- Day 2 -
Finally, starting today, the matches of the 6th Vietnam Japan International Youth Cup U-13 tournament will begin.
Last night, I went to bed at 21:30 and got plenty of sleep. This morning, I had a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet to prepare for the first match.
The opponent in the first match of the group stage is Shimizu S-Pulse Mishima, also participating from Japan.
In the pre-match meeting, Coach Hirono YAMAGUCHI discussed the tournament regulations, the purpose of the expedition, and the theme, saying, "Let's play in a way that excites the people watching, as 'Tokyo is in a frenzy.' To achieve that, let's value the essence of soccer and fight towards the goal."
In the first half, perhaps due to the nerves of the opening match, although we maintained possession of the ball, there was little dynamic play towards the goal as mentioned by Coach Yamaguchi, and we went into halftime without scoring. Then, just 3 minutes into the second half, we conceded a goal after a corner kick from the opponent broke down; we managed to withstand it once, but were pushed back in the second attack and ended up conceding. However, just after that, in the 4th minute of the second half, player Riku Hara received a pass from player Kaito Aoshima and struck a powerful long-range shot, quickly equalizing the score. After that, we increased our aggressive play towards the goal, seized control of the match, and created several scoring opportunities, but we couldn't convert them, and the match ended in a draw. There was a lingering frustration among the bench members, including ourselves, for not being able to fully utilize our abilities and do what we needed to do, but we will switch our mindset and prepare for the second match in the afternoon.
The second match of the group stage is against the local team Anzan FC from Vietnam.
Utilizing the lessons learned from the first match, we aggressively and dynamically approached the opponent's goal from the beginning. The bench members joined in, loudly cheering from the sidelines. In the 10th minute of the first half, Taira SHIGE scored the opening goal with a skillful flick shot, followed shortly after in the 11th minute by Murakami Taka scoring another goal. Furthermore, in the 15th minute, Murakami scored again, and although we conceded a goal later, in the 22nd minute, Adachi Ippei scored the long-awaited first goal of this tournament, ending the first half with a 4-1 lead. In the second half, we continued to attack relentlessly, adding goals from Watanabe Yuta, Hara Rikuto, and Sado Riku, winning the match 7-1. We were able to secure a significant 3 points towards advancing to the upper tournament.
Tomorrow's first match is the final game of the group stage, where we will face Vietnam's Navibank Saigon FC. Just like in this match, we want all members to unite and strive for victory, creating an exciting game that both we and the spectators can enjoy, and aim to secure our advancement to the upper tournament.
In the evening, a very glamorous networking party was held with all participating teams, and the players actively challenged themselves to communicate with players from other countries.
-Day 3-
It is the third day of the tournament, and the final match of the group stage is against the local team, Navibank Saigon FC from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
In the pre-match meeting, we confirmed the current team situation (winning this match is essential for advancing to the upper tournament).
We have reaffirmed the importance of the team's theme for this tournament, which is the essence of soccer and the sense of unity. It's about time that the fatigue from the expedition starts to show, but during the warm-up, we will raise our spirits with the traditional battle cry of Fukagawa, just like always, and everyone will get pumped up.
From the start, the opponent did not push forward much and firmly blocked the center in front of the goal, but in the 8th minute, Murakami Taka made a dribble into the box and earned a penalty kick. Although his kick was initially deflected by the opposing goalkeeper, Adachi Ippei quickly reacted and pushed it in, successfully scoring the opening goal. In the 16th minute, Adachi added another goal, ending the first half at 2-0.
During halftime, Coach Yamaguchi said, "Everyone is only focused on the plays they want to make. Both individually and as a team, we need to do what we are supposed to do. Play while keeping an eye on teammates and opponents. Quickly switch gears to prevent the opponent's counterattacks." The players, having refocused their mindset, including those who were substituted in, stepped up their game and scored 4 more goals (by players Sakusuke Uchida, Kyotaro Ono, Rikuto Hara, and Mutsuki Hirai), winning with a total score of 6-0.
As a result, with 2 wins and 1 draw in the group stage, securing 7 points, we have confirmed our 1st place, and the advancement to the Final Round with the top 4 teams in the afternoon has been decided.
The opponent in the Semifinal Round is Hanoi FC from Vietnam. They are a strong team that has advanced with a perfect record, defeating Vegalta Sendai and Yokohama FC Tsurumi from Japan in the group stage. Coach Yamaguchi mentioned in the meeting, "The level of this opponent is different from what we've faced so far. They are a technical and systematic team, and we won't be able to win unless everyone works hard and applies pressure from the front." As he said, a back-and-forth battle continues from the beginning.
In the 12th minute of the first half, player Ippei ADACHI broke through on the right side and calmly slotted the ball into the left corner of the goal from a tight angle, taking the lead and ending the first half at 1-0. The same pattern continued into the second half, and in the 19th minute, substitute player Rikuto HARA scored an additional goal, but just a minute later, in the 20th minute, they allowed a goal. After that, they were forced to defend against the opponent's powerful play, but they maintained their concentration until the end, winning 2-1 and securing a place in the Final Round.
The Final Round will be held tomorrow against the host team, Vegamix Binh Duong FC. It is expected to be a battle in a completely away atmosphere, but as always, we will prioritize the essence of soccer and unity, and we will fight with all our might as a team aiming for victory.
