Each team had breakfast after a walk and light exercise.
Afterward, the Kashima team departed the hotel at 9 AM and the Norte/Tsukuba teams at 10 AM for the opening ceremony of the Japan-Brazil Friendship Cup. They traveled by bus for approximately 30 minutes to the ZICO Center.
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The opening ceremony began with the Japan selection team participating in this tournament, followed by Kashima, Norte, and Tsukuba in that order.
At the opening ceremony, Fernando and Thiago, the third son of Zico TD, gave welcoming remarks and words of encouragement. Afterward, tournament IDs were handed out to each player and staff member.
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After the opening ceremony, the Kashima team had a light training session starting at 10:30 AM and then played a 20-minute half-match against the Japan selection team.
The result was 0-0 in the first half and 1-2 in the second half.
They suffered a 1-2 defeat (scorer: Kenji Santos). However, the players showed a fight that was equal to or better than their opponents in terms of intensity at the ball and work rate, demonstrating agile movements that showed no signs of travel fatigue.
The Norte and Tsukuba teams had a light training session starting at 12 PM, followed by three 10-on-10 mini-games with advisor Ogasawara.
The players experienced advisor Ogasawara's play up close and showed aggressive plays. These two teams also showed no signs of fatigue and seemed to be well-prepared.
All three teams are now looking forward to the tournament starting tomorrow.
After returning to the hotel, they spent the time until dinner watching last year's footage. After dinner, each team meticulously reviewed their team concepts for the tournament starting tomorrow, then went to bed.
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Finally, the 22nd Japan-Brazil Friendship Cup will begin tomorrow.
The tournament will be held from August 28th to September 2nd.
The tournament will feature 16 participating teams divided into 4 blocks, with a preliminary league where each team plays every other team in its block. The top 2 teams from each of the 4 groups, a total of 8 teams, will compete in a final tournament to determine the champion.
The participating teams will consist of 3 junior youth teams, 4 Japan national selection teams, and 12 strong Brazilian domestic teams, for a total of 16 teams.
◎Group Assignments
Group A: Fluminense, São Paulo, Bangu, Kashima Antlers
Group B: Vasco da Gama, Grêmio, Portuguesa, Japan Selection
Group C: Botafogo, Internacional, Athletico Paranaense, Kashima Antlers Norte
Group D: Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, Boavista, Kashima Antlers Tsukuba
All matches will be held at the ZICO Center.
[Tomorrow's Match Schedule]
9:00 AM Kashima JY - São Paulo
12:30 PM Tsukuba JY - Flamengo
2:15 PM Norte JY - Internacional