Breakfast mainly consisted of bread and cheese, but it was very delicious and naturally encouraged a good appetite.
We left the lodging at 9 AM and moved to the tournament venue.
Since today's match was crucial, we had a thorough meeting with Coach Tsuchida at the venue.
The third qualifying match was against Nizhny Novgorod. Having finished yesterday's matches with one win and one draw, this was a top-of-the-table clash that we couldn't afford to lose.
Starting lineup:
GK Kato
DF Shoji, Asahina, Yatsu
MF Ogane, Kagaya, Miura
FW Akasaka
Substitutions at 15 min: Shoji→Yoshimatsu, Akasaka→Yokota, Kagaya→Tonooka, Ogane→Nakagawa
Substitution at 21 min: Miura→Ogane
From scouting the day before, we knew that the opposing team would play strategically.
In the pre-match meeting, Coach Tsuchida gave instructions on how to press and how to create space during attacks.
The opponent changed their tactics slightly from the previous day, which caused us some difficulty at the start, but we gradually gained control and changed the flow of the game.
Miura on the left flank repeatedly initiated attacks and created chances, but the opponent defended stoutly, centered around their captain, number 13.
Thanks to the efforts of the substitutes, we pushed forward to the opponent's goal several times, but we couldn't score.
In the closing stages, the opponent created dangerous situations with their dribbling and set pieces, but everyone defended with their bodies, and the match ended in a scoreless draw.
The final qualifying match was against the youth team of CSKA Moscow, a strong Russian club.
Starting lineup:
GK Kato
DF Yoshimatsu, Asahina, Kagaya
MF Akasaka, Tonooka, Miura
FW Yokota
Substitutions at 15 min: Akasaka→Ogane, Kagaya→Yatsu, Yoshimatsu→Shoji
Substitution at 18 min: Miura→Nakagawa
Substitution at 24 min: Tonooka→Kagaya
Substitution at 26 min: Yokota→Akasaka
After three matches, we had 1 win and 2 draws, totaling 5 points, placing us temporarily in second. A win was absolutely necessary to advance to the semifinals.
CSKA also needed a win to secure first place, so it was a must-win match for both teams.
The opposing team launched a fierce attack from the start of the match.
They had many physically superior players (tall, fast, strong) and played to utilize these strengths, but Antlers also mounted an attack from a tenacious defense.
In the 6th minute of the first half, Miura initiated an attack, and Kagaya's overlap led to a cross in front of the goal. Akasaka dodged an opposing defender and took a shot, but it went just wide.
The first half ended with both teams trading blows.
In the second half, the opponent did not let up on their attack.
Then, in the 6th minute of the second half, they picked up a second ball from a corner kick and scored in a scramble.
Three minutes later, they broke through the center and scored an additional goal, making it 0-2.
We tried to change the momentum with substitutions, but we couldn't score and ended up losing.
As a result, we finished third in the qualifying league and will proceed to the 9th-12th place playoffs starting tomorrow.
Just like yesterday, we returned to the lodging and did recovery in the pool to cool down.
During the meeting after dinner, we used video to share what went well and what went poorly, and prepared to apply these lessons to tomorrow's matches.
