- Day 2 -
Finally, starting today, the matches of the "6th Vietnam Japan International Youth Cup U-13" will begin.
Last night I went to bed at 21:30 and got plenty of sleep. This morning, I had a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet to prepare for the first match.
The opponent in the first match of the group stage is Shimizu S-Pulse Mishima, also participating from Japan.
In the pre-match meeting, Coach Hirono YAMAGUCHI discussed the tournament regulations, the purpose of the expedition, and the theme, saying, "Let's play in a way that excites the people watching, as Tokyo is in a frenzy. To achieve that, let's value the essence of soccer and fight towards the goal."
In the first half, perhaps due to the tension of the opening match, although we maintained possession of the ball, there was a lack of dynamic play towards the goal as mentioned by Coach Yamaguchi, and we went into halftime without scoring. Then, just 3 minutes into the second half, we conceded a goal after a corner kick from the opponent broke down; we managed to withstand it initially, but were pushed back during the second attack and ended up conceding. However, just a minute later, in the 4th minute of the second half, player Riku Hara received a pass from player Kaito Aoshima and struck a powerful long-range shot, quickly equalizing the score. After that, we increased our aggressive play towards the goal, seized control of the match, and created several scoring opportunities, but we couldn't convert them, and the match ended in a draw. There was a lingering frustration among the bench members, including ourselves, for not being able to fully utilize our abilities and do what we needed to do, but we will switch our mindset and prepare for the second match in the afternoon.
The second match of the group stage is against the local team, Anzan FC from Vietnam.
Utilizing the reflections from the first match, we aggressively and dynamically approached the opponent's goal from the beginning. The bench members united with the pitch, loudly cheering from the sidelines. In the 10th minute of the first half, Taira SHIGE scored the opening goal with a skillful flick shot, and just a minute later, Takashi MURAKAMI scored another goal. Furthermore, in the 15th minute, Murakami scored again. Although we conceded a goal afterward, in the 22nd minute, Ippei ADACHI scored the long-awaited first goal of this tournament, ending the first half with a 4-1 lead. In the second half, we continued to attack without easing our efforts, with Yuta WATANABE, Rikuto HARA, and Riku SADO adding to the score, leading to a 7-1 victory. We were able to secure a significant 3 points towards advancing to the upper tournament.
Tomorrow's first match is the final game of the group stage, where we will face Vietnam's Navibank Saigon FC. Just like in this match, all members will unite and strive for victory, aiming to create an exciting game that both we and the spectators can enjoy, and to secure our advancement to the upper tournament.
In the evening, a very glamorous exchange party was held with all participating teams, and the players actively challenged themselves to communicate with players from other countries.
- Day 3 -
On the third day of the tournament, the final match of the group stage is against the local team, Navibank Saigon FC from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
In the pre-match meeting, we confirmed the current team situation (winning this match is essential for advancing to the upper tournament).
We have reaffirmed the importance of the team's theme for this tournament, which is the essence of soccer and the sense of unity. It's about time the fatigue from the expedition starts to show, but during the warm-up, we will raise our spirits with the traditional battle cry of Fukagawa, just like always, and get everyone pumped up.
From the start, the opponent did not push forward much and firmly blocked the center in front of the goal, but in the 8th minute, Taira SHIGE dribbled into the box and earned a penalty kick. He took the kick himself, which was initially saved by the opposing goalkeeper, but Ippei ADACHI quickly reacted and pushed it in, successfully scoring the opening goal. In the 16th minute, ADACHI added another goal, ending the first half at 2-0.
During halftime, Coach Yamaguchi said, "Everyone is only focused on the plays they want to make. Both individually and as a team, we need to do what we should do. Play while keeping an eye on teammates and opponents. Quickly switch gears to prevent the opponent's counterattacks." The players, who refocused their mindset, including those who came on as substitutes, stepped up their game and scored 4 more goals (players Uchida Sakusuke, Ono Kyotaro, Hara Rikuto, and Hirai Mutsuki), winning with a total score of 6-0.
As a result, with 2 wins and 1 draw in the group stage, securing 7 points, the first place has been confirmed, and the advancement to the Final Round by the top 4 teams in the afternoon has been decided.
The opponent in the Semifinal Round is Hanoi FC from Vietnam. They are a strong team that has advanced with a perfect record, defeating Vegalta Sendai and Yokohama FC Tsurumi from Japan in the group stage. Coach Yamaguchi mentioned in the meeting, "The level is different from our previous opponents. They are a technical and systematic team, and we cannot win unless everyone works hard and applies pressure from the front." As he stated, a back-and-forth battle ensues from the beginning.
In the 12th minute of the first half, player Ippei ADACHI broke through on the right side and calmly slotted the ball into the left corner of the goal from a tight angle to take the lead, ending the first half at 1-0. As the second half continued in a similar fashion, substitute player Rikuto HARA scored an additional goal in the 19th minute, but immediately allowed a goal in the 20th minute. Despite being forced to defend against the opponent's powerful play, they maintained their concentration until the end, winning 2-1 and advancing to the Final Round.
The Final Round will be held tomorrow against the host team, Vegamix Binh Duong FC. It is expected to be a battle in a completely away atmosphere, but as always, we will prioritize the essence of soccer and unity, fighting together with all our energy to aim for victory.
