On Sunday 8 December, the 18th sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019 WEST took place at various locations, as ninth place Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) faced fifth place Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima).

Pick-up Match

Avispa Fukuoka U-18 4-3 (1-2, 3-1) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth

Following the conclusion of sec. 17, Fukuoka trailed two points behind eighth place Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka). To keep their hopes alive to avoid relegation, Fukuoka was in a must win situation in the final game week, as MORIYAMA Kimiya (#5) mentioned, “We entered the match with the intention to apply aggressive pressure from our front line.” With their backs against the wall, ISHII Ryoma (#9) and TAMURA Keito (#11) led the Fukuoka offence to create opportunities in the early minutes, but as time progressed, it was Hiroshima who took control of the game, as AYUKAWA Shun (#10) scored back to back goals in the 18th and 21st minute to give Hiroshima a 2-0 lead.

Despite conceding the lead, Fukuoka managed to keep their composure to deny the Hiroshima side from scoring their third goal, as coach INOUE Takahiro later reflected, “This season, we lost many of our matches by large margins, so it got me worried, but the team managed to control the damage to stay in the game.” Fukuoka’s opportunity came in the 35th minute, when JIKUMARU Hiroto (#15) struck a shot just outside the penalty area. It was Ishii who charged the deflection and converted the loose ball to give Fukuoka their first goal of the match, as the striker later mentioned, “I wanted to score a goal by any means, so I was committed to taking a shot when the ball came towards me.”

After finishing the first half with a one goal deficit, Fukuoka equalised the match in the 48th minute, with Ishii’s second goal of the match. Although the team gave up the lead once again to Hiroshima in the 58th minute, with the support of the home crowd, Fukuoka levelled the match in the 66th minute, when MATSUDA Tomoki (#8) scored the equaliser. Just few moments later, Matsuda struck another goal to give Fukuoka their first lead of the match in the 70th minute. With the home side showing a persistent effort to keep their lead, the match ended with a final score of 4-3, giving Fukuoka a much needed victory. However, despite tying Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) and Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) in points, Avispa Fukuoka finished in ninth place due to goal difference. As a result, Avispa Fukuoka and 10th place Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) will be relegated from the Premier League next season. Despite the unfortunate result, coach Inoue remained positive and praised his players, “The fact that our players managed to keep their focus throughout the match shows that we have improved through the season.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

INOUE Takahiro, Coach (Avispa Fukuoka U-18)
Although our fait depended on other teams’ match results, we still had to do our part and our players showcased a spectacular performance today. However, this is not a one-match tournament, and we had to do a better job throughout the season. This year, many of our weaknesses were exposed and we saw plenty of room for improvements. The fact that we were in this position at the final game week says it all. Last time when we were demoted from the Premier League, it took us three years to come back. This league is an ideal league to develop strong players, so we hope to make our return to this league as soon as possible.

FW #9 ISHII Ryoma (Avispa Fukuoka U-18)
The fact that we had to depend on other teams’ match results shows how inconsistent we were this season. Last week, coach Inoue told us that we were too naïve, and it gave us the opportunity to look back on our plays. Although we conceded two goals in the early minutes of today’s match, we were able to keep our composure as a team to come from behind. It feels like we were able to see ourselves change in the past two weeks. I want the players from younger grades to experience the Premier League, so we hope to make our return to the Premier League in one year.

SAWADA Kentaro, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
Our opponents played extremely well today. Although we managed to evade the pressure applied by our opponent, we showed our vulnerability in front of the goal. I don’t expect all of our attacks to result in goals, but we cannot concede goals too easily. When looking back on the scenes where we gave up the goals, it seemed like our players didn’t understand the importance of a goal. Seeing the team earn seven points in the final four matches of the season shows that the team has the potential to compete for the title, but we must be able to maintain the intensity throughout the season. It was regretful that we slumped during the summer this year.

DF #26 ITO Taiyo (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
Similar to last week’s match against Ozu High School, we managed to score two early goals to create a positive momentum, but we gave up the lead through our own mistakes. The second goal came an error I made while clearing the ball, so that is something I must improve on. Due to an injury, I wasn’t able to play during the early part of the season, and I was finally able to play in the summer. Although I was given the opportunity to play in the Premier League from the 12th sec., we managed to keep very few clean sheets while I was playing, and that is a very disappointing fact. The senior players did a great job to lead the team this year, so next year I will showcase my leadership to lead the team.

Results of other matches

Gamba Osaka Youth 2-0 (1-0, 1-0) Nagoya Grampus U-18
Cerezo Osaka U-18 0-0 (0-0, 0-0) Ehime FC U-18
Vissel Kobe U-18 4-2 (2-0, 2-2) Higashi Fukuoka High School
Ozu High School 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18

Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) welcomed Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) to there home and scored a goal apiece in both halves to stop Nagoya’s winning streak at 11 matches. The match between Cerezo Osaka U-18 and Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) ended in a scoreless draw. Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) finished in sixth place, after winning their final match against Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) 4-2. Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) won their away game 2-0 against Ozu High School (Kumamoto) to finish the season on a high note.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

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

League Information