It was a match between the two teams with the fewest goals conceded in the league. Both teams started cautiously, but gradually the opponent maintained possession of the ball and took control of the pace. In the 37th minute, they conceded a goal from a header off a cross from the right wing, putting them behind 0-1. In the second half, after the break, Hiroshima continued to dominate, and in the 53rd minute, a penalty kick was awarded. They converted it, extending their lead to 0-2.
Antlers Youth launched a counterattack in the 57th minute by making two simultaneous substitutions. In the 64th minute, Shigehisa Sugiyama, who came on as a substitute, scored from Shuki Onuma's left free kick, pulling one goal back. Antlers Youth continued to press but were unable to score another goal, ultimately losing 1-2.
At the awards ceremony after the match, captain Taira Maeda received the MIP award.
Koji Kumagai, Head Coach
---Reflecting on today's match.
Conceding a goal first threw us off our game plan.
---Antlers' plan was to start strong, but it seemed they were blunted. How do you see the flow of today's game?
To be honest, it felt like we were on the defensive. There were players who wanted to push forward and players who were holding back, and it didn't quite gel. I wanted to correct that from the first half. Ideally, I didn't want to concede at the start of the second half, but I was trying to adjust using substitutions.
---What did you say to the players after the match?
This team started with limited strength, but I could see the potential in individual players. We were able to get this far by gradually achieving results and getting the team to move in the same direction. I told them to focus on their growth and areas where they fell short, and to move on to the next step.
Taira Maeda
"I was hoping to go into halftime without conceding, but the opponent scored first. We talked about scoring one goal and then turning the game around, so conceding the second goal was a big blow. We managed to rally after that, but it's frustrating that we couldn't win. I wanted to finish with a win, but our lack of strength showed."
Shogo Sasaki
"It was a difficult match. If we had finished the first half 0-0, I thought we could have done it because we had players on the bench who could score, but we conceded first and made the game difficult for ourselves. We fought for a year with the goal of staying in the league, and I think it was good that we were able to win and stand on this stage."
Kotaro Arima
"Hiroshima's individual technical skill is high, so I expected a long time on defense. I thought if we could defend, our time would come, but we conceded first. Even in the second half, despite the opponent having possession, we had counterattack chances, but it's frustrating that we couldn't convert them."