The Kashima and Norte teams took a walk before breakfast in preparation for their morning matches, while the Tsukuba team had breakfast and lunch according to their kick-off time for their afternoon match. The weather finally cleared up after arriving here. Mornings and evenings are cool, but it feels quite hot during the day.
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Match 2: Kick-off at 9:00 AM
Kashima vs. Portuguesa
First half: 2-0
Second half: 2-0
Total: 4-0
Goal scorers: Own goal at 18 mins, Hayato Nakayama at 25 mins, Hayato Nakayama at 39 mins, Kai Kikuchi (PK) at 42 mins
〔Members〕
GK: Fuka Takahashi (Ryota Kawada)
FP: Ryoma Yamaguchi, Hinata Fukuhara, Shuhei Mizoguchi (Noriyuki Hayami), Kanta Kobayashi, Goru Murayama (Kota Komura), Ryota Fuchigami, Ryunosuke Ito, Rui Iso, Kai Kikuchi (Shogo Kakita), Hayato Nakayama (Takeru Sato)
From the start of the match, we maintained possession and took the initiative, developing our play against an opponent who defended deep and looked for counterattacks. In the early stages, there were moments where careless midfield passing errors from our backline and interceptions led to dangerous situations. However, we gradually found our rhythm by creating chances through attacks initiated from the flanks without taking excessive risks. A cross from the right led to an own goal, giving us the lead. Then, Nakayama's goal in the 25th minute extended our lead, and we completely dominated the match throughout.
Considering that goal difference matters in a league match, we could have scored 3-4 more goals, so finishing accuracy is an area for future improvement.
With this result, Kashima now has 6 points from 2 wins, securing their advancement to the quarterfinals on the second day. While their best record to date is a brilliant 3rd place, reaching the quarterfinals on the second day is a first for them. In this 21st tournament, we were able to engrave a new chapter in our history!
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Norte vs. Grêmio
First half: 0-2
Second half: 2-1
Total: 2-3
Goal scorers: Tomoya Iwase at 39 mins, Harumu Kado at 55 mins
〔Members〕
GK: Hikaru Kaneko
FP: Yuto Harada (Fukashi Owatari), Shun Moriyama, Kengo Ito, Uta Yamaguchi, Keita Kutsuzawa, Hiro Ooyama, Sho Komura (Tsubasa Onosaki), Rion Aizawa (Tomoya Iwase), Ryosuke Fukuchi, Harumu Kado
Norte, who narrowly lost yesterday, faced strong team Grêmio again today. From the start of the match, they were forced into a defensive battle.
In the first half, the opponent's power, speed, and technique were superior, leading to many dangerous situations. However, Norte defended tenaciously and physically, holding them off well. In the 14th minute, they conceded a goal from a throw-in due to a momentary lapse. After that, they conceded consecutive goals in the 22nd and 37th minutes, making it 0-3, due to their own mistakes.
However, there were also moments where they threatened the opponent's goal with combination plays, and it seemed like a goal was coming. That expectation was met in the 39th minute when Iwase scored a brilliant mid-range shot in front of the opponent's goal, bringing the score to 2-1. Then, Kado pushed in a loose ball from a corner kick, narrowing the gap to one goal. Everyone continued to show a desire to score until the end. After that, the players and bench fought together, but they suffered their second consecutive loss. As a result, Norte has been eliminated from the preliminary league. There is no doubt that the two matches today had the potential for victory in tomorrow's final match.
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Tsukuba vs. Corinthians
First half: 0-5
Second half: 2-1
Total: 2-6
Goal scorers: Keishin Kase at 40 mins, Hikaru Suto at 65 mins
〔Members〕
GK: Yushin Kishimoto
FP: Hikaru Kusano (Kodai Taniguchi), Shota Iwama (Rian Ishii), Naoki Miura, Tomoya Miyauchi, Kosuke Tomobe (Ryuyu Kano), Keishin Kase, Rei Shimano, Aoi Higuchi (Hikaru Suto), Daisuke Tateyama (Ryota Ishido)
Tsukuba was in a tough group with strong teams, and today was another difficult match. Conceding a goal just 3 minutes into the first half, they allowed 5 goals in the first half alone. The opponent displayed individual technique, speed, and a high-tempo passing game, making it a challenging first half. Corinthians appeared to be the most complete team in this tournament.
After a stern talking-to from Coach Nemoto at halftime, the players showed a completely different fighting spirit. In the 40th minute, Kase scored from a cross on the left side after a series of attacks. Although the goal difference was wide, it became a battle demonstrating a strong desire to win. They conceded a goal immediately after, but their tenacity did not wane, and Suto scored a magnificent goal from outside the penalty area in the 65th minute. They continued to attack afterward, but the match ended. The large number of goals conceded in the first half was regrettable, but it was a good fight against a strong opponent. Like Norte, they were eliminated from the preliminary league, but the team has found unity, so we look forward to the final match.
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〇Group Stage Day 3
9:00 AM Kashima vs. Vasco da Gama
10:45 AM Norte vs. Flamengo
2:15 PM Tsukuba vs. Bangu
Please visit Zico's official website for a detailed on-site report.
http://app.m-cocolog.jp/t/typecast/212260/182673