China expedition (August 27)

Today's match kicked off at 9:30 AM, so the morning started with a walk and exercises a little after 6 AM. The morning was very cool and pleasant.

We returned to the hotel and had breakfast.

After a meeting, we left the hotel at 8:30 AM. We traveled in two electric microbuses owned by the Shaanxi Football Association.

Monday, August 27th, 9:30 AM Kick-off (Shaanxi Football Association Ground)
Kashima Antlers U-12 School Selection Team vs Wuhan Shangwen Football Club U-12

First Half: 3-0
Second Half: 1-1
Total: 4-1
Goal Scorers: Kawai, Saito, Kon, Fujimura

<Starting Lineup>
GK: Akira Fujigasaki (26th minute of second half: Sota Tamura)・FP: Hiroto Arai・Junpei Uno・Takeshi Ishimori・Shin Honchihei・Soma Kawai・Shunsuke Momoi (16th minute of second half: Sera Teranuma)・Manato Saito (26th minute of second half: Haruki Yagyu)・Haruki Yagyu (7th minute of second half: Kenshin Fujimura)・Ren Komori・Kaimi Kon

We started the match very well. We pressed the opponents, induced their mistakes, and created many situations where we won the ball. From those turnovers, we had many chances in front of goal.

In the 2nd minute, right after the start, Kawai scored his third consecutive goal from a through pass by Ishimori, giving us an early lead. We continued to win the ball through pressing, and in the 7th minute, Saito connected with a pass from Kawai and scored a powerful goal from a 45-degree angle on the right.

Furthermore, in the 20th minute, Kon picked up an opponent's clearance and fired a right-footed shot, scoring a magnificent goal, ending the first half with a three-goal lead.

In the second half, we entered the match with a plan to control the game while leading. The opponent did not actively try to win the ball from the front, allowing us to calmly connect passes.

As long as we avoided simple mistakes, we were able to develop plays by moving the ball. The opponent did not distribute the won balls to their highly skilled forwards, but rather built up their attacks meticulously from the back, similar to the first half.

Ultimately, we conceded only one goal, an own goal from an opponent's cross. In the 25th minute of the second half, Fujimura touched the ball in front of an opponent from a cross by Komori, who had broken through on the right side, and scored a goal.

We won the match decisively with a score of 4-1.