Pick-up Match

Kashiwa Reysol U-18 2-5 (1-2, 1-3) Kashima Antlers Youth

On Sunday 2 September the 11th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League EAST took place, where the league leaders Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) faced the sixth place Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) at Hitachi Kashiwa Sogo Ground.

With the team facing the Antlers side who they lost in their previous matchup (15 April), Reysol’s Coach YAMANAKA Shin sent out his players by giving them a pep-talk to heighten their motivations, as he mentioned, “In this Sec. we must attack the goal aggressively.” However, the match started with the Antlers taking the initiative as the opening goal was scored by MASUZAKI Daigo (DF #3) in the 13th minute, following a goal mouth scramble.

The Reysols attacked back instantly as they scored the equaliser just a minute later, when SHODA Norihiro (FW #11) dribbled his way up the field before sending a driven ball in the space between the opposing goalkeeper and the defenders, inducing an own goal, as he later reflected, “The pitch was slippery, and I managed to take advantage of that.”

Both sides created chances through set-plays, but the match progressed without seeing any goals until the additional time of the first half. The go-ahead goal for the Antlers came when a corner kick which was delivered by SASAKI Shogo (DF #7), which was converted by AKATSUKA Mikhael (FW #19) who made a well-timed run to the near side, as his header gave Kashima a one goal lead at halftime.

As Coach Yamanaka sent off his player by saying, “Let’s enjoy the last 45 minutes!” the Reysol players showed great intensity in the second half. However, their efforts were continuously denied by the solid performance displayed by the Antlers defence line. While the Reysols struggled to convert their opportunities, Kashima came through in the 64th minute to add another goal to their tally, when Sasaki captured the goal with a superb shot from distance.

In efforts to fight back, the Reysols utilised their substitute, but once again, it was the Antlers who scored the next goal. The fourth goal came in the 79th minute, when Sasaki assisted Akatsuka’s second goal of the match from a freekick. Five minutes later, Sasaki once again delivered the assist, this time from a corner kick to setup the goal for MAEDA Taira (MF #10).

The Reysols side fought hard until the end as OKUDA Hiryu (FW #19), who came back from injury to start this match, converted the cross delivered from UNOKI Fumiya (FW #12) in the additional time of the second half. But the match would see no further action, as the Antlers bested the Reysols with a final score of 5-2 to stay at the top of the league.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

YAMANAKA Shin, Coach (Kashiwa Reysol U-18)
Compared to our last encounter with Kashima, they seemed have gained more power and their individual skills to settle the ball has gotten better. I think our players did well to today, but the first two goals we gave up in the first half was critical. Especially the one we gave up from a corner kick. By improving our attacks, we can possess the ball longer and ultimately decrease the amount of chances our opponents can have, so we must heighten the quality of our attacks.

FW #19 OKUDA Hiryu (Kashiwa Reysol U-18)
My legs were cramping, but I was determined to score a goal. As I was running towards the goal, the ball rolled in front of me and once I knew it, the ball was already in the goal. This was my first start since returning from injury, so I really wanted to win this match. The opponents were in first place, so we challenged them with the intention to force an upset. Kashima was a very strong team, but we could have won the match. We will continue to work hard and strive for a higher stage.

KUMAGAI Koji, Coach (Kashima Antlers Youth)
We managed to showcase what we have worked on and our positive attitude in this match. The goals scored in this match were results of our players challenging themselves, and there were also many chances created as well. I told my players during half time to keep on what they are doing while managing the risks. Including this match, all of our matches has been close matches, where the results could have gone either way. That is why we must not sit on our laurels and keep on giving our best to prepare ourselves ahead of the next match.

FW #19 AKATSUKA Mikhael (Kashima Antlers Youth)
We played with great patience to defend our goal, while anticipating to score goals for our side. The two goals that I have scored were both from set plays, and I was determined to score in each of the occasions. My job as a striker is to score goals, so I will continue to seek for the goals, regardless of how I score them. Despite being in first place, we will not sit on our laurels and work hard everyday to improve ourselves so that we can win our next match.

Results of other matches

FC Tokyo U-18 1-1 (0-1, 1-0) Jubilo Iwata U-18
Ichiritsu Funabashi High School 0-2 (0-0, 0-2) Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa High School
Urawa Red Diamonds Youth 0-0 (0-0, 0-0) Shimizu S-pulse Youth
Toyama Daiichi High School 0-4 (0-1, 0-3) Aomori Yamada High School

Tournament Period：Sat. 7 April 2018 ～ Sun. 9 December 2018

Tournament Information