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They traveled to Barcelona via Spain's bullet train, "AVE" (Alta Velocidad Española). "AVE" means "bird" in Spanish, and a bird with spread wings is the train's symbol. The station was clean, and security checks were conducted. The journey, at a speed of 300 km/h, took approximately 3 hours to arrive.
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Starting players:
Yuya Oki; Ren Kanazawa; Koyo Matsuura; Terukazu Shinozaki; Ryo Shirai; Ryosuke Imura; Mizuki Yamamoto; Takuma Nishimoto; Daisuke Otsuka; Mizaki Kawashima; Hayato Ishizu
Substitutions:
Ryuki Fujieda; Renato Watanabe; Kanta Asuma; Shinya Idetsu; Yuta Nakamura; Kotaro Arakawa
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Before the match, a meeting was held to review the challenges in both offense and defense from the previous three matches, as well as mental adjustments. The team started with strong play, and in the 2nd minute, Matsuura scored from a corner kick, making it 1-0. However, in the 23rd minute, Barcelona equalized directly from a free kick near the left side of the penalty area. In the 37th minute, a clear chance was created from a corner kick, but the shot went wide, and no goal was scored. In the 43rd minute, a through pass led to a dribble shot after a run into space, and the first half ended 1-2.
In the second half, a penalty was conceded in the 34th minute, making it 1-3. Then, in the 39th and 41st minutes, consecutive goals were conceded from dribble shots after through balls. However, in the 44th minute, Otsuka was fouled while holding the ball in the penalty area, earning a penalty kick. Otsuka himself converted the penalty, and the match ended 2-5.
Coach Kumagai's comments
"In the first half, we managed to score first from a corner kick, which was a first for this expedition. Although continuous matches and travel might affect their physical condition, I saw their eagerness to correct their issues. The consecutive goals conceded are a challenge that we must address and improve. In this match, I felt that the team was starting to show positive signs and moving in the right direction."