6th Day of the England Expedition
Today, we all did exercises together, had breakfast, and then headed to the training ground of Burnley FC, which will be the venue for today.
This was also a wonderful environment with 9 natural grass pitches, 1 artificial turf pitch, and 1 all-weather pitch.
The top team and the academy use the facilities together, and today we were fortunate to see the top team practicing, including scenes of players Joe Hart and Peter Crouch during their training.
Training in the morning.
Ball passing, 2 against 1, half-court game, set plays, and then back to the hotel.
After having lunch, we returned to the practice field for the match against Burnley FC.
Before the match, Coach Nakamura said, "Two days after returning to Japan, the T League will start, and nine days later, the Prince League will begin. Let's play as if it's an official match. We haven't won yet on this expedition, so we must absolutely win today."
Tokyo seized the pace with a strategy of quickly closing in on the opponent from the early stages of the match and immediately transitioning to attack once the ball was won.
In the 24th minute, Kubo intercepted the ball in midfield and made a through pass to Yachida. Yachida scored to take the lead. In the 35th minute, from Kobayashi to Kubo, and then to Umehara, Umehara scored amidst the scramble, extending the lead to 2 goals.
However, two minutes later, we conceded a goal from a cross and ended the first half at 2-1.
At halftime, Coach Nakamura said, "We have been conceding goals immediately after scoring. Make sure to confirm your marks. The players who perform well here will secure their spots as regulars. Let's give it our all until the end and win!"
In their fourth match in England, the players, who have gradually gained confidence, will move the ball steadily in the second half and progress the game at their own pace.
In the 67th minute, Kubo managed to hold off the defenders surrounding him in front of the goal and scored, making it 3-1.
In the 77th minute, Miyata stole the ball in midfield and passed it to Kobayashi Riku, who then scored with a dribble breakthrough, making it 4-1.
After that, Yachida, Tachikawa, and Umehara approached the goal, but they couldn't score, and the match ended. They achieved their first victory on this expedition.
After that, we returned to the hotel and went shopping at the supermarket together.
On the last day, since it was early in the morning and there was a possibility that the airport shops would not be open, everyone enjoyed their last shopping in England while buying souvenirs.
And it's dinner time.
In preparation for tomorrow's final match, there was a scene where Coach Nakamura personally served the leftover dishes from the buffet to the players.
Finally, Coach Nakamura announced the temporary lifting of the special rules set on the first day due to today's victory, and the players were also showing expressions of joy.
Tomorrow is the final match of the expedition against Middlesbrough FC.
We will do our best to conclude this expedition with a victory!
