Academy Report

Kashima Youth team reached their third day in Spain and played friendly matches in both the morning and afternoon.
At 11:00 AM, they played a friendly match against the U18 team at Barcelona's facilities.Friendly match vs Barcelona U18 0-0 (0-0, 0-0)


Starting players:
Yamada Daiki, Namaizawa Konoha, Kobari Kotaro, Sato Ryukyo, Sasaki Shogo, Yuki Masataka, Shinozuka Aiki, Kumada Shuto, Arima Kotaro, Maeda Taira, Sugiyama Manato,
Substitutions:
Takahashi Eito, Akatsuka MichaelFrom the start, Barcelona dominated possession. Kashima Youth, just like in yesterday's game, focused on defense and gradually built their rhythm. Despite being dominated, they communicated well and prevented the opponent from creating chances.

There were moments where they recovered the ball effectively and moved it at their own pace. In the 37th minute, Arima dribbled past defenders and made a final pass to Maeda, whose direct shot unfortunately hit the side net outside the goal, marking the best scoring opportunity of the match. The first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, the team made substitutions and, similar to the first half, started defensively, patiently waiting for their limited chances. They created several decisive opportunities in the second half but couldn't convert them, and the game ended 0-0. It was a frustrating match where they couldn't secure a win by just a hair's breadth.

In the afternoon, they played against Girona FC Youth at 6:00 PM.

Friendly match vs Girona FC U18 0-3 (0-1, 0-2)


Starting players:
Matsuzaki Koki, Karasawa Koto, Tsuyoseda Daiki, Tamaki Reon, Nemoto Kenta, Fujii Eriki, Ishii Shota, Ujihara Ryota, Ishikawa Yuuta, Akatsuka Michael, Yagi Shunya
Substitutions:
Kurimata Shoichi, Takahashi Eito, Shinozuka Aiki, Sugiyama Manato, Nakagawa Tomoya, Arima Kotaro, Kumada ShutoKashima Youth changed their lineup from the morning match.

Girona pressed hard, creating dangerous moments, but the team held their ground defensively and didn't concede. However, in the 36th minute of the first half, Girona broke through on their side and scored the opening goal from a cross.

In the 15th minute of the second half, they conceded another goal from a ball played behind the defensive line. In an attempt to get back into the game, in the 18th minute, Takahashi delivered a free-kick from the center behind the defenders, and Sugiyama reacted to the ball, heading it towards the goal, but it was blocked by an opposing defender, preventing a score.

In the 25th minute, a weak back-pass from a defender to the goalkeeper was intercepted by the opponent's forward, leading to the third goal.

After that, they created several decisive opportunities but lacked the final accuracy to score, and the match ended 0-3.

After the match, they returned to the hotel, which took an hour, and had dinner at 10:00 PM, concluding their third day in Spain.