-16 Senegal National Team)
We are very glad to be able to participate in this tournament. The players were given the opportunity to play against various nations, which is a precious experience for them. The players in this age category will play in the qualifiers at Senegal for the African U-17 Championship in September. This tournament served as a great preparation for it. We would like to thank the JFA and everybody who has supported this tournament. We are very happy of the hospitality we were given, and we are very satisfied with our stay in Japan. We are very fortunate to be given such wonderful opportunity. We would like to return to Japan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the same players we brought today.

U-16 Senegal vs U-16 Paraguay Full Match

U-16 Japan vs U-16 Spain Full Match

Wed. 13, Fri. 15, Sun. 17 June 2018 [Free Admission]
Japan/Senegal/Spain/Paraguay
Yurtec STADIUM SENDAI, Miyagi

Tournament Information