match Match Schedule & Results

The opponent in the Round of 16 of the 20th Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth Soccer Championship final tournament was Hiroshima Kannon High School. The match was held in the slightly chilly city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Strong winds blew before the match, and the first half was played with the wind at their backs. In the early stages, the wind made it difficult to connect passes, but they aimed for chances by sending the ball behind the opponent’s defense. At the 10th minute, Mita reacted to a ball played behind the opponent’s defensive line from Hoshi, quickly accelerating to shake off the defender’s hand and faced the opposing GK one-on-one. He confidently struck the ball into the goal, scoring the much-needed opening goal. This gave them momentum, and at the 11th minute, Mita again broke free on a through pass from Shigematsu and took a shot, but it was blocked by the opposing GK. They continued to send the ball behind the opponent’s defense, but gradually the opponent adapted, making it difficult to create chances. Conversely, at the 26th minute, the opponent dribbled through the center and approached the goal, but the defense held firm and averted danger. Immediately after, at the 27th minute, a free kick won in their own half was quickly restarted by Toshi Mori to Mita up front. Mita tried to dribble forward but was blocked by the opponent, missing the chance. After that, they struggled to recover second balls in midfield and had difficulty connecting passes, enduring a tough period, but the whole team managed to steady themselves. At the 38th minute, Mita reacted to a vertical pass from Hiroki and approached the goal with a speedy dribble, but was blocked just as he was about to shoot, missing a clear chance. At the 43rd minute, Umenai dribbled into the center and passed through to Mita, who carried the ball forward and took a shot, but was again stopped by the goalkeeper. Then at the 44th minute, Mita broke free on a through pass from Abe and went for a powerful shot after dribbling, but unfortunately the ball went over the crossbar, and the first half ended 1-0.

In the second half, FC Tokyo U-18, now playing with the wind advantage, continued to attack by targeting behind the opponent’s defense, just like in the first half. Despite being caught offside several times, they created chances. At the 57th minute, the ball kicked by GK Moriyama caught the wind and flew deep into the opponent’s territory. The defense barely cleared it, but the ball spilled to Shigematsu. Shigematsu unleashed a powerful long-range shot. The ball, spinning with drive, beautifully sank into the goal, securing the much-awaited second goal. Gaining momentum from this, at the 60th minute, Shigematsu headed a cross from Hoshi on the right side, but unfortunately, it hit the crossbar. However, at the 66th minute, the opponent sent a cross from the left side, and a player waiting in the center calmly scored, pulling one back. This gave the opponent momentum, and they started pressing forward aggressively. At the 72nd minute, Sasaki was brought on for Mita to try to change the rhythm. Immediately after, Umenai broke through behind the defense and faced the opposing GK one-on-one, but the shot was blocked by the GK. At the 73rd minute, Shigematsu shot from a short corner, and Sasaki boldly followed up with a shot on the rebound, but neither could find the target. At the 78th minute, Shigematsu dribbled through the midfield and took a shot, but the opponent’s GK made a fine save. The opponent pushed hard aiming for an equalizer, but the defensive line stayed focused and managed to repel the attacks. At the 81st minute, Muto replaced Matsufuji, and at the 85th minute, Eguchi came on for Yamasaki. Then, at the 87th minute, Sasaki skillfully broke through from the second line on a through pass from Hiraide and dribbled toward the goal. Drawing the only remaining defender to him, he delivered a final pass to Shigematsu waiting in the center. Shigematsu calmly evaded the opposing GK and scored the decisive third goal. Entering stoppage time, the opponent launched a final fierce attack, but GK Moriyama courageously rushed out and firmly caught the ball, securing the end of the match. After a tough battle with only one day’s rest, they advanced to the best eight.
[Reserves]
GK: 1, Soiki CHOI
DF: 2, Tomo KOMIYAMA 13, Yoshinori MUTO
MF: 15, Yoji SASAKI, 17, Kentaro KASAHARA 19, Takatoshi EGUCHI
FW: 24, Shingo MAEOKA