Day 6 of France Expedition
Today, the third day of the tournament, we spent the morning refreshing ourselves in preparation for the afternoon matches.
I rested well and prepared for the afternoon game.
The first match is the second game of the top league, facing off against Marseille.
If Monaco and Marseille draw in the previous match, a victory will secure a spot in the final round.
Before the match, Coach Miyazawa tells the players, "This is a game where we can't move forward without winning. It's just like the tournament starting from this match. Let's all fight together with the same sense of unity as yesterday."
Players who showed passionate play from the start. They embodied Tokyo's motto with intense ball battles, quick switches, and hard work. The first half ended 0-0.
As the second half continues with intense play, Tokyo gradually takes control and begins to create good opportunities.
However, in the midst of all that, in the 29th minute, they were unable to repel the attacking hand and conceded a goal from a loose ball that was picked up.
Just keep playing there and at 34 minutes, Watanabe shoots from a dribble. It hits Miyagawa who was in position, but Miyagawa calmly shoots and ties the game.
Despite attacking with momentum in the remaining time, the opponent skillfully used up the time and the game ended.
It ended in a frustrating draw.
There was a chance to win, but on the other hand, the opponent was one step ahead in terms of determination to win, and it made me feel the difference with the world.
After the match, Coach Miyazawa said to the players, "We fought fairly and well. And we caught up well. However, the result was a draw. The opponent did everything to waste time, but this is football in the world."
In the first match, the result determined that we will advance to the 9th-12th place ranking tournament, and the first round will be against Gangang.
We fought mainly with members who had less playing time, but we were shocked by the defeat in the first match and the fact that we couldn't advance to the final tournament. We also had little time to rest between matches and ended up conceding 4 goals in the first half without being able to get into the game.
At halftime, we received a scolding from Coach Miyazawa and headed into the second half.
In the second half, we regained our composure, collided with the opponent, fought with all our might, and in the 27th minute, we earned a PK from Brian's breakthrough, which Okada calmly scored.
Defense concentrated and held on without conceding, but in the second half we were only able to make it 1-0, resulting in a total loss of 1-4.
During dinner time, the players interacted with players from other teams and were able to talk confidently and feel their strength and growth.
It was a day where I felt the toughness of the top league and overseas, but at the same time, I also felt what I can and cannot do, and the parts that can and cannot be understood, which has been a good experience. Tomorrow will be the final match. I will fight until the end, have a good experience, and do my best to achieve good results.
