Day 4

The final day of the 6th Vietnam Japan International Youth Cup U-13 tournament has finally arrived.
The opponent for the final round is the host team of this tournament, Megabex Binhzun FC from the local Binhzun province in Vietnam. They are a formidable opponent with a perfect record of 4 wins from the group stage to the semifinals.

At the meeting, Coach Yamaguchi encouraged us before the final round, saying "There will be tension on this grand stage, but it is also a valuable experience. It is not just about the result, but also about how you express yourself on this stage. Let's give our all as a team and win today!"

The venue was packed, and the kickoff took place in a completely away atmosphere as it was the final round for the local team.

Just 2 minutes after the start, there was a slightly harsh decision, and a foul was given near the penalty area, resulting in a FK. Unfortunately, the cross ball ended up in an own goal. This disrupted the flow of the game. After that, the team struggled to find their pace due to frustrating referee decisions, and the first half ended with a score of 0-1.

At halftime, we confirmed to understand the referee's judgment criteria, to firmly watch the opponent and take position, and to play without haste.

However, even after entering the second half, perhaps due to being overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the venue, careless fouls and simple mistakes were noticeable and we conceded goals, leading to a 0-4 deficit. We continued to aim for a goal until the end, but the time ran out. It was a very frustrating defeat on the big stage of the final round, where we couldn't fully demonstrate our strength. Coach Yamaguchi said, "This is everyone's true strength. But soccer continues. There is another tournament tomorrow. It is most important to continue to build without stopping day by day."

 
After the final round, an all-star match (Vietnam selection vs Japan/Malaysia selection) was held by selected players from all participating teams in this tournament. From Fukagawa, coach Yamaguchi led the Japan/Malaysia selection team and players Ryuki Seta, Rikuto Hara, and Riku Sado participated. Unfortunately, they lost 1-3, but Hara scored a goal and the cheering players were very excited.

 
After the closing ceremony, there was no time to bask in the afterglow of this tournament as we immediately moved to Gyeonggi Province for the second tournament of this trip, the 1st 2024 Sonramgean International Youth Soccer Tournament that we will participate in tomorrow.