As usual, after waking up, I took a walk around the hotel. After breakfast, we had a meeting at the hotel before departure, and then a brief meeting after arriving at the ground before starting the match.
The match was held at the same venue as the first and second rounds. The pitch was narrower than usual.
Since a match was already underway, we warmed up between the tennis courts behind the pitch.
[MUNDIALITO Qualifying Round 4 vs Valencia CF (Spain)]
The final qualifying match started with a 10:15 kickoff. The match progressed with Antlers forming a block in their own half and solidifying their defense, while Valencia attacked using a 1-4-2-3-1 system, utilizing the entire width of the pitch and mixing short and long passes.
In the 5th minute, we created a chance from a free kick obtained through a counter-attack. Serizawa delivered a fast ball in front of the goal, and Tsukuda headed it, but unfortunately, it went off target.
In the 8th minute, Valencia attacked. We faced a dangerous situation from a free kick on the left side. From the scramble, a loose ball fell free in front of the goal, and a shot was taken, but goalkeeper Fujii made a superb save, deflecting the ball away.
We maintained a compact formation, trying to deny the opponent space, steal the ball, and attempt to attack. We aimed for the opponent's goal on the counter, but their defense thwarted us, and we couldn't get many shots off. The first half ended 0-0.
At halftime, we reconfirmed our offensive and defensive strategies and went into the second half.
In the second half, Valencia continued to create dangerous situations by utilizing the width of the pitch, fluid movements, and skillful passing. However, with goalkeeper Fujii at the center, everyone remained focused and defended the goal tenaciously.
The match ended in a scoreless draw.
As a result, we were tied with 3 wins and 1 draw, but we advanced to the knockout stage as group leaders due to a superior goal difference.
[Match Result]
0-0
[Starting Lineup]
GK Fujii, FP Yajima, Oshima, Kosaka, Serizawa, Kato, Ogasawara, Kiuchi, Tsukuda, Tobita, Itami
Coach Hashino's comments
"The match started with us needing a draw or better to finish first, but we naturally played to win. It was difficult to control the game by possessing the ball, and it turned into a game where we controlled it defensively. In that situation, we fought tenaciously. We also approached the opponent's goal mainly through counter-attacks. Tomorrow and beyond will be tournament play, but we want to prepare well as usual."
After returning to the hotel, we had lunch, and from 16:30, we cooled down in the outdoor pool.
The sun was shining outside, and a refreshing breeze was blowing. Although the pool water was cold, we felt refreshed.
From 19:00, we reviewed the footage of today's match, confirming good points and areas for improvement.
Even around 20:45 after dinner, it was still twilight outside, making me realize the difference from Japan once again.
Tomorrow, the knockout stage will finally begin... Our opponent will be the world-famous "Atletico Madrid."
