Day 5 of France Expedition
Today is the second day of the tournament.
The results of today's two qualifying league matches will determine whether we advance to the top league or move to the lower league.
In such a situation, the opponent for the first match, which will determine promotion to the higher league if won, is Monaco.
A tense and intense development.
The first half ended with a score of 0-0, and in the second half, the game continued with both teams making progress and setbacks, until the 25th minute.
The opponent takes a shot after breaking through, but Saito makes a great save. However, the loose ball is pushed into the goal, resulting in a goal against.
Afterwards, we aggressively attacked and created opportunities to score, but we couldn't finish them off and the game ended. It was a frustrating defeat.
The opponent for the 2nd match is Lyon. They are one of the strongest teams in this tournament.
With the results so far, it became clear that if we win, we can advance to the top league, so the players entered the game with determination.
The game was as intense as the first match, with fierce battles in both offense and defense.
The first half ended in a 0-0 draw. In the second half, intense play continued, and both teams made substitutions. In the middle of the second half, Miyazaki, who came on as a substitute, did a great job.
35 minutes, Bryan competes for a pass from the right side by Sakaguchi, and Miyazaki picks up the loose ball and swings his left foot to score the long-awaited opening goal.
After that, we endured the opponent's fierce attack and advanced to the qualifying league, moreover, we secured passage in first place.
As Coach Miyazawa said, "We secured first place in the group stage with the effort of everyone. We will continue to face stronger teams, but let's advance through the tournament with a united effort." The advancement to the knockout stage in the group stage, where everyone played as starters, was not just a result, but a valuable experience.
Without a break, Sec. 3 is the first match of the top league. It is a match against Monaco, who lost in the qualifying league.
The top league has a regulation where 2 out of 3 teams advance to the final tournament, increasing the importance of each match.
Furthermore, since we have already lost once to Monaco, everyone entered the game with a burning desire for revenge, determined to win this time without fail.
However, we couldn't shake off the fatigue from the third match today and conceded a goal in the early 3 minutes.
Afterwards, he recovered and created opportunities, but the issue of finishing ability was exposed in this match.
Despite continuing to attack in the second half, we were unable to score a goal as the opponent's DF consistently repelled our attempts. In the 39th minute, we conceded a second goal from a counter-attack, and all hope was lost.
It was a very frustrating result to lose twice to the same opponent on the same day.
After the match, there was a comment from Coach Miyazawa saying, "This is the beginning of the real battle. Let's do our best for the team and fight together," and everyone is looking forward to tomorrow with their heads held high.
The joy of advancing through the qualifying league and the frustration of losing to the same opponent afterwards. I have had both experiences in one day, and they have been valuable.
I want to win tomorrow's top league second match and advance to the final tournament.
