[Day 5 of the Korea Expedition]

On the 5th day of the expedition, we will face two teams competing for the top positions in a tournament held in South Korea.
The first match was played against a team called Kim Hite Soccer Center, with two halves of 35 minutes each.

There was snow remaining on the field, and the match was played with rain starting partway through. The first half ended 0-0 with few chances for either side.

In the second half, we wanted to score, but just one minute after the start, we lost the ball during a pass exchange in our own half and conceded a goal. After that, the ball was slippery due to the rain, and we struggled against the opponent's intense pressing, losing the ball again in our own half at the 5th minute of the second half and conceding another goal. At the 9th minute, we conceded from a corner kick, and the early mistakes affected us, preventing us from showing our strengths, ending the match 0-3.

We played two 30-minute halves against Kidou Junior High School in the second match, where we really wanted to secure a victory.

Right at the start of the first half, the opponent made a through pass to a speedy player from their left side, who then dribbled past and took a shot, resulting in a goal against us. Immediately after conceding, Asano took a shot with his left foot following a dribble breakthrough, but the shot was denied by the goalpost and we couldn't score. In the 9th minute of the second half, while trying to clear a cross from the opponent by stretching out his leg, the ball went towards our goal, resulting in an own goal and another conceded goal.
Following the first match, we conceded consecutive goals early in the game again, and the first half ended 0-2.

In the second half, the team switched their mindset from the start and attacked boldly. At the 5th minute of the second half, Asano's shot was blocked by the opponent in front of the goal, the ball hit the goalpost, and Yonemoto calmly tapped in the rebound to score one point. From there, Tokyo went on the offensive, creating several scoring chances such as Ishihama's volley shot, Nakajima's one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper, and Asano's long-range shot, but they could not score. Defensively, with solid defense centered on Kidera and Onda, they did not allow the opponent to score. However, at the 18th minute of the second half, in a match with intense exchanges between offense and defense, the opponent carried the ball in front of the goal and scored, making it 1-3. After that, Tokyo could not score again, and the match ended as it was.

The last dinner in Korea was Galbitang!

It was a very delicious dish that warmed my chilled body.

Tomorrow is the final day of the expedition. We hope that the culmination of this expedition will take shape.

・Player Keiyu Sugimura
Today was the 5th day of our expedition to South Korea. Until now, there were many instances of not being punctual or forgetting things, but today, we firmly put into practice what we all discussed and I believe we were able to reduce mistakes as a team. Not just this time, but from now on, we will raise our standards as a team to make this a norm.
In terms of soccer, we often faced situations where the opponents were older and more skilled than us, requiring quick decision-making and technical ability. As a team, I think we realized the importance of not being afraid to 'challenge' ourselves by using our non-dominant foot. I believe the second match showed the best decision speed and teamwork we've had so far. However, conceding a goal at the start of the match and not performing well in front of the opponent's goal are challenges the team needs to address moving forward. We will do our best to improve even a little on the final day.

◇The first day of the Korea expedition is here

◇The second day of the Korea expedition is here

◇The third day of the Korea expedition is here

◇The situation on the fourth day of the Korea expedition is here