On the 18th (Thu) of the 5th day of the expedition, there will be the second match of the qualifying league against Inter. The kickoff is at 20:45, so the players have been preparing for it since morning as it is an unfamiliar time for them.

I spent the day relaxing and moving my body in Lin Trainer's yoga class. In the meeting, we reviewed yesterday's game and confirmed our strategy, so we can approach the match in the best possible condition.

The match venue is a stadium where the opening ceremony was held, and there were many spectators, including those who came to support FC Tokyo.

The match started with the kickoff of FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa. We were able to play without hesitation and enter the game with a series of shots, gaining momentum.
Inter was at a high level in terms of technique, tactics, and physicality. Although the time we had possession of the ball increased, we will continue to compete without compromising our attitude of going after the ball and connecting passes.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Yota KAWACHI's overlap broke the left side and created a chance, but it did not result in a goal.
Then, in the 12th minute of the first half, the ball was lost in the midfield, and the defense line was quickly exploited. It was a regrettable goal that was calmly put into the goal.
In the second half, we aimed for a draw and played aggressively, but we conceded a goal in the 6th minute of the second half due to a build-up mistake and ended up losing 0-2.
Furthermore, in the 21st minute of the second half, we conceded our third goal from the opponent's fast-paced attack.
Still, we fought together without giving up, including the bench members, aiming for the goal.
Then, in the additional time, we defended the opponent's corner kick and sent the ball forward for a counterattack. Center back Kanato HATAYAMA received the ball and made a through pass to Harushiro MATSUSHITA. They connected and took a shot, but it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, and we couldn't score.
The game ended as it is and resulted in a 0-3 defeat.

It was a valuable experience for us to feel the quality of top-level Italian players and to reflect on our own seriousness in order to catch up with and surpass them.
To advance to the qualifying league, a victory is necessary in tomorrow's match.
It was a frustrating defeat, but we will look ahead for the qualification league and prepare ourselves to face tomorrow's match in the best condition possible. We finished our activities on the 5th day with a vow to be ready.