match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK: 1 Atsushi Kakimoto
DF: 33 Dai Miura
MF: 14 Koya Kawano, 17 Yuta Hiroto, 21 Ryosuke Shin
FW: 11 Takuaki Kojima

〇Match Report
The sky was on the verge of rain, yet it remained just barely overcast throughout.
The 31st Club Youth Championship (U-15) tournament, held in Obihiro City, Hokkaido, has completed the group stage and, after a one-day rest, the Round of 32—the first match of the final tournament—has finally begun.
Unlike the three matches in the group stage, from here on, one loss means the end.
A battle full of tension, no, a battle with nothing but tension, begins here.

The opponent is Omiya Ardija Junior Youth.
Having lost 0-1 in the Kanto Youth (U-15) League match this season, Coach Okuhara stirred up the players' spirits in the pre-match meeting, saying, "We cannot afford to lose again to a team we've already lost to once."
Then, Coach Okuhara continued, emphasizing that the keyword for this match is "patience."
Since a loss means elimination, it is easy to imagine that Omiya will also approach the match cautiously.
In such a tense and cautious game, how much patience can be maintained? Coach Okuhara added more words.
"You all have endured various hardships to fight up to today, right? I think Omiya is a very patient team, but our weapon is also 'patience.' Your seniors were the same," he urged the players to embody the Fukagawa tradition of strong 'patience.'
And he said, "When it gets tough, look at your teammates' faces!"

[First Half]
As the match began, exactly that kind of development unfolded.
Omiya steadily connected passes from the back to press Fukagawa, and when they applied intense pressure, passes were played behind them or switched to the opposite side.
At the 5th minute, a dangerous shot struck the crossbar.
Even so, Fukagawa continued to endure. Even when passes got through, they tenaciously closed in from front and back to regain possession, and with captain Kimura and GK Takahashi at the center, they repelled attacks with resilient defense.
And that patience soon bore fruit.
At the 10th minute, after quickly turning to attack by stealing the opponent's ball, Yachida skillfully carried it forward and scored the opening goal with his left foot from a pass by Iizumi.
It was the moment when Fukagawa's strength of perseverance generated momentum and flow for the team.
However, although they had grasped the rhythm, the period of perseverance began again thereafter.
Just after the 20th minute, they were threatened by an opponent's shot, and at the 25th minute, they were targeted with a header from the opponent's right corner kick, but GK Takahashi made a fine save to escape.
However, at the 31st minute, GK Takahashi stopped a shot from a breakaway opponent FW once, but the rebound was pushed in, resulting in a goal conceded.
The score was tied 1-1 at halftime.

[Second Half]
Fukagawa created chances right from the start of the second half.
At the 43rd minute, Miyata connected with a cross from Bangoura N'Kande, and at the 47th minute, Bangoura N'Kande attempted a volley from a rebound off a right corner kick.
Both shots went wide of the target, but they steadily applied pressure on Omiya's goal.
After that, Shiratori created several chances, including breaking behind the opponent's DF line and aiming a kick just past the opponent GK's nose.
Despite attacking patiently and persistently like that, Omiya was tough to break down.
In defense, Fukagawa also applied aggressive pressing on the opponent's ball, but Omiya skillfully evaded it and carried the ball forward.
The opponents, too, were patiently managing both offense and defense.
Then, in the 70th minute, they conceded a turnaround goal from a header off a right corner kick, and two minutes later, they were scored on again from a loose ball after a cross, making it 1-3. They fell behind by two goals.
However, there was still time remaining.
Fukagawa made substitutions and aggressively pressed toward the opponent’s goal, once again continuing to launch persistent attacks.
The members on the bench also shouted desperately until their voices were hoarse. "There’s still a chance!".
As the clock steadily ticked on, Miyata took shots, and Yachida threw himself at crosses in front of the opponent’s goal, never losing heart and repeatedly attacking with strong fighting spirit.
However, unfortunately, the merciless time-up came here.
Although they endured the battle, they could not turn it into a victory. Fukagawa's 31st Club Youth Championship (U-15) ended here.

With a must-win mindset for every match and aiming for the top of the tournament, this summer for Fukagawa unfortunately came to an end at the Round of 32.
◈ However, I believe that what we gained is by no means insignificant.
The value of every single second played with all their might, carrying the feelings of teammates who stayed in Fukagawa hoping for victory and those who couldn’t play due to injury, is something irreplaceable.
Whenever difficult times came, I looked around at my teammates’ faces or recalled them.
The experience of giving my all this summer will surely be valuable in my future soccer career.
Looking up, I believe we can fight through the remaining matches of this season as well.

Once again, I sincerely thank everyone for the many cheers we received here in Obihiro during this tournament.
Although this tournament has ended here, we will continue to fight energetically and tenaciously in the remaining schedule of this season, true to the spirit of Fukagawa. We kindly ask for your continued support.