Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament 2015 vs U-15 England National Team
2015-10-27 (Tue.) - 14:00　Playing Time: 80min. (40min.×2)
Stade Marcel Laveau

U-15 Japan National Team　4-3 (2-2, 2-1)　U-15 England National Team

Scores
2'   Goal against (U-15 England National Team)
26'   Goal against (U-15 England National Team)
33'   TANAHASHI Akito (U-15 Japan National Team)
34'   KUBO Takefusa (U-15 Japan National Team)
48'   Goal against (U-15 England National Team)
75'   TANAHASHI Akito (U-15 Japan National Team)
80'   MIYASHIRO Taisei (U-15 Japan National Team)

1st
GK: OUCHI Issei
DF: KOBAYASHI Yuki, SEKO Ayumu, IWAI Ryuji, KATSURA Rikuto
MF: KIDA Hinata, FUKUOKA Shimpei, NAKAMURA Keito, KUBO Takefusa
FW: YAMADA Hiroto, TANAHASHI Akito

2nd
GK: OUCHI Issei
DF: KOBAYASHI Yuki, SEKO Ayumu, IWAI Ryuji, KATSURA Rikuto
MF: KIDA Hinata, FUKUOKA Shimpei, NAKAMURA Keito, KUBO Takefusa
FW: YAMADA Hiroto, TANAHASHI Akito

Substitutes
GK: TANI Kosei
DF: KIKUCHI Kenta, SUGAWARA Yukinari, NOZUE Satoru
MF: KOZUKI Soichiro, SUZUKI Toichi
FW: MIYASHIRO Taisei

54'   YAMADA Hiroto → MIYASHIRO Taisei
54'   NAKAMURA Keito → SUZUKI Toichi
62'   KIDA Hinata → SUGAWARA Yukinari
62'   IWAI Ryuji → KIKUCHI Kenta
66'   KUBO Takefusa → KOZUKI Soichiro
66'   FUKUOKA Shimpei → NOZUE Satoru

Match Report

"00JAPAN", U-15 Japan National Team, opened the Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament 2015 with victory over the U-15 England National Team on 27 October.

The team won the game 4-3. The players showed their nervousness, possibly due to the atmosphere in the stadium. Just after two minutes, although the goalkeeper OUCHI Issei punched a shot away after some confusion near the goal, he let the opponent slot a loose ball in, conceding a goal. Japan became calmer through this loss, and started to pick up their pace.

The forward TANAHASHI Akito took a shot in the 6th minute, and both the forward NAKAMURA Keito and the midfielder KUBO Takefusa fired in shots in the 12th minute, only for them to go wide. After 16 minutes, the forward YAMADA Hiroto, who reacted to a long-distance pass from the defender SEKO Ayumu, got through to face the goalkeeper 1-on-1, but could not find the back of the net.

While Japan was struggling to score, the opponent strongly struck another goal from a counter-attack in the 26th minute. Japan never gave up on closing a two-goal gap. The midfielder FUKUOKA Shimpei and the midfielder KIDA Hinata cooperated well in defence to intercept the ball numerous times, passing it forward. After 33 minutes, Tanahashi earned a penalty and scored from it, closing the gap to one goal. Then in the 34th minute, after receiving a pass from Tanahashi, Kubo got through the defender and scored the equalizer. The game went into the second half at 2-2.

Although Japan was eager to turn the game around in the second half, they let the opponent earn a free kick in the 48th minute. The ball went to the space between the goalkeeper and the defenders’ line, and the opponent slotted it into the goal, scoring their third goal. Japan started to make careless mistakes in passing due to fatigue, which let the opponent take the initiative.

After 52 minutes, the goalkeeper Ouchi made a superb save during one of the most pressured moments in this match. Japan kept making changes to the team, using most of the players on the bench. In the 75th minute, the defender SUGAWARA Yukinari, who came off the bench, threaded a through ball to Tanahashi, who calmly struck a goal, levelling the game. The team never stopped attacking.

Just before injury time, two players, who came in midway, put in an excellent performance. The midfielder SUZUKI Toichi passed a through ball to the space behind the defensive line, where the forward MIYASHIRO Taisei faced the goalkeeper 1-on-1 and scored a deciding goal, turning the match around. Japan continued to concentrate until the final whistle and kept a one-goal lead to win the game.

The second match will be on 29 October against the hosts, the U-15 France National Team, who lost to the U-15 Netherlands National Team 1-0 in their first game.

* "00 JAPAN" is the nickname of the U-15 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

Players' Comments

FW #11  YAMADA Hiroto (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
We were under pressure from the opponent at the beginning of the match, and conceded a goal. Then we started to defend from up front, intercepting the ball to create several goal-scoring opportunities. In the second half, we struggled to create more opportunities due to the opponent’s high skills and physical strength. However, we played patiently to earn a victory in the end.

Personally, I couldn’t finish with goals, even when I got through the defenders and took shots. I also couldn’t be competitive enough in 1-on-1. I’d like to refresh ourselves in tomorrow’s session to play better in the next game.

FW #14  TANAHASHI Akito (Yokohama F Marinos Junior Youth)
Although we struggled at the beginning partially due to the pitch condition, we stayed patient, holding onto our playing style until the situation got better.

Personally, I’m glad I could strike a goal during a difficult period. We succeeded in getting through to the space behind the defensive line numerous times, playing tactically against the opponent’s defenders, and created goal-scoring opportunities.

Defending from up front and cooperating in defence are still our issues. So I’d like to improve them more. We played as a united team to win the game today despite the difficulty. I’d like to build up positive momentum for us to win the coming game.

GK #18  OUCHI Issei (Yokohama FC Junior Youth)
I’m very proud that I could be on the pitch in this tour, playing for Japan National Team. I believe we had a stronger desire to win this close game, which led us to the victory. I’m glad we could make all the supporters, including local people, pleased.

Personally, I focused on coaching during the game. I still need to improve it, but I’d like to continue to do so. The next tasks for me are to improve my judgment of situations, the quality of passing, and coordination with the defensive line. As it’s an excellent opportunity to play against the team whom I can’t usually meet, I’d like to play well to win all of the matches.

Schedule

Note: The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, etc. 

Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament

Four coutries of England, France, Netherlands and Japan will play a round-robin.