match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK: 1, Kohei Yamaguchi
DF: 13, Taku Watanabe
MF: 32, Masataka Kobayashi
FW:

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

The 39th Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) tournament finally enters the knockout stage, a single-elimination format, starting today.
Being the fourth day of the tournament, how to handle consecutive matches is a key question.
Also, despite the 9:00 kickoff time, the temperature is a high 35.5°C.
And from this knockout stage, the match format changes to two 45-minute halves (90 minutes), creating a stage where game management is also put to the test.
Today's match included four hydration breaks in total during the first and second halves, taking the players' physical condition into consideration.

Tokyo advanced to the knockout stage with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in the group stage, finishing 2nd with 9 goals scored and 2 goals conceded.
Returning to a 3-4-3 system, they take on this match.

On the other hand, Nagoya Grampus U18 advanced with an overwhelming record of winning all three group stage matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding 2.
Although they are ranked 8th in the Premier League WEST, the team has been improving their form recently, drawing against 2nd place Gamba Osaka Youth in their latest match.
They use a 4-4-2 system, and the captain, FW number 10 Mori, is a player with scoring ability, having scored 4 goals in the group stage.

In the pre-match meeting, Coach Sato said, "Today's match will be especially important in the battles for the ball. Don't make mistakes in how you start the game. Let's value the first 5 to 10 minutes. Depending on the flow, it may also be necessary to play simply."
And finally, he fiercely encouraged the players with, "Fight if it's hot! Run if it's tough!" and sent them out onto the pitch.

With about 300 spectators watching, the match kicked off with Nagoya at the Maebashi General Sports Park Athletics and Soccer Stadium.

《First Half》
Tokyo showed a calm start to the match.
Led by Sato wearing the captain's armband, they showed chasing from the front line.
Nagoya approached the goal from a left corner kick flow at 2 minutes, but Go HATANO calmly dealt with it.
At 4 minutes, a diagonal ball was played in from the right side, and he quickly turned and took a shot.
In response, Tokyo faced a big chance with their first shot.
At 6 minutes, Abe stole the ball in midfield and advanced, connecting with Okuma and Sato before passing to Ikiji, who had burst behind on the left side.
Echi made a vertical breakthrough and passed the ball on the ground to Abe, who was free in the center in front of the goal, but the shot was blocked by the crossbar.
In this match, Abe repeatedly took the ball from the opponent in midfield and continued to pick up second balls, supporting the team from the base of midfield.
Nagoya was the first to change the course of the match.
At 10 minutes, facing forward in midfield, they seized a brief opening and a left-footed long-range shot pierced the net, conceding a goal.
At 14 minutes, the ball was taken from the DF line again, creating a dangerous situation, but Suzuki bravely protected the goal with his body.
Tokyo, eager to equalize, controlled the ball. They displayed an attack involving multiple players, typical of Tokyo's style.
At the 23rd minute, after looking for an opportunity through passing involving multiple players, the ball was passed to Ikiji, who had opened up on the left side.
Ikiji advanced by dribbling, then passed to Koyama, who was positioned closer to the center; after a one-two pass, he cut inside and took a mid-range shot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper.
At the 28th minute, creating a starting point on the left side, players crowded inside the penalty area, then the ball was passed back to Shinada who was positioned behind.
Shinada played a vertical pass, which Sato flicked to try to break through behind, but the opposing DF stopped him.
The stands erupted in excitement at Tokyo’s characteristic attack showing creativity in front of the goal.
Then, at the 44th minute, the ball was played to Aihara, who was at the right side corner of the penalty area from the center, and he passed it with one touch to Abe, who was inside.
Abe laid it off to Yanagi, who was running diagonally toward the center of the goal, and Yanagi took a shot, but it went wide.
There were moments when Nagoya’s attack put them in danger, but they did not concede any additional goals and went into halftime trailing 0-1.

《Halftime》
Players also confirm specific movements and unify their intentions among themselves.
Coach Sato gives more specific instructions than usual: "Let's stick to what we have been doing without wavering. Make decisions a little faster to increase the tempo. And focus on the quality at the end."
At halftime, a player substitution was made from Shinada to Ito, bringing a change in rhythm.

