On the third day in Germany, we had breakfast at 8 o'clock and then took a slightly longer walk and stretched to loosen up the fatigue from yesterday.
After that, take an active rest by doing activities such as shopping, in preparation for the afternoon practice match.

After lunch, a 1 hour and 30 minute bus ride.
The opponent for this practice match is Mainz, where Yoshinori MUTO, a senior player of the U-18 team, belongs.
When I arrived at the venue, there was Mutoh player waiting for the U-18 players.
We immediately received words of encouragement from player Muto and took a commemorative photo together.
I realized that the importance of winning the ball and the need for everyone to contribute to both attack and defense are essential to succeed in Germany, in response to the question "What does it take to succeed in Germany?" Under the guidance of Coach Sato, we have been working on these aspects in the U-18 team, and there is no doubt about the effectiveness of our efforts.

Afterwards, we visited OPEL ARENA, the home stadium of Mainz.
I was able to enter the pitch level where intense battles always take place, and also the locker room.
 

And, the second match of the Germany expedition.

In the early stages, we were pushed back by the opponent's fast-paced play, but gradually started to respond. In the 12th minute, Imamura took the team's first shot.
Afterwards, they engage in a back and forth battle in the midfield while regaining their rhythm.
In the 37th minute, the ball was moved from the right to the center with multiple players, but in the end, Okaniwa on the right side sent a cross that did not reach any player in the middle.
The first half ended with a free kick given just outside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Takase blocked it.
 

In the second half, at the 48th minute, a pass was played behind the defense line due to a mistake in the midfield, allowing the opponent to break through and score the opening goal.
After that, when Fuki-no was introduced, Okanote, who picked up the flow of the cross from Sugiyama's left side, raised Grander's cross by jumping out to the space with a dedicated press from the front, and grasped the rhythm in the 57th minute.
Koremade Imamura jumps into it, but narrowly misses and misses the chance.
In the midst of increasing the time to push forward with the speed of switching and pressing from the front line, we conceded a goal again in the 65th minute with a single vertical pass that penetrated behind the defense.
GK Takase prevents a one-on-one crisis even after being caught on a counterattack in the 75th minute.
At 80 minutes, Hara skillfully heads the ball from Okaniwa's cross, but it narrowly hits the top of the post.
The team continued to push forward, but they were unable to break through the opponent's strong defense and the game ended 0-2.

Experience the decisive power and strength in duels of Mainz.
It was a match where I felt the strength of German football, which seems to be able to do it but couldn't win.