We were scheduled to have a meeting at the hotel at 8:20 AM and then depart, but suddenly, the match time was delayed by 30 minutes.
Despite issues like a power outage yesterday, we didn't let such incidents deter us, and we achieved a complete victory in the first round of the morning's knockout tournament.
Knockout Tournament Round 1 vs. LA PALMA M.U (Italy) Kickoff 10:30 AM
First half 2-0
Second half 4-0
Total 6-0
Goal scorers: Muramatsu (11th min), Tokuda (19th min), Shiba (second half 13th min), Arakawa (second half 13th min), Dobashi (second half 18th min), Oikawa (second half 20th min)
<Starting Lineup>
GK: Eita Kishino, FP: Junpei Uno, Amon Tamaki, Ryunosuke Dobashi, Hiroto Sunaoshi, Shun Nouchi, Aoto Shiba, Ryunosuke Arakawa, Hidetoshi Masuko, Homare Tokuda, Tomoki Muramatsu
(Substitutions: Yuki Toyoshima, Daiki Katagiri, Haruki Kosuga, Eita Oikawa, Noritaka Kawamura, Shuto Tanaka)
With a score of 6-0, all goals were scored by different players. In this match, all players except the goalkeeper were given playing time.
As a result, we advanced to the second round, where we will face Cagliari, a local team.
After the match, we had lunch at 12:30 PM to prepare for the afternoon match.
Coach Shinohara
"I think it was very good that we won the first round of the knockout tournament. I believe all the players showed a proactive and challenging attitude in both offense and defense. I hope the players will give their all and play well in the next match too."
We had a meeting at the hotel at 4:00 PM, then walked to the match venue.
The opponent for the 5:30 PM kickoff was the youth team of Cagliari, a local Serie A club. As it was a local team, a large crowd gathered. It was a completely away game for us.
Knockout Tournament Round 2 vs. CAGLIARI CALCIO (Italy, Cagliari) Local team, Kickoff 5:30 PM
First half 1-1
Second half 0-1
Total 1-2
Goal scorer: Tokuda (3rd minute of first half)
Goals conceded: 4th minute of first half (header from a corner kick) and 24th minute at the end of the second half
<Starting Lineup>
GK: Taisei Matsumoto, FP: Junpei Uno, Amon Tamaki, Daiki Katagiri, Hiroto Sunaoshi, Eita Oikawa, Aoto Shiba, Haruki Kosuga, Hidetoshi Masuko, Homare Tokuda, Yuki Toyoshima
(Substitutions: Ryunosuke Dobashi, Ryunosuke Arakawa, Tomoki Muramatsu)
The match started well with an early goal in the 3rd minute, but we were immediately equalized by a header from a corner kick.
The first half saw unstable play, but in the second half, we had the wind at our backs and continued to press. However, in the final moments, what looked like an offside play was not whistled, and unfortunately, a goal was allowed.
There were 4 minutes of additional time, and despite our power play, we couldn't score, and we were eliminated in the round of 16 again this year. I hope this悔しさを (frustration/regret) will be used to fuel our future soccer careers.
Coach Shinohara
"It was a very disappointing result. It was a match where we felt our own shortcomings. Our opponents had a stronger determination to win, and we allowed them to ride the wave of local cheers. I hope each player understands their current situation and that we can work together in Japan, remembering what we felt at this tournament. I believe our participation in this tournament was possible thanks to the cooperation of many people, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved. Thank you very much."
We returned to the hotel, had dinner, and went to bed.
We are adjusting the schedule to hold a friendly match tomorrow afternoon.