With the kickoff at 7 PM, we woke up at 7 AM, took a walk, did some exercises, and then had breakfast. Although it was sunny, the mornings and evenings were chilly, so thick jackets were necessary.
After breakfast, from 9:30 AM, we watched footage of our opponent, Ulsan Hyundai FC, from this tournament and held our own meeting. We discussed their characteristics, key players, and what we needed to do to counter them.
After lunch, we had a team meeting starting at 2:30 PM. The players presented their findings from watching the opponent's footage and confirmed what they needed to focus on in the match.
We had a light meal at 3:30 PM and departed from the hotel at 5 PM to prepare for the match.
This tournament, played in a league format, saw Wolverhampton Wanderers with 2 wins, Kashima Antlers with 1 win and 1 loss, Ulsan Hyundai FC with 1 draw and 1 loss, and Hebei China Fortune FC with 1 draw and 1 loss heading into the final match.
In the match played from 3:30 PM, Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated China's Hebei China Fortune FC 4-0.
＜Match Result＞
Kashima Antlers vs Ulsan Hyundai FC 0-1
＜Starting Lineup＞
GK: Daisuke Magata, FP: Ryoma Yamaguchi, Toru Ishii, Shotaro Taniguchi, Kanta Kobayashi, Kōto Karasawa, Takeru Murayama, Kai Ueki, Rui Isoo, Hikaru Iizuka, Noto Watanabe
SUB: Shion Chiba, Ryota Fuchigami, Kai Kikuchi, Shogo Kakita, Hayato Nakayama, Chen Xiangyu (Player Chen)
Substitutions: 17th minute of second half Isoo replaced by Chen, 30th minute of second half Watanabe replaced by Kikuchi
Before the match, Coach Isozaki instructed the players to "play with everything they've got to achieve a result today. Also, to fearlessly tackle challenges to grow as players, not being afraid of making mistakes," and sent them out.
The opponent played by sending long balls forward, aiming for the space behind the defense. They also aggressively challenged the ball carrier and applied pressure.
Antlers struggled to find their rhythm from the start and were on the defensive. However, by thoroughly defending from the front, they were able to win the ball in midfield and create many chances. Antlers created more clear-cut opportunities. Unfortunately, they missed several free shots, and the first half ended 0-0.
In the second half, the instruction was to play similarly to the first half.
However, just 7 minutes into the second half, they were broken down on the left side, allowing the opponent to penetrate the center and concede a goal. It was a frustrating goal to concede after fighting so tenaciously. After that, the opponent focused on defense and looked for counter-attacks, but Antlers created chances through pressure from the front and interceptions in midfield. They brought the ball to the front of the goal but lacked the decisive finish to score.
Although everyone showed a never-give-up attitude until the end, the match concluded with a 0-1 loss. It was a disappointing result.
This result and final standings:
1st place: Wolverhampton Wanderers (England)
2nd place: Ulsan Hyundai FC (South Korea)
3rd place: Kashima Antlers Youth
4th place: Hebei China Fortune FC (China)
After the match, an awards ceremony was held at the stadium, where cups and ceramics were presented.
After the awards ceremony, we returned to the hotel for a late dinner, and the lights were turned off at midnight, concluding the seventh day's activities.