Japan’s U-16 team cruised to a 4-1 win over U-16 Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) in a friendly match at HCM City’s Thong Nhat Stadium yesterday.

The match can be considered crucial preparation for Japan, warming up for the Asian U-16 Football Championship in India this September.

Miyashiro scored the first goal for Japan, while Kubo Takefusa, Keita and Hishari Suki contributed three more.

Substitute Le Minh Binh pulled back a goal for Gia Lai in their first official football game.

Japanese Miyashiro opened the scoring 19 minutes into the game with some good teamwork in the penalty box, beating Vietnamese keeper Huỳnh Tiến Phúc with a close range finish.

Skilful striker Kubo Takefusa netted the ball with a perfect finish in the 32nd minute, receiving an accurate pass from his teammate and stunning HAGL’s keeper with a chip shot to the far corner.

Kubo Takefusa, who is known as the ‘Japanese Messi’, and his teammates kept pressure on HAGL with powerful play and close marking throughout the game.

Japanese players also excelled with impressive fitness and power as well as good passing play.

It’s the first match that teenagers from HAGL-Arsenal JMG Academy, a football centre designed by English Premiership’s Arsenal, played an official match.

The U-16 team of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai is the second generation of young footballers since the Academy debuted as the first international standard football training centre in Việt Nam in 2007.

Coach of the Gia Lai team, Gullaume Graechen, made some changes in the second half, but Gia Lai missed some clear opportunities to pull back a goal in the opening minutes of the second half.

Defender Keita of Japan made the score 3-0 in the 55th minute, with a quick counterattack when he trailed a long pass from centre to face the Vietnamese goalie before netting the ball with an accurate low shot.

The Vietnamese side was blocked all the way as the Japanese set up total offensive play at every corner.

HAGL did all their best to score a goal for their first official game, but they faced a strong and well-organised defence.

Substitute Le Minh Binh pulled back a goal for Gia Lai with a rapid attack in the 63rd minute.

Defender Nakamura would have scored his first goal in the match if his close range shot was on target.

However, Hishari Suki completed a convincing win for Japan with a goal four minutes from time.

The Japanese also held to a 1-1 draw with U-18 Binh Duong in a match on Monday.

VNS