※Added a photo.
 

U-18 Germany expedition is on its 5th day today. The players seem to be gradually accumulating fatigue. In the morning, they took a light walk around the hotel and did some stretching to rest their bodies and prepare for the Bochum match.
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The venue for today's match is the training ground of Bochum Academy, which is about a 2-hour bus ride from the hotel. It is the 3rd match of the Germany tour, and the U-19 team is playing against Bochum. It started raining with a cold drizzle in the evening. The kick-off time is 18:30 local time.

In the first 3 minutes, despite our own mistake leading to a critical pinch, we did not let the goal break through with the persistent defense of GK Yasuhiro YAMAGUCHI and DF Takuya WATANABE.
After that, we grasp the rhythm with a proactive and positive play typical of Tokyo. FW Daisuke HOSHI, who started today's game, creates a series of scoring opportunities from dynamic movements, but is unable to score due to the opponent's goalkeeper's defense.
◈Then, in the 19th minute, the ball was stolen in the midfield and a powerful header shot was scored by the opposing forward from a cross ball from the right side.
Sato coach is furious about the goal conceded due to a momentary gap that was exploited during the Germany expedition.
Tokyo also moves forward more aggressively without losing momentum.
The result of that attitude paid off in the 26th minute, when a perfect pass connected from Shuto ABE to Ryo SATO, who broke through the defense line after stealing the ball in the midfield.
Sato evades the opponent's goalkeeper and calmly scores a goal from a difficult position, equalizing the score.
In addition, in the 29th minute, Kenta OKUMA successfully scored a header from a corner kick and turned the game around! They go into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, several players from both teams are substituted and the attack and defense continue to go back and forth.
72 minutes, a quick restart from the midfield and carried to the goal, resulting in a goal against. The score is now tied.
After that, the defense in the midfield became loose and we were pushed back. While enduring and responding patiently, we fought together until the end aiming for victory, but it ended in a 2-2 draw.

Although we had more scoring opportunities than the opponent, the result was a draw. I am keenly aware of the German team's scoring ability, their shrewdness in not missing any opportunities, and their strength in winning the ball in crucial situations as we play more games during this expedition. We were also able to gain another valuable experience. I want to continue to actively challenge myself tomorrow.

FW Daisuke MINAMI's comment
"I missed several scoring opportunities and couldn't contribute to the team. I want to value the final quality and momentary judgment."
DF Takahiro YANAGI's comment
"We couldn't defeat the German team because we are still weak. I want to make our team capable of winning firmly."