Finally, the tournament starts today!

The first day of the tournament was blessed with good weather!
Since the match is in the evening, I lightly exercised in the morning to prepare for the match.

We conducted ball training and final checks on team strategies in a relaxed atmosphere at the square near the hotel.
I think we were able to prepare well for the evening match, and we could see smiles!

After finishing training, we rested a bit in the room, moved to the match venue, and had lunch!
At the lunch venue, we sat next to the Liverpool players, and the players have started to actively think and take action, such as going to communicate with them.

In addition, I think we have become able to think for ourselves about the time to transport the team's luggage and the actions to take based on what needs to be done.
I feel growth on the 5th day.

And finally, the first match is about to start.
Tokyo will compete in the opening match of the tournament as the defending champion.
The match took place in a stadium with stands installed, providing a valuable experience for the players.

The opponent in the first match is the French team Stade Rennais. It is a prestigious club belonging to Ligue 1.
From the start, there have been many chances and we have been able to take good shots. In the first half, we capitalized on a corner kick opportunity and took the lead. Just before the end of the first half, a cross from the left side was met with a header that the goalkeeper deflected, and we pushed it in for an additional goal.
The first half ends with a score of 2-0.

Both teams will substitute players and prepare for the second half.
Since the opponent is also losing, they will raise their gear and aim for the goal, but the goalkeeper and the defenders were solid in their defense, making it difficult for them to take easy shots.

In the second half, we created chances and often brought the ball to shoot, but we lacked shooting accuracy and couldn't score the third goal. However, we firmly defended our two-goal lead without conceding, and we won the first match 2-0!

As a team, there were many good plays, such as working together in both offense and defense and winning individual one-on-one situations against opponents.
However, there are still challenges remaining, such as the accuracy of individual shots and the precision of final passes.

Opponent
Stade Rennais

【Match Result】
Total: 2-0
First Half: 2-0
Second Half: 0-0
Scorers
Nozawa, Sado

Tomorrow, three matches will be held!
I believe it will definitely be a tough match, and I want to do my best to achieve victory tomorrow as well!

◇The situation on Day 1 and 2 is here
◇The situation on Day 3 is here
◇The situation on Day 4 is here