《Second Half》
Tokyo's substitute Ito creates a big chance.
At the 46th minute, Ito received the ball on the left side and cut inside while delivering a ground cross. Sato, who came in free, tried to connect but missed the shot.
At the 50th minute, Sato applied pressure on the opposing DF who was trying to handle Suzuki's clearance ball and stole the ball.
Sato attempted a dribble, with Okuma running alongside to draw the opponent's attention, and advanced into the penalty area but was surrounded by opposing DFs.
Immediately after, in the 51st minute, Tokyo was broken through on the right side and a ground cross was delivered in front of the goal. The ball passed through the goal area without connecting with an opposing player, creating a close call.
Both teams created chances, and Tokyo also had consecutive opportunities.
At the 52nd minute, Aihara dribbled up the right side and delivered a ground cross to Sato, who was positioned on the far side. The opposing goalkeeper made a great save on Sato's shot, and Okuma desperately stretched out his leg to push the rebound into the goal, but was denied by the post.
Then, at 55 minutes, Yanagi and Aihara broke through the right side together, and Yanagi delivered an early cross with a slight curve using the inside of his right foot in front of the goal.
This was blocked by the opposing DF, resulting in a left corner kick.
From the flow of this corner kick, Suzuki, who had remained in a high position, cut deep into the right side and crossed in front of the goal, but the opposing DF blocked it.
Tokyo, still struggling to score an equalizer, concedes an additional goal.
At the 59th minute, during a short counterattack, despite a one-on-one with the DF on the right side, the opponent sharply scores on the far side.
During the first water break of the second half, a substitution is made from Ikiji to Uchida in an attempt to change the momentum.
However, in the 68th minute, a back pass to the GK on the left side of their own half was pressured, resulting in a conceded goal.
Four minutes later, in the 72nd minute, while pushing forward to mount a counterattack, they conceded their fourth goal on a counter.
From the bench, Yamaguchi, who wore the captain's armband in yesterday's match, encouraged the players on the pitch by shouting, "Don't give up! Let's get one goal back first!"
At the 76th minute, Tokyo scored a goal as Ito connected with Okuma on a left corner kick.
Tokyo, launching a counterattack, desperately chased the ball against Nagoya’s wide passing play across the pitch.
At the 85th minute, Nishimoto and Hangai were brought on to increase pressure from the front and aim for a goal.
Although they created several chances near the goal, the goal remained elusive, and they conceded again on a counterattack during stoppage time.
They kept running without giving up until the very end, but heard the final whistle signaling the end of the match.

Unfortunately, FC Tokyo U-18 was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the 39th Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) tournament.

After the match, Coach Sato said to the players, "Don't forget this frustration. When moving on to the next stage, you must turn this frustration into energy. Let's reset once more and become a better team from here."

[Players & Staff Post-Match Comments]
Player Yanagi
"It was a match in the heat, but the opponent was overall stronger in team strength and other aspects. The start didn't go very well, but we managed to recover. After conceding, the opponent controlled the pace. Personally, I didn't want to concede in the first half, so I approached the game from a defensive standpoint. However, after conceding, I pushed forward more strongly in the second half, but we allowed a goal due to a small lapse. (Looking back on this tournament?) We achieved our goal in the Kanto qualifiers. There were no easy matches, but we managed to win firmly. However, perhaps we also had a slight lapse there. I want to use this frustration as a springboard to aim for victory in the Premier League and J Youth Cup and work hard."

Player Sato
"As the game captain at the national tournament, I aimed for the championship, so it is very disappointing. We had our chances and wanted to convert them, but the opponent capitalized on theirs. The national tournament had a very tough schedule, but it was also a valuable experience. I want to make use of this in the upcoming Premier League and J Youth Cup. And for those two tournaments, each individual wants to improve their skills and mentality to win both championships."

Player Suzuki
"I entered the game with a strong desire to win. Although we conceded first, we recovered and counterattacked but couldn't score. The opponent capitalized on their one chance. Their forward was skilled, but not an opponent we couldn't compete with. It was my own lack of ability. (Looking back on this tournament?) We won the Kanto tournament, so maybe we were a bit complacent thinking we could do it again this year. We relied too much on the third-year players. From today, I want to reset my mindset, make use of this experience in practice, and move forward with the determination to lead the team."

Coach Sato
“We entered the game properly, and while both sides had clear scoring chances, Nagoya capitalized on theirs. In the second half, despite having opportunities, we allowed the opponent to play their game. After conceding, we pushed forward aggressively, but they skillfully took advantage of that, and we couldn’t leverage the experience we had gained up until last year. We also created chances by breaking through individually several times, but it didn’t lead to results. (Looking back on this tournament?) Our goal was to inherit the aspirations of our seniors and win the championship. Toward that, players and staff united as one. We won the Kanto qualifiers and were able to participate in the national tournament, but there were also some accidents. In that situation, I hoped players who could shine would emerge, and personally, I wanted to support the players to bring out their full potential. Many players were able to gain experience in this tournament, so I look forward to their future growth in that regard. There’s no time to be down; what’s important is from here on. How we connect from now on is crucial. I believe how we conduct ourselves from this moment is important. With the Premier League and J Youth Cup coming up, we want to prepare thoroughly through upcoming trips and regular training so that we can say the experience from this tournament was valuable. We want to face soccer seriously.”