[Reserve]
GK:1 Ryuji OHMOTO
DF:24 Kōnosuke KUSAZUMI
MF:11 Rui YOKOYAMA, 17 Tsubasa TERAYAMA
FW:13 Kazutaka YOSHIDA

○Match Report
【Challenge to the next stage】
The 41st Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) is finally entering the knockout stage (90-minute halves).
As a result of the lottery held the previous day, FC Tokyo U-18 will face Cerezo Osaka U-18.
In the pre-match meeting, Coach Sato told the players, "This is a great opportunity to play against a team we usually don't face. We must not lose in ball contests and one-on-one situations." He then strongly encouraged the players by saying, "Let's express our culture."
A tense atmosphere at 'Maebashi City Fujimi General Ground'.
Due to the rain the previous day, there are puddles all over the pitch, and the unevenness of the pitch condition is noticeable.
This very tough match started at 11:00 with Cerezo's kickoff.

[First Half]
Cerezo entered the match with great momentum at the start.
Considering the pitch conditions, simply kick behind Tokyo's defensive line and try to recover the second ball.
Tokyo's Shinohara and Hasegawa try to clear the ball, but they are forced into difficult heading positions and, as usual, cannot clear it effectively. They also fall behind in the battle for second balls.
The first corner kick of this match is in the 5th minute, Cerezo is awarded a right corner kick, Takase punches it away, but after another cross is sent in, Hara clears it away decisively.
In the 10th minute, after a vertical pass, they got behind on the left, and a shot was taken from a dribble, but it went to the right of the goal.
In the 13th minute that followed, a counter-attack targeted the left side, but Shinohara prevented the opponent's attack with precise covering.
Despite the tough pitch conditions in Tokyo, they begin to take control by varying between short and long passes.
Then, they score the opening goal from a free kick.
In the 20th minute, Hirakawa picked up a loose ball in front of the opponent's goal and took a shot from distance, resulting in a handball decision.
Shinada successfully scores the opening goal with a direct free kick taken near the penalty arc, right in front of the goal.
However, just after that, in the 22nd minute, a free kick was awarded outside the penalty area. The wall blocked it with their bodies, resulting in a left corner kick, but the defense cleared it.
Tokyo, which has begun to grasp the rhythm of the attack, in the 30th minute, Okaniwa makes a vertical dribble and delivers a line drive cross to the near post from the goal line.
Here, Hara dives in, but the decisive shot is blocked by the opponent.
Tokyo's additional goal was scored through excellent passing work despite the tough pitch conditions.
In the 35th minute, a vertical pass was made to Hara in the center, who connected with Hirakawa after a post play, advancing into the penalty area.
After a brief scramble, Hara picked up the ball, evaded the GK, and despite hitting the opposing DF who returned to cover, shook the net.
End the first half with a 2-point lead.

【Half Time】
Coach Sato
"How we start the second half is important. Let's go in with a mindset of 0-0. Let's play hard and give it our all for the full 45 minutes."

[Second Half]
The second half became more intense than the first half. Cerezo started off with great momentum.
In the 50th minute, a powerful shot was taken from inside the left penalty area, but Takase made a great save.
In Tokyo, for 60 minutes, Sakaguchi, Sugiyama, and Hara connected short passes on the left side, and Sugiyama kept the ball near the left corner flag.
Successfully hitting the opponent, we earn a corner kick but it is cleared by the opponent's defense.
Then, in the 68th minute, after contesting a long kick from the opponent's GK at the defensive line, the ball drops behind.
Although Takase initially defended well to stop this, the loose ball was pushed in, narrowing the gap to one point.
Tokyo is being pushed back into their own territory by the momentum of Cerezo.
The second ball was picked up by the opponent, and even though I tried to clear it big, I couldn't play as usual.
The ball is not settling well in the front line, and difficult times continue.
Even so, the Tokyo defense all raised their voices to support their teammates. Voices from the bench encouraged the players on the pitch, enduring the opponent's fierce attacks.
In the 72nd minute, Kubo was brought in, and in the 78th minute, Kobayashi (Makoto) was introduced in an attempt to change the flow, but they couldn't create their own time.
Throwing the body and repeatedly blocking shots, continuing to fight tenaciously without backing down in the battle for the ball.
In the 83rd minute, a free kick from the opposing GK created a chance in the center, resulting in a long-range shot that went to the right of the goal.
Tokyo maintained their focus until the end, including 2 minutes of additional time, winning 2-1 and advancing to the Semifinal Round.

Thank you very much for your warm support for the players today as well.
We appreciate your continued support for FC Tokyo U-18.

【Other Matches】
Nagoya Grampus U18 3-3(PK 3-4) Shonan Bellmare Youth

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For more details, visit http://fctokyo.sportsinfo.jp