Today we will fight in the second match of the secondary league.

The match against Benfica will be an important game where a victory secures advancement to the higher league.

The match will start with an aggressive attack from the beginning of the first half.
After applying pressure on the right side and winning the ball, a perfectly timed through pass is made from the center, and player Adachi breaks through to score the opening goal.

After that, they intercepted a horizontal pass from the defense line, passed to the free player Hara, and scored with a one-touch shot, quickly adding another goal.

However, just before the end of the first half, a cross from the side was delivered, and a player in the middle scored a goal, making it 2-1 as the first half ended and the match continued.

In the second half, Benfica also made substitutions and launched a fierce attack. They broke through the center, spread to the sides, evaded two players, and delivered a cross that was met by a forward, resulting in the second goal conceded.

After that, we continued to have our clear mistakes picked up by the opponent, and when we were attacked from there, we ended up bringing down an opposing player in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick.

They scored that penalty, conceded the third goal, and allowed the comeback.

After that, we attempted to counterattack and pushed forward, but we couldn't break through to score a goal, and the match ended with a result of a 2-3 comeback loss.

【Match Result】
2-3
<First Half> 2-1
Second Half 0-2
Scorers
Adachi, Hara



Advancement to the upper league depends on the results of Benfica and Auxerre.
If Benfica wins by 1-0 or more, they will advance to the upper league, but the result was a 0-0 draw. They will not advance to the upper league, and a match in the lower league has been decided.

The opponent in the first match of the lower league is Stade Rennais, with whom we also faced in the group stage.

Although the players were feeling down right after the match in the lower league was decided, they received a message from the coach saying, "This is the time to face challenges for your own growth, let's make this expedition worthwhile," and the players were able to switch their mindset and approach it positively.

The match venue has been changed from the originally planned ground to the ground that was used for warm-ups. Despite facing the challenges of a lower league, the players take the pitch without panic.

In the first half, Nozawa headed the ball during a corner kick opportunity, scoring the opening goal.
The match situation remained tense, and the first half ended with a score of 1-0. In the second half, we continued to dominate possession and pressed forward, but we struggled to secure an additional goal. The opponent also launched a counterattack in the second half. We conceded a goal, allowing them to equalize, but neither side allowed any further scoring, leading to a penalty shootout. The result of the penalty shootout was a narrow loss at 2-3.

【Match Result】
1-1
<First Half> x1-0
Second Half 0-1
PK Shootout 2-3
Scorers
Nozawa


There is only one match left for the France expedition tomorrow.
I want to do my best for the growth of both individuals and the team in tomorrow's match.
And finally, I want to celebrate victory and return to Japan!

◇The situation on Day 1 and 2 is here
◇The situation on Day 3 is here
◇The situation on Day 4 is here
◇The situation on Day 5 is here