On the third day in Germany, we have breakfast at 8 o'clock and relieve yesterday's fatigue with a slightly longer walk and some stretching.
After that, take an active rest by shopping and prepare for the afternoon practice match.

After lunch, a 1 hour and 30 minute bus ride.
The opponent in this practice match is Mainz, where Yoshinori MUTO, a senior from the U-18 team, belongs.
Upon arriving at the venue, there was the figure of player Muto waiting for the U-18 players.
Immediately, we received encouraging words from player Muto and took a commemorative photo together.
In response to the question, "What does it take to succeed in Germany?" I answered that the importance of ball contests and the need for everyone to contribute to both offense and defense are crucial. I realized that the training we are doing under Coach Sato in the U-18 team is undoubtedly correct.

After that, visited OPEL ARENA, the home stadium of Mainz.
I was able to enter the pitch level, where intense battles always unfold, as well as the locker room.
 

And, the second match of the Germany expedition.

In the early stages, although pressed by the opponent's speedy play, they gradually began to respond, and in the 12th minute, Imamura took the team's first shot.
After that, they regain their rhythm and engage in a battle in the midfield.
In the 37th minute, the ball was moved from the right to the center with several players involved, but Okaniwa's cross from the right side did not connect with any players inside.
A free kick was awarded just before the end of the first half, but GK Takase saved it.
 

In the second half, in the 48th minute, a pass was made behind the defense due to a mistake in the midfield, allowing the opponent to break through and score the opening goal.
After that, when Fukino was brought on, he grasped the rhythm with dedicated pressing from the front and runs into space. In the 57th minute, Okaniwa picked up the flow from Sugiyama's cross from the left side and delivered a low cross.
Iwamura dives in but just misses, missing the chance.
With the quick switch and pressing from the front line, the time spent pushing forward increased, but in the 65th minute, we conceded a goal again from a single vertical pass that caught us off guard.
In the 75th minute, although they broke away on a counterattack, GK Takase prevented a one-on-one crisis.
In the 80th minute, Okaniwa's cross from the right side was skillfully headed by Hara, but it was just over the post.
They continued to push forward, but were unable to break through the opponent's solid defense, ending the match 0-2.

Realizing Mainz's ability to finish and their strength in duels.
It was a match where I truly felt the strength of German football, even though it seemed like we could do it, we weren't allowed to win.