On Wednesday 13 June, the U-16 International Dream Cup 2018 JAPAN presented by The Asahi Shimbun opened at Yurtec STADIUM SENDAI in Miyagi prefecture.

The first match saw U-16 Spain National Team square off against U-16 Senegal National Team. It was Spain who opened the scorings, as they scored the first goal in the 21st minute, after forcing a turnover deep in the Senegal half. Forward Jordi Escobar found the space behind the defence to record the cup’s first goal. Senegal scored back on the 34th minute, when their forward Aliou Badara Baldé initiated the attack from the left flank, allowing their midfielder Insa Boye to score the equaliser following a combination play. Both teams fought hard and the match entered the second half with a score of 1-1. In the 59th minute, Spanish defender José Martínez capitalised a grounder delivered off a short corner kick, giving Spain a 2-1 victory.

Official match detail of U-16 Spain vs U-16 Senegal

With a crowd of 2108 on site, U-16 Japan National Team faced U-16 Paraguay National Team in the second match of the cup. Paraguay came out scoring two consecutive goals in the 12th and 22nd minute of the match. Japan fought back as their 193cm defender SAKO Maaya scored a towering header off a corner kick in the 35th minute. Japan gradually gained momentum after this goal, however, Paraguay scored their third goal in the 52nd minute, reextending their lead. Just four minutes later, Japan’s forward AOKI Yusuke captured the goal to cut the deficit in half, but Japan came short from scoring the equaliser, giving Paraguay the victory. Both nation’s top team also played each other just a day before, where the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) had the upper hand, but in this competition, it was Paraguay who came out victorious.

Official match detail of U-16 Japan vs U-16 Paraguay

Both teams will now play their second match on Friday 15 June. At the same venue, Yurtec STADIUM SENDAI, U-16 Spain National Team will face U-16 Paraguay National Team at 15:00, while the U-16 Japan and U-16 Senegal match will be at 18:00. Both matches will be held with free admission.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

David Gordo, Coach (U-16 Spain National Team)
It was a very interesting match. I think the players can feed off of this great experience. We faced a very physical team consisting players with great athleticism. There were close plays that could have been called foul. We felt the need to heighten our intensity ahead of our coming matches, but for now, we’d like to enjoy our first victory of this competition.

DF #5 José Martínez (U-16 Spain National Team)
The fact we managed to gain points off a strong team in our first match gives us great confidence moving forward. For now, we are just glad we won our first match.

FW #9 Jordi Escobar (U-16 Spain National Team)
They were very physical and a strong team. Despite conceding the equaliser after we score the opening goal, we managed to fight as a team and score the go-ahead goal.

Malick Daf, Coach (U-16 Senegal National Team)
We lost a game we should have won. We couldn’t keep our focus for the entire 90 minutes. Our side attacks went as we practiced, but they weren’t effective enough to produce goals. It makes it that much disappointing because we managed to take control of the match for the most part. With that being said, we still should keep our heads high for putting up a good fight against a football powerhouse like Spain. We made many mistakes, but it was a good experience for the players. We will face the host team, Japan in our next match, and it will not be an easy game, as they will play quality football. Japan is another football powerhouse, and we give them all the respect, but we are here to win. We hope to win our next match.

MF #17 Insa Boye (U-16 Senegal National Team)
We performed well, but unfortunately, we lost the match. We managed to showcase good plays through our dribbles and passes, and we scored a goal as well. It will be a tough match, but we will do our best in our match against Japan.

MF #18 Pape Matar Sarr (U-16 Senegal National Team)
It is unfortunate the we lost the match today. We lacked quality in the final third. My strength lies on my ability to pass and dribble, so I would like to display that in our next match. We are here to win the title, so we would like to win against Japan and earn three points.

Carlos Humberto Paredes Monges, Coach (U-16 Paraguay National Team)
It was a very difficult match. Japan showcased a very persistent defence, and their attacks were very agile in their build-ups, but we managed to defence well against them. (Regarding the two goals scored early in the halves) Our players are aware that it is the most exploitable time of the match. In Paraguay the goals score in the early minutes are called “Gol de Vestuario” (goal scored in the locker room). They are called that way because they can be produced by creating good vibes in the locker room. I have always focused on how to talk to my players and how to motivate them in the locker room. Our next opponent, Spain plays a very solid football, and it will be a tough match for sure. But we will play with the patience we displayed today and anticipate exploiting the small flaws made by our opponent.

MF #20 Diego Joel Torres Garcete (U-16 Paraguay National Team)
The match was very difficult, as our opponents showed a solid defence and we were attacked many times. However, we managed to display our strengths. Japan constructed their defence to block us from utilising the space, but we focused on effectively utilising the little space we were given to create chances. In our training session tomorrow, we will keep in mind of our strategies to prepare for our match against Spain.

Full match of U-16 Spain vs U-16 Senegal

Full match of U-16 Japan vs U-16 Paraguay

Wed. 13, Fri. 15, Sun. 17 June 2018 [Free Admission]
Japan/Senegal/Spain/Paraguay
Yurtec STADIUM SENDAI, Miyagi

Tournament Information