We will deliver a report on the third day of the Spain-Portugal expedition, which is being held from April 3 (Mon) to April 12 (Wed).

On the 5th (Tuesday), which is the 3rd day of the expedition, after taking a morning walk while feeling the sea breeze of the Atlantic Ocean facing the accommodation, we will do stretches and exercises and start. After finishing the meal at the hotel, we will take a 30-minute bus ride to the club's facilities to play a practice match with the same age team of SL Benfica, the top team in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
There is also a security control at the entrance of the facility, and only authorized personnel are allowed to enter the premises.
In addition to the top team's training facilities, there are also stadiums where UEFA youth tournaments are held and training facilities for each age group.

 
After finishing the meeting in the locker room, we started warming up on the pitch, which is equipped with stands, in preparation for the 45-minute x 2 games starting at 10:30. On the adjacent pitch, training for SL Benfica's U-23 and U-19 teams was taking place.

The teams also exchanged pennants and the game started after taking a group photo together.

We were able to keep up the momentum from the start of the game and take the lead early on. We continued to add more points and ended the first half with a score of 5-0.
We will use the halftime break to regroup and prepare ourselves for the second half.
After replacing several members, the second half kickoff. In the beginning, we conceded a goal from the opponent team's offensive pressure. However, we gradually settled down and increased our own time zone while defending against the opponent's strong attacks. As we gained the upper hand, we scored 3 goals and finished the game with a total of 8 goals, winning 8-1. We were able to end the first game of the expedition in a good way.

Bryan LINSSEN, a member of SL Benfica and the U-22 Japan national team, came to watch the game even on his day off when a team from Japan was playing. After the game, he gave a passionate message to the players about the mindset needed to become a professional player and compete in the world.

In the afternoon, we explored the city of Costa da Caparica, where we are staying, and prepared for tomorrow's activities by doing things like washing our practice clothes and uniforms.
On the fourth day of the expedition, we are scheduled to play against Sporting CP, a club representing Portugal, just like SL Benfica.