match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK: 1, Shohei Ishida
MF: 8, Issei Okumura, 36, Toshiki Yuasa, 24, Hideyuki Nozawa, 28, Tsubasa Nihei
FW: 23, Takuya Iwata, 32, Ryota Saito

●Match Digest
J Youth Cup 2010, 18th J.League Youth Championship Tournament, Preliminary League C Group, 8th match opponent was Mito Hollyhock Youth. Due to rain in the morning, the ground was slippery with puddles here and there, making for difficult pitch conditions. The match kicked off at 1:00 p.m. amid occasional light rain and strong winds.

From the very start, the team went on the attack. At 2 minutes, Hashimoto received the ball on the right side and passed it to Muramatsu on the left side. Muramatsu sent a ground cross directly between the opposing DF and GK, but it did not connect with the onrushing Akioka. Then at 4 minutes, Hashimoto stole the ball and passed it to Akioka, who passed it to Maeoka running outside him. Maeoka cut to the line and played a low cross back. Sasaki, running in, tried to flick it with his heel to Akioka, but it was just off. Furthermore, at 6 minutes, Maeoka sent a cross from the left side, and Akioka ran in to meet it, but the opposing DF blocked it, resulting in a corner kick. From this corner, after picking up the rebound, a foul was received and a free kick was awarded centrally. Maeoka, who has scored direct free kicks in three consecutive matches, went for a direct shot. Using the slippery pitch, Maeoka’s ground shot to the near post just missed the target.

At the 12th minute, they won the ball with pressing from Akioka and SASAKI on the right front side. SASAKI’s cross did not connect with the players inside, but Muramatsu picked up the loose ball and crossed again from the left side. Akioka was blocked near the near post, and SASAKI took a direct shot on the flowing ball, but it was denied by the crossbar.
Although they had been unable to break through the opponent's defense, who had everyone except one forward back and focused on defending, at the 18th minute, Iwaki dribbled past on the right side and sent a cross. Akioka connected near the near post, but it hit the crossbar. However, Sasaki took a direct shot with his left foot on the ball that bounced off the bar, and it beautifully went in, scoring the opening goal.

Furthermore, at the 20th minute, after a pass exchange between SASAKI and MAEOKA in the center, the ball was passed to IWAKI on the right side. IWAKI’s cross was met by MUTO, who made a high-headed shot, but it missed the target. Up to this point, SASAKI and HASHIMOTO controlled the midfield, with MAEOKA as the focal point. On the right side, IWAKI and ISHIHARA, and on the left side, MUTO and MURAMATSU aggressively launched attacks, creating multiple chances. Even when the ball was lost, they applied intense pressing to prevent the opponents from playing freely, overwhelming them.

At the 29th minute, Ishihara's cross was miscleared by the opposing DF, and Mutou took a shot on the loose ball, but it went wide to the side netting. Immediately after, Mutou carried the ball forward and took a left-footed shot, but this also missed the target. Then, at the 31st minute, Akioka broke free from a pass from Mutou, dribbled past one opposing DF, and took a shot, but was stopped by the opposing GK. Conversely, right after at the 32nd minute, a counterattack led to a cross and a shot on goal, but GK Miura calmly made the save.

At the 35th minute, Maeka started the play and passed to Muto on the left side. Muto sent a softly floated ball to Akioka’s feet in front of the goal, but the persistent defense of the opposing defenders prevented a shot. Immediately after, Akioka picked up a clearance mistake by the opponent and passed it, which Maeka let through to Muto, who took a shot but missed the target. Then, at the 43rd minute, from a corner kick rebound, Maeka poked the ball in with a toe kick to score. They had been continuously attacking and creating repeated chances, and finally succeeded in adding another goal.
And with that, the first half ended with a 2-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, the opponent launched a counterattack, and in the 47th minute, they took a close-range shot following their goal kick, but GK Miura made a sharp save to stop it. Although the opponent began to gain some rhythm afterward, the defense, centered around GK Miura, responded firmly, gradually regaining control of the game. In the 55th minute, Akioka initiated a play and passed the ball to Muto, who then passed to Sasaki running into the space between the center backs. Sasaki broke free but was cut off by the opposing defender as he switched direction. Then, in the 57th minute, after a one-two pass between Akioka and Iwaki on the right side, a backward pass was sent to Hashimoto, who took a direct shot but missed the target. Furthermore, in the 61st minute, Ishihara broke through on the right side and sent a cross, but the ball was too long. Muto chased the loose ball and passed it back to Muramatsu, whose cross was dropped by Akioka for Maeka to shoot, but it went straight to the opposing goalkeeper.

In the second half, Tokyo's attack gained the wind advantage, and the opponent's long balls were pushed back, so the opponent tried to connect the ball from their defensive line. Tokyo then aggressively pressed from the front line, intercepting balls that the opponent was forced to kick without settling, and turned them into attacks. Then, in the 69th minute, the ball was passed from Hiroki in the defensive line to Muto → Maeoka → right side Iwaki. Iwaki dribbled past the opposing defender and carried the ball along the goal line, then carefully looked inside and made a grounded cut-back to the unmarked Akioka. Akioka neatly finished it for the third goal.
Immediately after, Nozawa and Nihei were brought on to replace Maeka and Akioka. Then, in the 72nd minute, Sasaki pressed high up the field, stole the ball on his own, carried it freely, and when the opposing goalkeeper rushed out, he passed to Muto running alongside. Muto calmly slotted the ball into the empty net to score the fourth goal.

At the 78th minute, Okumura was brought on to replace the injured Hashimoto. At the 79th minute, Ishihara received the ball on the right side, combined with Sasaki in a one-two to break free and took a shot, but it went wide. Immediately after, Nihei cut inside from the left side and took a shot, but this also missed the target. Conversely, at the 81st minute, the opponent broke through a brief gap and took a free shot; although goalkeeper Miura made a fine save initially, the rebound was pushed in, and they scored a consolation goal.

In the 83rd minute, a long feed from Nihei on the left side reached Muto, but he couldn't get a proper shot off. From the rebound, Nihei played a one-two with Sasaki and took a shot, but it missed the target. After that, the team continued to move the ball and aggressively aimed for the goal from both sides, but could not score any additional goals. However, the defenders maintained their concentration and held on to secure a 4-1 victory.

Thank you for your support today as well.