On the second day of the tournament, the second match of the group stage is against Shandong Luneng Football School from China.
As I wrote yesterday, it is known as a prestigious training ground in China and has produced many representative players.
By the way, this place also has a luxurious facility with 31 soccer fields.

Increase concentration from warm-up	Players receiving instructions at the meeting

Received a meeting from coach Takashi OKUHARA, saying "Let's come up with ways to improve our team's performance at the beginning of the game."

Player Entrance

The match started calmly and proceeded with a stable game plan from the beginning.
As expected, FC Tokyo continues to dominate the ball while Shandong looks to counterattack.
In the midst of that, we were caught off guard by an early cross from the side that we had been wary of during yesterday's match, and ended up conceding the first goal with a powerful shot that split between the center backs.

Shortly after the start of the second half, the opponent player's leg cramps, and as expected, Tokyo's opponent's legs start to slow down.
However, it is difficult to break through the opponent's defense that quickly and strongly closes in on the ball and solidly secures the goal area when entering the zone.
Furthermore, FC Tokyo's attacking play became more reliant on long balls from the defenders, possibly due to a sense of urgency. This resulted in a concentration of attacks in the center, which allowed the opposing defenders, who had many players marking them, to intercept the ball.
Afterwards, the game ended without creating any decisive chances.
There were unfortunate moments such as the ball hitting the post twice, but it is also necessary for the players on the field to assess the weaknesses of the opponent and strive for a calm game.
I want to make use of this experience in the future.

The final group stage match will be against Guangzhou R&F Football School after a rest day tomorrow.
A crucial match where advancing to the group stage is determined by the goal difference. The opponent is a formidable enemy with 8 players from the Chinese national team of this age group, but we want to secure a victory and advance to the knockout stage.