The fifth day of our Italian expedition began with an unwelcome rain shower. Since it was just a light drizzle, we started the day as usual with a walk and exercises in a nearby square.
After breakfast, we held a meeting and then headed to the venue. The bus we took was shared with our opponents, Salzburg.
Before the match began, the rain stopped, and we were able to play in excellent conditions.
Saturday, April 23, 11:30 AM Kick-off (ABANO Main Stadium)
Playoff Tournament Round 1 vs. Salzburg (Austria)
First Half 1-2, Second Half 0-2, Total 1-4
Scorer: Koide
As a result, we were eliminated in the first round of the playoff tournament and will now proceed to the 9th-16th place playoffs.
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Starting lineup: GK: Takahashi, DF: Miyauchi, Moriyama, Iwama, Kobayashi, MF: Fuchigami, Koide, Ito, Yamaguchi, FW: Nakayama, Gocho
In the 6th minute of the first half, we conceded a penalty for a high foot in the penalty area, giving our opponents an early lead. We couldn't settle the game, committed more fouls, and conceded a second goal directly from a free kick outside the box. While we had anticipated that the opponents would control the ball to some extent, conceding goals from careless fouls was a problem. However, we also created many chances by quickly transitioning after winning the ball and even created decisive opportunities from counterattacks. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Koide headed in a right cross from Ito, narrowing the deficit to one goal, and the first half ended.
Second half lineup: GK: Numata, DF: Ishido, Moriyama, Fukuhara, Yamaguchi, MF: Komura, Koide, Ito, Fuchigami, FW: Higuchi, Kaku
In the 3rd minute of the second half, the opponent's number 10 scored his second goal of the match from a scramble, putting us in a difficult position. During the second half, Yamaguchi was replaced by Kobayashi, Fuchigami by Iwama, and Koide by Nakayama. Moriyama was brought in up front, changing to a more attacking formation.
However, perhaps due to eagerness, we rushed our attacks, leading to hurried ball handling and delayed decisions. We lost possession in midfield, allowing a solo run from a counterattack which resulted in another goal. In the end, we tried a power play in front of the goal but failed to score and were completely defeated.
Our next opponent has been decided as Atalanta.
