Academy Report

We awoke to the morning of our third preliminary league match. The weather was cloudy with occasional rain, and it was a very humid day. In the morning, we took a walk and then, after breakfast, went to watch the match between Cerezo Osaka, who are also participating in this tournament from Japan, and Galatasaray. In the afternoon, after lunch, we had a meeting where we meticulously reviewed our tactics, primarily focusing on defensive confirmations with the aid of video, in preparation for the match against Sporting Lisbon. Coach Nakamura also spoke about how all members, including substitutes, should prepare well for the match.

Preliminary League Match 3: Antlers 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
First Half: 0-1, Second Half: 1-2
[Scorer: Shimano, 62nd minute]
[Lineup]
GK: Taiyo Suzuki
FP: Shotaro Taniguchi (70th minute Koda Taniguchi), Sora Okita, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Yuta Yamaguchi (44th minute Ryoma Minowa), Hikaru Shimano, Ryunosuke Ito (44th minute Hikaru Miyauchi), Kaiyo Yanagimachi, Kai Ishizu (60th minute Yuto Koide), Rintaro Umetsu, Hikaru Iizuka (68th minute Fuma Owa)

We faced an opponent skilled in technique and passing. First, we focused on strong defense. Even when they held possession, we were able to confirm when to trigger our defensive press. Although they circulated the ball, we were able to create numerical advantages in critical areas and close them down, functioning well as an organized unit. However, similar to yesterday, in the 23rd minute, immediately after the water break, we conceded a goal due to a momentary lapse in front of our goal. The first half ended 0-1.

At halftime, Coach Nakamura addressed the points for improvement from the first half, and we went into the second half. However, just four minutes into the second half, from a corner kick, a loose ball from a clearance in front of the goal was struck straight into the net, making it 0-2. Despite this, just like in the first half, while they continued to circulate the ball, we gradually began to create chances after winning back possession, and our attacking rhythm improved. As the opponent started to show signs of fatigue, in the 46th minute, Iizuka dribbled past the goalkeeper and shot, but the opponent's defender cleared it at the last moment, and we missed a clear chance. Immediately after, we conceded a painful third goal. We felt that we still had a chance as we were spending more time in the opponent's half, and in the 62nd minute, from Umetsu's throw-in, Shimako used his body to push the ball in, getting one goal back. We had more chances after that but failed to convert them, and the match ended 1-3. As a result, we finished second in our group with two wins and one loss, advancing to tomorrow's quarterfinals.

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Comment from Coach Nakamura: "We challenged Sporting Lisbon, a highly-regarded academy in Europe, head-on. However, their individual ability, technique, and scale were indeed superior. We conceded a goal in the first half when we wanted to fight tenaciously, and in the second half, where they dominated possession, we gave up two more goals to a set-piece and an individual effort through the vital area, making it 0-3. When their players started to tire, we managed to pull one goal back and create several chances, but the match ended 1-3 against their clever play. Tomorrow, we will face the K-League Select in the quarterfinals, and I want to use what we learned today to prepare for a physically strong opponent."

After returning to the hotel and having dinner, everyone focused on physical care and recovery for the knockout stage starting tomorrow and went to bed.

Quarterfinals: Antlers vs. Korea League Select, kickoff at 10:00.