Pick-up Match

Hannan University Senior High School 0-3 (0-1, 0-2) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth

On Sunday 29 April, the fourth Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League WEST took place as Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka) faced Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima).

It was Hiroshima who took control of the match early on, as they utilised long balls from their defensive end to create side attacks. In the 3rd minute, Hiroshima’s defender SUZU Naoki (#5) delivered a long feed behind the opposing defensive line. He later mentioned, "I was anticipating to exploit the space behind the defenders." Midfielder KAGEYAMA Kenzo (#18) sneaked into the space unmarked, converting the opportunity after beating the goalkeeper in a one on one situation, giving Hiroshima the opening goal.

After conceding the lead, Hannan University Senior High School made the adjustments to defend against the attacks from the flank. Hiroshima struggled to create chances but kept control of the match by possessing the ball. In defence they kept the opposing side from creating goal scoring opportunities as Suzu reflected, "we knew they were trying to send the ball behind our defence line, so we made sure to cover each other’s back."

Hiroshima continued to take the initiative in the second half. In the 47th minute, midfielder MATSUMOTO Hiroya (#4) extended the lead, when he scored a header from a corner kick. They went onto applying pressure aggressively, forcing turnovers in high position, and created chances through their well-paced ball movements. In the 52nd minute, Hannan University defender made a crucial error in attempt to clear the ball. Hiroshima’s striker WATANABE Kaito (#9) collected the ball in front of the Hannan University’s goal unmarked, but his shot went off the left post. In the 57th minute, Hiroshima’s midfielder OHORI Ryonosuke (#14) also struck the woodwork, failing to capitalise on their chances to close the door against the Osaka side.

Towards the end of the match, an opportunity for Hannan University finally arrived. After being forced to play defence patiently, defender KITAMURA Jun (#4) later reflected, "We exerted too much energy on defense and couldn’t create much attacks." In the 76th minute, newly substituted midfielder NAKAMURA Haruki (#13) sent a through ball towards WADA Hagumi (#6) who broke through into the penalty area, but his shot could not hit the net. Conversely Hiroshima came back to score their third goal when Ohori converted his opportunity in the 81st minute. The match ended with a final score of 3-0.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

HAMADA Go, Coach (Hannan University Senior High School)
I wasn’t so concerned about conceding the first goal, as I thought it would give us more opportunities being down by one goal. I told my players how to deal with the long balls, and we showcased a solid performance in the first half, but the second goal we conceded in the second half really hurt us. Our ideal scenario was to keep them within a goal while creating chances like the one Wada had towards the end of the match. In order for us to earn points, we have to manage and conduct the game according to our game plans.

DF #4 KITAMURA Jun (Hannan University Senior High School)
After conceding the opening goal, our team’s focal point shifted towards not giving up consecutive goals. We were more determined to eliminate further damage, rather than scoring a goal. In the second half, we were told to force turnovers from our attacking end, but we lacked mobility, maybe because of the hot weather, we couldn’t dispossess the ball as we intended. Hiroshima’s players displayed high quality at the individual level, while they also played very well collectively. They showcased their quality in their traps and passes, while we made many mistakes in our plays.

SAWADA Kentaro, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
We were anticipating to exploit the space behind the opposing defenders, and I am glad we were successful in that aspect as we scored a goal by penetrating the space. The past two matches we have been conceding goals, so we made sure not to get counter attacked from the loose ball of our long balls. There were in fact scenes where we were threatened after we were up by two goals, so we must do a better job in defence. (Ohori) Ryonosuke and (Kageyama) Kenzo both scored today, and our forwards have really shown their presence from our training sessions. We have been able to mix up short passes and long balls in our offence, so we would like to improve our quality in our chance making plays.

DF #5 SUZU Naoki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
We have failed to keep a clean sheet in our previous matches this season, so we were really focused on not conceding today. Our opponents stayed deep in their own half, so we felt like if we kept the ball possession while pressing up the defence line high, we’d be able to create chances. There were scenes where we almost conceded towards the end of the match, but we managed to contain our opponents in all other scenes. We played a good game with few mistakes, hopefully it’ll give us momentum towards our next match. Although we lost the first two matches, we’ll do our best to win the remaining matches. Our top team is in great form right now, so we would like to follow their footsteps and strive to win the championship.

Results of other matches

Cerezo Osaka U-18 5-1 (3-0, 2-1) Gamba Osaka Youth
Vissel Kobe U-18 4-1 (1-1, 3-0) Yonago Kita High School
Higashi Fukuoka High School 1-4 (0-0, 1-4) Nagoya Grampus U-18
Avispa Fukuoka U-18 3-5 (1-2, 2-3) Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18

The Osaka derby match between Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) and Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) ended with a lopsided victory for Cerezo after they scored five goals, led by the 12th minute goal from their defender NISHIO Ryuya (#13). Despite scoring the opening goal against Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi), Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) conceded multiple goals at the end and lost the match. Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) welcomed Yonago Kita High School (Tottori) at their home where IZUMI Toya (#11) and FUNAKOSHI Hiromu (#8) scored two goals apiece to earn their side the victory. With the help of their striker HATTORI Kohei’s (#9) back to back hat tricks, Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) won their away match against Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka), with the final score of 5-3.

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

Tournament Information