The morning of the second day of the Portugal expedition tournament also blessed us with wonderful weather.
In the morning, we held a training session starting at 10:00 AM. It was a practice session that closely resembled a real match, starting with a run along the beach near the hotel and then utilizing the grassy area within the hotel premises. Based on the issues identified in yesterday's match, we focused on training how to keep possession in the attacking third, how to receive the ball during rowing, and offensive and defensive strategies for set pieces.
The venue for the second day's matches was a natural grass field adjacent to the stadium where the opening ceremony was held. Unlike yesterday's venue, there were multiple pitches, but they were extremely narrow, making corner kicks key. With matches being played simultaneously on six fields, it was difficult to hear instructions from the sidelines.
Our opponent on the second day of the tournament was Fluminense, a prestigious Brazilian club.
The match kicked off at 4:00 PM.
The starting lineup was GK Kimura, FP Kobayashi, Maeda, Matsumoto, Okano, Otonagi, and Takeda. Imai and Sasaki entered the game later.
We conceded a goal from a corner kick in the 13th minute, but Okano immediately scored with a long-range shot in the 14th minute, equalizing the score. Our pressing was quick, and we fought well for possession, creating almost no dangerous situations. At halftime, Coach Kotani instructed, "Be a little more confident. They are an opponent we can connect passes against, so let's break them down with passes without rushing."
The second half started with GK Kimura, FP Imai, Maeda, Sasaki, Okano, Otonagi, and Takeda. In the first minute of the second half, Takeda scored from a loose ball after a throw-in, giving us a good start. However, the opponent's counterattack began here. In the 12th minute, we conceded a goal from a loose ball after a throw-in. Then, in the 13th minute, an own goal from a corner kick allowed them to take the lead.
We tried to counterattack by making player substitutions and moving captain Maeda up to the attacking line, but we lacked finishing power, with two decisive chances hitting the post or the crossbar, and some shots going straight to the goalkeeper.
It was a disappointing result, with goals conceded due to defensive judgment errors. The players were the most frustrated, and most of them cried tears of regret, feeling that they shouldn't have lost to this opponent.
Tomorrow, two matches will be played in the morning and afternoon. A victory is now necessary to advance to the knockout stage.
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