Academy Report

The Kashima Youth team began their second day of the Spain tour. After breakfast, they had a light run in the morning, followed by sightseeing and a friendly match in the afternoon.The morning run took place along the coast near the hotel. Despite the light rain, they prepared for the afternoon training match.Around 1 p.m., they left the hotel for Sagrada Familia.Afterward, they arrived at the ground. Their first opponent in Spain was RCD Espanyol Youth. The match kicked off at 3:30 p.m.



The RCD Espanyol training ground is a training center where all Espanyol teams, from the top team to Espanyol B (Spanish Third Division) and youth teams, as well as school teams, hold practices and matches.

Friendly Match vs RCD Espanyol Youth 2-1 (1-0, 1-1)

Starting Players
First Half: Yamada Daiki, Naizawa Yohan, Masuzaki Tora, Sato Takumi, Sasaki Shogo, Yuki Masaki, Shinozuka Aiki, Kumata Shuto, Arima Kotaro, Maeda Taira, Sugiyama Manato
Second Half: Matsuzaki Koki, Karasawa Koto, Tokoyoda Daiki, Kohari Kotaro, Nemoto Kenta, Fujii Erik, Ishii Shota, Kurimata Shoichi, Ishikawa Yuhta, Takahashi Eito, Akatsuka Michael
Substitutes
Second Half: Ujihara Ryota, Tamaki LeonKashima Youth was immediately put on the defensive by RCD Espanyol Youth from the start.

After about 10 minutes, they adjusted their pressing and gradually began to win the ball, allowing them to switch to offense.

In the 28th minute, after a quick free kick, Maeda crossed the ball, and Sato took a shot in a goalmouth scramble. It was their first clear chance of the match, but it went just over the bar.

As they steadily approached the goal, in the 40th minute, Sasaki received the ball on the left wing, dribbled past defenders, and took a shot. The ball deflected off an opponent's defender, and Sugiyama reacted quickly to shoot, but it was blocked again by a defender. However, Sasaki pushed in the rebound, ending the first half with a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the team made substitutions. In the 24th minute, Akatsuka dribbled past defenders on the right side and took a free shot, but it went wide of the target.

In the 27th minute, Kohari connected with Takahashi's free kick, making it 2-0.

Then, in the 40th minute, they conceded a goal after being broken down on the left flank, ending their first match with a 2-1 victory.

After the match, they returned to the hotel, had dinner, and their second day in Spain came to an end.