The 16th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December, where Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) faced Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka).

Pick-up Match

Nagoya Grampus U-18 3-1 (2-0, 1-1) Cerezo Osaka U-18

Following the conclusion of the Sec. 15 fixtures that were postponed due to the effect of Typhoon Hagibis, Nagoya Grampus had secured their league title in the WEST with two matches still left to play. With the league title already in their hands, this match seemed like a throwaway match, but Nagoya’s coach KOGA Satoshi thought differently, “Finishing first in the WEST only means that we have secured our spot into the final. We have not earned anything until we win at the final.”

The match saw Cerezo Osaka taking control of the ball possession in the early minutes, but the Osaka side struggled to create opportunities to threaten the opposing goal, as their midfielder TORI Riyon (#7) later mentioned, “Although we managed to keep possession of the ball, we lacked quality in the final third.” On the other hand, Nagoya sought for opportunities through counterattacks, as MITSUDA Shuto (#18) and TAKEUCHI Suiju (#17) made numerous attempts to exploit the space behind the opposing defence line. The opening goal was scored by Nagoya in the 23rd minute, when Mitsuda responded to a through ball sent by TANABE Kohei (#10) before slotting the ball into the Cerezo goal. The lead was doubled in the 42nd minute, when the shot taken by KODA Hidemasa (#28) struck the cross bar before finding the back of the net.

The second half started with Cerezo Osaka taking the initiative, as they created numbers of close opportunities that threatened the Nagoya goal. In the 60th minute, Cerezo forced a turnover deep in the opposing territory and scored a goal to get back within a single goal. However, the league leaders picked up their pace once again and scored their third goal in the 75th minute, when Tanabe converted a cross delivered by SAKAKIBARA Kyota (#28). Nagoya went onto defend this lead and won the match 3-1, extending their winning streak to 11 games.

Coach and Players' Comments

KOGA Satoshi, Coach (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
Our team was able to build our confidence through each match this season, and that confidence has allowed us play with more aggression in the recent matches. We also managed to showcase our bench strengths in the second half of the season, as the players replacing the injured players have done a great job to help the team win matches. In today’s match, we saw Koda and Mitsuda display their strong points to lead our offence. We were forced to be in the defensive end for a long time and our patience were being tested in this match. Although we couldn’t add layers to our offence, led by Tanabe and Ushizawa, we managed to stick together as a team and seek for ways to win this match.

FW #8 SAKAKIBARA Kyota (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
With the team already clinching the league title, this was mentally a difficult match. We were also playing without our striker MURAKAMI Yukito (#11), so we really had to think of ways to win this match. Despite giving away the initiative to Cerezo, I am glad we were able to win this match. At the Premier League Final, I am looking forward to facing Aomori Yamada’s KANDA Yusei (#3), who is a former teammate of mine back when we used to play for Shimizu S-Pulse Junior Youth. We both didn’t get much playing time back then, so it’ll be interesting to see us both compete for the national title.

DF #33 NISHIO Ryuya (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
Last week, we entered the match poorly, so we focused on playing with aggression in the early minutes of today’s match, but we ended up conceding a goal from our own mistake and lost our momentum in the match. It took too long for us to find our rhythm and get our momentum back. With our backs against the wall, we must prepare ourselves in the best way possible to earn points in the remaining two matches.

MF #7 TORI Riyon (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
After playing Fujio up top in the second half, we managed to carry the ball upfront more often, but our opponent came out applying very tight pressure. We struggled to find ways to break through the Nagoya defence, and it really exposed our inability to create opportunities upfront. With the team desperately needing points to avoid relegation, we must work together as a team and show our resilience in the remaining two matches.

Results of other matches

Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth 3-2 (2-1, 1-1) Ozu High School
Higashi Fukuoka High School 2-3 (0-0, 2-3) Avispa Fukuoka U-18
Ehime FC U-18 4-1 (2-1, 2-0) Vissel Kobe U-18
Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 2-1 (1-1, 1-0) Gamba Osaka Youth

Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) welcome Ozu High School (Kumamoto) to their home, where they won the match 3-2 with the help of the brace scored by their striker TANADA Hayate. Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) and Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) clashed in the Fukuoka derby, where Avispa’s forward ISHII Ryoma (#9) scored two goals to give his side the 3-2 victory. Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) scored four goals against Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) to mark their first back to back victories this season. After entering halftime 1-1, Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) scored the game winner in the second half to win over Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka).

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

League Duration: Sat. 6 April - Sun. 8 December 2019

League Information