Academy Report

Today, we played the second preliminary league match against SC Star Sports OLBIA with a 12:00 kickoff, and the third preliminary league match against the Northern Ireland national team with a 19:00 kickoff.
The day started with a morning walk. After the walk, we had breakfast and a meeting, then headed to the match venue by bus.Preliminary League Match 2 vs SC Star Sports OLBIA
〇14-0
Members
GK Kimura
DF Maehama, Umetsu, Morishima (→ Nakajima at 20 min), Ishimoto
MF Horie, Shima (→ Saka at 20 min), Shimoda, Okawa
FW Ota (→ Tsujimura at 20 min), Kumazawa (→ Odanagi at 20 min)
Goals
5 min Okawa / 7 min Maehama / 8 min Ota / 10 min Umetsu / 13 min Ota / 14 min Horie / 17 min Ota / 17 min Maehama
22 min Odanagi / 25 min Horie / 28 min Horie / 31 min Ishimoto / 34 min Horie / 38 min Tsujimura

Coach Morishima's comment
"While we seemed a bit stiff in yesterday's first match, today was good from the warm-up to the start of the game. We set a goal to score a certain number of points and achieved 14 points, which is a good result. The next game is expected to be a tough battle, but we want to work hard on both offense and defense, including set plays, to secure a victory."

Considering goal difference for advancing from the group stage, we approached the game determined to score goals. Starting with Okawa's goal in the 5th minute, we scored 14 goals, including from corner kicks and free kicks, for a comfortable victory. Defensively, we didn't allow the opponent to possess the ball and kept a clean sheet for the second consecutive match.
After the match, we returned to the hotel for lunch, and then prepared for the next match, including a nap. After a meeting at 5 PM, we departed for the venue.

Preliminary League Match 3 vs Northern Ireland National Team
●1-2
Members
GK Tateno
DF Horie, Umetsu, Morishima, Ishimoto
MF Maehama, Shima, Shimoda, Odanagi (→ Saka at 20 min)
FW Tsujimura, Kumazawa (→ Ota at 30 min)
Goals
22 min Ishimoto

Coach Morishima's comment
"I was eager, thinking this was the real start of the competition, but it turned out to be a game where I felt a difference compared to overseas players. Specifically, overseas players possessed the means to win, such as cunningness, determination to win, and time management. However, recognizing this will be a challenge for us from tomorrow onwards. In tomorrow's match against AC Milan, I want us to play our best and show Antlers-style football."

In the first half, the whistle blew for a foul, and just as players gathered around the ball thinking it was Antlers' ball, the referee awarded the opponent a free kick, which was taken quickly, creating a numerical advantage in front of the goal, leading to a score. Also, a direct free kick was scored. While ATC13 wanted to counterattack, only one free kick by Ishimoto found the net, resulting in a loss.
As a result, we finished as one of the top second-place teams in each group and have advanced to the knockout stage.

The knockout stage begins tomorrow.
The first match will be against AC Milan with a 10:30 AM kickoff.