The 22nd sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 WEST took place on Sunday 4 December. At Saga Healthy Active Life Promote Centre, Sagan Tosu U-18 (Saga) faced Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka).

Featured Match

Sagan Tosu U-18 4-0 (2-0, 2-0) Jubilo Iwata U-18

Tosu needed as many goals as possible in this match because they were tied with second place Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) on 40 points, and even if Tosu won, Kobe's result could alter the standings by goal difference. “Even though we had to rely on other factors, we believed this was a crucial match for us in order to advance to the final at Japan National Stadium. We entered the match thinking that if we could beat the opponent in front of us, we could play more matches,” said Tosu’s NARAHARA Yoshiki (#7).

With the team approaching the match as just another match in the season, Tosu scored the opening goal in the 10th minute, when OSATO Koma (#11) controlled the ball in the final third and laid a pass to setup the left footed shot of TAKEUCHI Ryotaro (#3), who later reflected, “I haven’t been able to score a goal in the Premier League for two seasons, so I really wanted to score today.”

Tosu persisted in pushing forward to pose a threat to the opposing goal even after taking the lead. In the 26th minute, FUKUI Taichi (#10) struck a shot from distance, followed by an opportunity created by SAKAIYA Keisuke (#9) and SAKAI Shunya (#4) in the 28th minute. Tosu doubled their lead just before halftime when MASUZAKI Kosei (#17) responded to a pass delivered by Fukui to score a goal in the 45th minute.

“It wasn’t like we were being outplayed, so we told each other during halftime that we can still win the match, and that we just needed to play with confidence,” said Iwata’s captain OKA Kohei (#5), as the Shizuoka side played with great momentum to start the second half. In the 49th minute, Oka delivered a pass to setup the shot of FUNAHASHI Kyota (#20), followed by a cross sent by Funahashi in the 51st minute, but both attempts were denied by the Tosu defence.

While their defence displayed great composure to keep the clean sheet intact, Tosu's offense responded by scoring their third goal in the 54th minute when Narahara converted a shot, for which he later remarked, "I had a good feel for my shots before the match, so I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger." Tosu finished the season with a 4-0 victory after Osato headed in a corner kick in the 60th minute. Kobe also won on this day, but Tosu was able to claim their first Premier League WEST title thanks to a three-goal advantage in goal difference.

Coaches and Players' Comments

TANAKA Tomonori, Coach (Sagan Tosu U-18)
We knew that our opponents were going to keep the ball moving in their defence line, so we had to find ways to disrupt that. We spent all week trying to come up with a game plan so that we knew exactly where to attack once winning the ball. I think each player did well to showcase their colour. We will approach the final the same way we have approached all of our other matches we played this season. It is going to be the last match of the season, so we will try not to leave any regrets.

FW #7 NARAHARA Yoshiki (Sagan Tosu U-18)
We had some tough stints where we couldn’t win matches, but we persevered and fought hard, just like the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) did at the FIFA World Cup. Through those challenging times, I believe the team has grown stronger. We are not going to approach the final differently. We will try to play to our strengths and concentrate on defeating the opponent in front of us.

DF #5 OKA Kohei (Jubilo Iwata U-18)
After losing our match last week, we were knocked out of the title race. Although we lost one of our goals for this season, this was the final match for the third graders and a match to conclude a season for the first and second graders, so we wanted to give it our all. Our opponents were very well organised and showcased a performance that proved that they deserve to win the title. I wish we could have played a bit more aggressively.

FW #20 FUNAHASHI Kyota (Jubilo Iwata U-18)
We knew our opponents needed to win this match to win the title, but we also wanted to win this match for the third grade players. We entered the match fully determined to win, but it is a shame that we ended up conceding the opening goal. I though we really had a chance of winning, so it is very disappointing. This year’s upper classmen really allowed us first and second year players to play freely, so that is what I hope to do next year when we become the upper classmen.

Results of other matches

Shimizu S-Pulse Youth 1-4 (1-1, 0-3) Cerezo Osaka U-18
Shizuoka Gakuen High School 1-3 (0-1, 1-2) Vissel Kobe U-18
Nagoya Grampus U-18 1-1 (1-1, 0-0) Gamba Osaka Youth
Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth 4-0 (2-0, 2-0) Higashi Fukuoka High School
Ozu High School 2-2 (0-2, 2-0) Riseisha High School

In the match between 10th-placed Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) and 11th-placed Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka), Cerezo Osaka won the match after scoring four goals, including two by KONOMI Kaito (#13). Second-placed Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) beat Shizuoka Gakuen High School (Shizuoka) 3-1 to finish the season with a win. The match between Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) and Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) ended in a 1-1 draw with neither side giving an inch. Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) had a comfortable win at home against Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka), scoring four goals, starting with SENO Hayato's (#13) opener. Two high school sides, Ozu High School (Kumamoto) and Riseisha High School (Osaka) split the points with a 2-2 draw. As a result, Cerezo Osaka finished 10th and will participate in the Premier League play-offs starting on Friday 9 December, while 11th-placed Shimizu and 12th-placed Gamba Osaka were relegated to the Prince League.

Prince Takamado Trophy Premier League Official Twitter

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022

League Duration: Sat. 2 April - Sun. 4 December 2022

League Information