To prepare for the 10:30 AM kickoff, our day started with a walk at 6:45 AM, followed by breakfast at 7:00 AM.
We departed the hotel at 9:40 AM and headed to the match venue, Gongcheonpo Center.
It was the first time the sun had come out since we arrived in Korea, which lifted our spirits. However, being a small island, the humidity was higher and it felt more muggy than in Japan.
Our first match was against Dortmund, a game the players had been eagerly awaiting, and their spirits were even higher than usual before the game.
This tournament features 35-minute halves.
Starting Lineup
GK: Ogata
DF: Seto, Maehama, Takagi, Ando
MF: Takeda, Hatanaka, Shima, Matsumoto
FW: Okada, Sato
Substitutions
Sato → Tsujimura (63rd minute)
Takagi → Honda (67th minute)
Takeda → Gunji (69th minute)
The match unfolded as expected, with the opponent pushing hard. In the 3rd minute of the first half, Sato shot from Takeda's cross, and Matsumoto tried to tap in the rebound, but it went wide. However, we had a very good start to the match.
We created several more scoring opportunities. After the water break, in the 20th minute of the first half, we conceded a breakthrough through the center, and the opponent scored with a brilliant shot, taking the lead.
However, the team rallied, led by goalkeeper Ogata and captain Shima, and launched a counterattack.
In the 33rd minute of the first half, Hatanaka headed a cross from Ando, but it narrowly missed the goal, denying us the equalizer.
Immediately after, in the 35th minute of the first half, Takeda dispossessed the opponent on the right wing and sent in a cross. Sato, who was open in the center, calmly slotted it in, equalizing the score just before halftime.
In the second half, the opponent started by launching long balls behind our defense. Our center-backs, Maehama and Takagi, handled these well.
The opponent's players, unaccustomed to the Asian climate, gradually began to tire.
In the 12th minute of the second half, Takeda had a header. In the 35th minute of the second half, near the end of the match, Tsujimura took a volley shot, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.
We continued to attack until the end, but could not find the winning goal, and the match ended in a draw.
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Goalscorer: Sato
After the match, players who had less playing time participated in a mini-game and sprint training.
Here are the results of the other group match held at 5:00 PM:
Cardiff 2-1 Busan IPark
After the first match, we are tied for second place.
After the match, we returned to the hotel, had lunch, took a two-hour nap, and then reviewed our play from today's match footage starting at 4:00 PM.
Dinner was at 7:00 PM. From 8:30 PM, we held a meeting while watching footage of the Cardiff vs. Busan IPark match.
After the meeting, activities for the day concluded with lights out at 10:30 PM.
Tomorrow's match will be key to advancing from the group stage. It will be our second group stage match against Cardiff, with kickoff at the same time, 10:30 AM.