- Day 4 -

"The 6th Vietnam Japan International Youth Cup U-13 Tournament" is finally on its last day.
The opponent in the Final Round is the host team of this tournament, Mega Bex Binh Duong FC from Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. They are a strong competitor with a perfect record of four wins from the group stage to the Semifinal Round.

During the meeting, Coach Yamaguchi inspired us by saying, "I think there will be tension on the great stage of the Final Round, but this is also a valuable experience. It's not just about the results; how you express yourself on this stage is an important mission. Let's give our all as a team and win today!"

The venue was packed, and with it being the local team's Final Round, the atmosphere felt completely like an away game as the kickoff began.

In the 2nd minute right after the start, there was a somewhat strict decision, and a foul was called near the penalty area, resulting in a free kick. The cross from that free kick led to a painful own goal. This disrupted the start of the match. After that, the team struggled to find their rhythm, getting frustrated with the referee's decisions, and they went into halftime trailing 0-1.

During halftime, we confirmed to understand the referee's criteria for decisions, to take positions while closely observing the opponent, and to play without rushing.

However, even after entering the second half, perhaps overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the venue, careless fouls and simple mistakes due to anxiety became noticeable, leading to a widening deficit of 0-4. Still, we did not give up until the end and aimed for the goal, but the time ran out just like that. It was a very frustrating defeat where we could not showcase our true abilities on the grand stage of the Final Round. Coach Yamaguchi said, "This is everyone's current reality. But soccer continues. There is another tournament tomorrow. The most important thing is to keep building up without stopping day by day."

 
After the Final Round, an All-Star match featuring selected players from all participating teams in this tournament (Vietnam Selection vs Japan/Malaysia Selection) will be held. From Fukagawa, Coach Yamaguchi led the Japan/Malaysia Selection team, with players Ryuuki Seta, Rikuto Hara, and Riku Sado participating. Unfortunately, the result was a loss of 1-3, but Rikuto Hara scored a goal, and the cheering players were very excited.

 
After the closing ceremony, there was no time to bask in the aftermath of this tournament, and we immediately moved to the province of Gean for the second tournament of this expedition, "1st Round 2024 Son Lam Gean International Youth Soccer Tournament" which we will participate in tomorrow.