Day 5 of the France expedition
On Apr 7 (Fri), we visited the streets of Sanse in the morning.
With the guidance of the guide, I was able to have a valuable experience by visiting historical buildings that were built several hundred years ago and local religious and cultural sites such as churches.
And in the afternoon, the main tournament will begin.
The first match of the qualifiers was against Toulouse FC, a team belonging to the French Ligue 1. Local people and teams from other countries also came to watch the game, and the opening match was held in a fantastic atmosphere.
The start of the first half was difficult due to the opponent's high physical ability and compact, strong defense, which made it difficult to play as desired. However, as the game progressed, there were more scenes of winning one-on-one situations and breaking through, as well as scenes of approaching the goal on the counter-attack. However, we were unable to score a goal and the first half ended 0-0.
In the second half, there will be more scenes of entering the area in front of the goal than in the first half. Despite creating chances such as shooting from the loose ball after a foul from a free kick, the team is unable to score and the game progresses. In the midst of that, in the 8th minute of the second half, they fail to take advantage of a chance in front of the opponent's goal and concede a goal after being countered and having their defense breached from the side and a cross being combined inside.
The game ended with a score of 0-1.
The first match of the qualifiers ended in a loss.
After the game, we could see tears of frustration in the players' eyes. They will use what they felt while competing against teams from around the world in the second and third matches of the tournament's second day to aim for the top league.
Day 6 of the France Expedition
On Apr 8 (Sat), we faced the second and third matches of the group stage.
Sec. 2 was a match against OGC Nice from France at 9:00 local time.
In the 13th minute of the first half, we allowed the opponent to score first by rebounding their cross and then conceding a bicycle kick goal.
I was shown the high ability of overseas players.
In the 10th minute of the second half, Riku NAKASHIMA scored from the flow of a free kick received on the right side of the opponent's field, bringing the score level.
After that, we continued to exchange attacks and defenses, but in the additional time, our pass in our own half was intercepted, and we conceded a goal as they broke through our defense. We ended up losing the second match 1-2.
Although we have already suffered two defeats, considering the wildcard rule, there is still a possibility of advancing to the top league even with a third place. With that in mind, we faced Stade Brestois 29 in the third match, which kicked off at 13:20 local time.
To advance to the top league, victory is an absolute requirement, so the team became stiff and couldn't play the game as they wanted in the first half.
In the 9th minute of the first half, we conceded a goal due to a mistake in building up from a low position in our own half. We will go into halftime trailing 0-1 in this match.
In the 5th minute of the second half, due to a coordination mistake in response to the opponent's long ball, we allowed them to score an additional point.
However, during this expedition, players such as Louis ONONUJU, Maki KITAHARA, and Shuntaro SANO, who were unable to play due to injuries, continued to encourage the team and helped to revive the team's atmosphere.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Shuto JO seized the opportunity from a loose ball after his teammate's shot and launched a counterattack. Then, in the 14th minute of the second half, they broke through the left side from a side change and Shuto JO once again scored, making it a 2-2 tie.
After that, we made several attempts to score a goal, but we couldn't manage to do so and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The qualifying group finished in 3rd place with 1 win and 2 losses, but unfortunately, we were unable to advance to the top league compared to the 3rd place team from the other group.
And on the day, it was revealed that there will be the first match of the ranking decision league at 18:50. Without any time to rest, we will prepare for the third match in a flurry.
The first match of the ranking determination league was against AJ Osele. We approached the match with a focus on players who have been frequently substituted so far.
So far, in the midst of a series of games lost by a one-point difference, the players' desire to "definitely want to win" naturally manifested in both their play and atmosphere. The players' determination, competitiveness, and unity shown during this expedition were the strongest.
In the second half additional time, Shuto JO, who broke through from behind, was fouled by the opponent and won a free kick in front of the goal. Hisato MATSUMOTO took the shot from the free kick, which was initially saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, but Shuto JO followed up on the rebound and scored a goal. We were able to achieve a very dramatic victory with the game ending immediately after.
Only two days left for the matches in the France expedition.
I will do my best to express what I felt while watching the game against overseas teams for the remaining two days.
