match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserve]
GK:1, Kohei Yamaguchi
DF:13, Taku Watanabe
MF:
FW:

○Match Report
[Continuing the Build-Up and Inheriting the History]

"We have returned here once again. We stand on the stage to avenge last year's frustration," Coach Sato said at the pre-match meeting.

The 39th Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) tournament begins in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture.
The tournament will be held in Gunma Prefecture up to the quarterfinals, then the stage will move to NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Football Stadium in Kanagawa Prefecture from the semifinals onward.
Last year, we narrowly lost in the Final Round and finished as runners-up.
Players, staff, and supporters alike are all eager to overcome last year’s disappointment.

Tokyo, having won the Kanto qualifiers consecutively, entered Gunma Prefecture with momentum after defeating the Kashima Antlers Youth, who were leading in Sec. 10 of the Premier League EAST.
The opponent in the first match of the group stage was Fagiano Okayama U-18, who advanced as the runner-up in the Chugoku District Final League.

Coach Sato said, "If we give even the slightest opening, it will be a tough battle. Let's build up throughout the tournament."
The players also raised their voices, "We will win together for the players who are not here!"

The group stage follows a regulation of 40-minute halves, which is shorter than usual.
Despite it being 9:00 AM, the temperature was a high 32.4°C when the match kicked off with Okayama's ball.

《First Half》
Tokyo showed somewhat stiff movements, perhaps due to the unique tension of the tournament opener.
Okayama, on the other hand, took early control with sharp pressing.
Tokyo simply focused on long balls from the DF line, sending FW to run into space and look for chances.
At the 7th minute, a long ball was played into the space on the right side, and Aihara ran in to deliver an early cross in front of the goal.
Iji rushed in there but was stopped.
Sato, who said after the match that "pressing from the front is one of my characteristics," scored the opening goal by showing his strength.
At the 9th minute, when the opposing DF line was calmly passing the ball, Sato immediately applied pressure, causing the opponent to make a mistake.
He then took the ball, contested with the pursuing opposing DF, and scored a skillful goal by shooting through the legs of the advancing GK.
With Tokyo somewhat settled, at the 12th minute, Yanagi, holding the ball at the DF line, passed it back to Okazaki and then switched the play directly to Koyama, who was positioned wide on the left side.
Koyama advanced with dribbling while creating a chance.
At the 23rd minute, Aihara picked up a ball cleared by the opposing defense and made a long pass to Suzuki, who was positioned deep on the left side.
Suzuki then cut in alone and took a shot.
Tokyo, eager to score an additional goal, also threatened the goal from set pieces.
At the 28th minute, after earning a left corner kick, Shinada sent the ball to the near side. Yanagi connected with it, and although Ikiji, who was in front of the opposing GK, closed in, the ball went over the goal.
At the 32nd minute, they earned a free kick just outside the right side of the penalty area, with Shinada as the kicker. He delivered a sharp ground cross, but it was just slightly off target.
After that, the battle continued in midfield, and the first half ended with a score of 1-0.

《Halftime》
Coach Sato spoke to the players, saying, "There is the difficulty of the first match, but the flow is not bad. Let's continue as we did in the first half. The next goal will be important. Let's create our own momentum."
Both teams entered the second half without any substitutions.

《Second Half》
At the start, in the 42nd minute, Tokyo showed their characteristic attack.
On the left side, Koyama, Okuma, and Ikiji combined in passing play to break through, and finally Ikiji delivered a soft cross from a deep position to the near post, where Sato rushed in but just missed connecting.
At 47 minutes, Okayama broke down the left side and delivered a low cross with a slight backward angle, followed by a shot that went off target.
During this period, Okayama created chances by connecting passes and using both flanks.
Gradually regaining momentum, Tokyo at 54 minutes stole the ball with Okazaki’s aggressive interception on the defensive line, and Shinada picked it up and advanced with a dribble.
Shinada connected to Okuma running diagonally forward to the right and took on the defense with a dribble, earning a corner kick.
Yanagi met this corner kick in the center, but the ball went over the goal.
The long-awaited additional goal came in the 64th minute when Sato held the ball outside the penalty area on the right side, drawing two opposing defenders toward him.
Sato cut through the two defenders and took a shot, but the opposing defender blocked it. When the rebound ball went to the center, Uchida closed in.
When this was also blocked by the DF, Okuma, who said, "Coach Kobayashi told me to move more inside," quickly reacted to the loose ball and pushed it in with a header.
After scoring the additional goal, Tokyo sent fresh players onto the pitch.
Then, at 68 and 76 minutes, substitute Nishimoto came close to scoring.
In the 68th minute, Abe received the ball in midfield after winning it at the DF line and faced forward, while Nishimoto made a run behind. He passed the ball there, but it was just out of reach.
Then, in the 76th minute, receiving a throw-in near the sideline on the left side, he turned his back to the opposing DF and cut inside, unleashing a lofted long-range shot.
Minami also created chances in front of the goal, further energizing the team.
Okayama brought in a tall forward for a power play, but the defensive line centered around Okazaki did not concede aerial control, and Aihara and Koyama showed their strength in close ball situations.
Also, in the 78th minute, when Okayama's defender picked up Aihara's clearance, Nishimoto applied pressure, and Ito, who also came on as a substitute, coordinated the pressing, causing the opponent to make a mistake.
They did not allow Okayama to create any chances.
There are 3 minutes of stoppage time.
Tokyo’s Nishimoto drops the ball to Abe with a hold-up play in the center, then connects to Aihara running down the right side.
Aihara makes a vertical move and delivers a sharp cross near the goal line to the near post, but the opposing GK catches it.
Although they could not score, Tokyo showed their desire to score until the very end and won their first match 2-0.

Tomorrow, they will face SANK FC Kuriyama with the aim of advancing past the group stage.

[Player & Staff Post-Match Comments]
Coach Sato
"The first match of the tournament is very difficult. Winning that first match 2-0 is significant. From here, I hope we can seize a good momentum and continue to grow throughout the tournament. Both the players and staff are motivated to avenge last year’s defeat, so we want to win one match at a time. Despite the early 9:00 AM kickoff, we are grateful to have many supporters come out, and we want to face soccer humbly and sincerely."

Player Okuma
"Since it was the first match, I absolutely wanted to win. We scored early, but after that, it was difficult to score. I'm glad we managed to score despite some dangerous moments. Being the first match, there were some tense moments, but it was important to play simply and get into the game. (About the scoring scene?) Coach Kobayashi told me to move more inside, so I waited inside and the ball came loose there. To advance past the group stage, we have to win the next match. I want to win while improving the quality of our play."

Player Sato
"It was the first match of the national tournament, but our start was not bad. In the last few matches, we have been able to fight until the end, and I think we were focused in today’s game as well. It was a difficult first match, but I believe we were able to execute an attack that skillfully used both long balls and short passes. (About the scoring scene?) One of my characteristics is pressing from the front line, and I was able to capitalize on a mistake by the opposing defender and score, while also carefully watching the goalkeeper’s movements to finish. If we win tomorrow’s match, we will make great progress toward advancing to the Final Round. I want to play including the feelings of the players who couldn’t come here."

Go HATANO
"I was strongly focused on keeping a clean sheet. Since it was a hot match, I kept encouraging the DF line to maintain their concentration. We anticipated the opponent's unexpected attacks from set pieces, so we were prepared. Tomorrow, I want to play even better than today and contribute to the team's victory."

Thank you very much for your warm support to the players today.
Continuing, we kindly ask for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-18.