Academy Report

Tsukuba Junior's Malaysia tour has reached the semifinals. Their opponent is the Malaysian National Team, which competes as the Malaysian national team and has two U-12 teams registered for this tournament.

December 16th (Saturday) 11:00 AM Kick-off
Venue: MSN-Field E
Opponent: Malaysia National Team

First Half 0-2 Second Half 1-0 Total 1-2
Starting Lineup GK: Maya Alex, FP: Takahata, Jinno, Shimbo, Ogura, Kameyama, Yoshida, Masuda, Ouchi
Substitutes: Higuchi (Yoshida), Oyama (Kameyama), Oe (Masuda)
Scorer: Ouchi (15th minute of second half)

Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the semifinals. Tomorrow's match will be for third place. The match time is early, with a 8:40 AM kick-off.
Their opponent is Aspire Academy from Qatar, which lost to Sporting Lisbon in today's match.

Today also started with a walk. After the walk, they had breakfast and departed from the hotel. They traveled by bus, sharing it with teams going to the same venue.
Today, they shared a bus with the Paris Saint-Germain U-14 team to the venue. There was some tension initially, but they quickly blended in, exchanging smiles and words in a quiet atmosphere.

Upon arrival at the venue, another semifinal match was underway: Sporting Lisbon vs. Aspire. Sporting won 1-0, advancing to the final, while Aspire moved on to the third-place match.

Immediately after arriving, they held a meeting to analyze their opponent and discuss their own strategy.From the start of the match, a certain defensive rhythm was established, and opportunities to win the ball in the front line or midfield were created. In the early stages, several players fell due to the opponent's physical contact. The opponent's strategy was to connect the ball through build-up from the backline, aiming for vertical passes to the forwards. When they won the ball, they simply aimed for the space behind the defenders and sent the ball in. There were also times when they were overwhelmed by quick short-counter attacks.

They placed physically strong and fast players in the front line, initiating quick vertical attacks. Tsukuba Junior allowed breakthroughs repeatedly, but they desperately stretched their legs to defend and used their bodies to prevent goals.

However, in the late stages, the opponent broke through on the left flank with speed, and the covering was delayed, leading to the first goal being conceded from a tight angle.
Furthermore, they were targeted at the moment their morale dropped, and the opponent picked up a loose ball from a corner kick, dribbled through the center, and they were unable to respond, conceding consecutive goals.
The first half ended 0-2.In the second half, as instructed, they created many opportunities to win the ball in the front line and midfield and attack. As the second half progressed, the opponent's intensity dropped, and their attacks became monotonous. Tsukuba Junior had more possession and developed their play, spending more time near the opponent's goal. The substitutions made during the second half also worked effectively, leading to a wave of attacks. In the 15th minute of the second half, the long-awaited goal was scored. They won the ball in the front and passed it to the unmarked Ouchi, who calmly slotted it into the net.
Opportunities continued, and they created decisive chances from free kicks, corner kicks, and open play. However, shots either went straight to the goalkeeper or were saved by the goalkeeper, and they failed to score any additional goals. The final whistle blew with the score remaining 1-2. Although it was a very disappointing result, they fought without giving up until the very end in a completely away environment.As they left the field, many spectators applauded them.

Back at the hotel, they had a late lunch. Afterward, they held a meeting to prepare for tomorrow's match, and the tired bodies cooled down in the pool.In the subsequent meeting, they reviewed the game by watching footage and discussing points of reflection, primarily led by the players.

After that, they had dinner and went to bed early.