On the 18th (Thursday) of the 5th day of the expedition, there will be the second qualifying match against Inter. The kickoff is at 20:45, so the players have been preparing for it since morning as it is an unusual time for them.

Trainer Hayashi led a yoga class to relax and move our bodies. During the meeting, we reviewed yesterday's game and confirmed our strategy to be fully prepared for the match.

The match venue was a stadium where the opening ceremony was held, and there were many spectators, including those who came to support FC Tokyo.

The match started with the kickoff of FC Tokyo U-15 Fukagawa. We were able to enter the game with momentum by playing without hesitation and continuously taking shots at the opponent.
Inter had a high level in terms of technique, tactics, and physicality. The amount of time they had possession of the ball increased, but they continued to compete by going after the ball and maintaining their attitude of connecting passes.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Yota KAWACHI's overlap on the left side creates a chance, but they are unable to score.
Then, in the 12th minute, they lose the ball in the midfield and quickly get caught behind the defense line. They calmly score a goal and it becomes a regrettable goal.
Even in the second half, we aimed for a tie and played aggressively, but unfortunately we conceded a goal from a build-up mistake in the 6th minute of the second half and ended up losing 0-2.
In the 21st minute of the second half, we conceded our third goal from the opponent's speedy attack.
However, we never gave up and continued to fight together towards the goal, including the bench members.
In the additional time, we defended the opponent's corner kick and then sent the ball to the front line for a counter attack. Center back Kanato HATAYAMA ran up and received the ball, then passed it to Harushiro MATSUSHITA. They connected and took a shot, but unfortunately it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper and we were unable to score.
The game ended as it was and ended in a 0-3 defeat.

I was able to feel the quality of the top level Italian players and reflect on our own seriousness in order to catch up and surpass them.
To advance to the qualifying league, a victory is necessary in tomorrow's match.
We suffered a frustrating defeat, but we will look ahead for the qualification round and vow to prepare for tomorrow's match in the best condition possible. We have completed our activities for the fifth day.