match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK: 1, Koki ITO
DF:
MF: 8, Yoshiki Shimodaira, 27, Takuya KOYAMA, FW: 19, Rui Nishimoto, 25, Daisuke Minami

○ Match Digest
The opponent in Sec. 2 of the 2014 Prince League Kanto, Prince Takamado U-18 Soccer League, was Shonan Institute of Technology High School, who won the Kanagawa Prefecture League and advanced through the Prince League qualifying matches. Before the match, Coach Sato sent the players out with the words, "There is no easy match. Win the battles for the ball, control the game both offensively and defensively, and absolutely win."

The match kicked off with the opponent in possession. From the start, the opponent launched fast vertical attacks mainly using long balls, but Tokyo calmly responded, centering on Onishi and Takada. Then, in the 8th minute, trying to change the flow, Renagawa tenaciously chased down a long ball from GK Matsushima up front and took a shot, but it went wide. Gradually gaining rhythm, Tokyo continued in the 9th minute with Takahashi intercepting the opponent’s ball high up and quickly aiming for goal, but the shot went straight to the opposing GK.

After 10 minutes, the match was completely under Tokyo's control. At 15 minutes, from the rearmost Takada to Takahashi and Aihara, they connected the ball smoothly on the right side, and finally Aihara broke through the flank and crossed into the center, but the opposing defender cleared it. From the resulting corner kick, Nagasawa sent a sharp liner trajectory to the center, but it was not well connected. After that, Tokyo continued to prevent the opponent from having freedom with coordinated defense from a high position, using Takahashi as a pivot to spread the ball left and right, making wide use of the pitch to shake the opponent, but they struggled to break down the opponent who formed a defensive block with everyone in their own half.

Tokyo patiently and persistently circulated the ball without rushing, looking for chances, building their attack mainly down the left side. In the 43rd minute, Takahashi sent a superb pass with his left foot to Yamagishi, who had broken through behind on the left side. Yamagishi controlled it with his chest and aimed a shot with his right foot, but was blocked by the opposing defender who threw his body in until the very end.

Tokyo, not easing up their attack, continued at the 44th minute with Hasukawa breaking through the side and delivering a left-footed cross. Aihara, running in from the opposite side, took a free shot but it went over the bar. After that, from Okuma’s skillful hold-up play, the ball was laid off to Takahashi and then spread to Yamagishi on the left side. Yamagishi crossed into the center, and Takahashi, running in again, connected with a header but could not shake the net. Despite creating successive chances, the first half ended scoreless for both teams.

Halftime. The players encouraged each other, saying, "Let's not just play sideways passes, but keep our focus on moving toward the goal." Coach Sato addressed them, saying, "It's expected that the opponent will pull back. Let's stay calm, focus more on vertical attacks, and continue to play composedly," as they prepared for the second half.

At the start of the second half, in the 48th and 49th minutes, Hasukawa repeatedly brought the ball to the finish but failed to score, then gave the opponent a free kick due to a careless foul. The opponent did not aim directly from this free kick but built an attack with short passes, however, Tokyo calmly responded and intercepted the pass. Aihara on the right side then dribbled forward with the ball, contested with the opponent, and aimed a shot with his right foot. This shot hit the extended leg of the opposing DF, shook the net, and secured the long-awaited opening goal.

With the lead, Tokyo carefully and calmly circulated the ball, maintaining control of the match. However, there were also periods when they faced fierce attacks from the opponent pushing forward to equalize. In the 66th and 67th minutes, although the right side of their own defense was broken down creating scoring chances, the defensive line centered around goalkeeper Matsushima—Onishi, Takada, Yamagishi, and Aihara—stood firm with resilient defense, not allowing any goals. In the 68th minute, Tamiya came on to replace Hasukawa, who had created several good opportunities on the left side.

In the 79th minute, at a high position on the left side, Yamagishi and Tamiya held off opponents to connect the ball, which Takahashi in the center took a mid-range shot at goal. The shot was saved by the GK, but the rebound was followed up by Abe, who was then brought down by the opposing GK, resulting in a penalty kick decision. Nagasawa calmly placed the penalty into the left corner of the goal, scoring an additional goal to make it 2-0.

Then, at the 81st minute, Sato was brought on to replace Okuma, and at the 87th minute, Yanagi was brought on for Watanabe, continuing to apply pressure from the front line. In additional time, Yamaguchi was brought on to replace Nagasawa, who had been chasing the ball up front until the very end, skillfully managing the remaining time until the final whistle.

It was a match that showed not only hard work throughout the 90 minutes but also a strong determination to "definitely win" in every ball contest. With this, the team achieved its second consecutive victory. Since Maebashi Ikuei, Omiya Ardija Youth, and Tokogakuen each drew their matches at other venues, FC Tokyo U-18 took the top spot at the end of Sec. 2.

Thank you very much for coming to the AWAY match against Shonan today and for your warm support for the players. We kindly ask for your continued warm support for FC Tokyo U-18 in the future.