France Expedition Day 6
Today, the third day of the tournament, we dedicated the morning to refreshment time in preparation for the matches in the afternoon.
I rested well and prepared for the afternoon game.
The first match is the second round of the top league, facing Marseille.
In the previous match, Monaco and Marseille drew, so if we win, we will advance to the final tournament.
Before the match, Coach Miyazawa tells the players, "This is a game where we must win in order to move up. It's the same as the tournament starting from this match. Let's fight together with a sense of unity, just like yesterday."
Players who showed passionate play from the beginning. They embodied intense battles, quick transitions, and hard work, as well as the motto of Tokyo. The first half ended with a score of 0-0.
In the second half, intense play continues, and gradually Tokyo has taken control and started to create good opportunities.
However, in such a situation, in the 29th minute, they were unable to repel the opponent's attack and conceded a goal by picking up a loose ball.
Just keep playing there and in the 34th minute, Watanabe dribbled and took a shot. It hit Miyagawa who was in position, but Miyagawa calmly observed the opponent's goalkeeper and scored a goal, making it a tie.
Despite attacking aggressively in the remaining time, the opponent skillfully managed the time and the game ended without any further goals.
It became a frustrating draw.
There was a chance to win, but on the other hand, the opponent was one step ahead in terms of commitment to the game, and it made me feel the difference with the world.
After the match, Coach Miyazawa said to the players, "We fought fair and square. We caught up well. However, the result was a draw. The opponents did everything to waste time, but this is football in the world."
In the first match, we advanced to the ranking tournament for 9th to 12th place, and the 1st round of that tournament was against Gangan.
We fought mainly with players who had less playing time, but we suffered a defeat in the first match and couldn't advance to the final tournament. It was a shock, and with little time to rest between matches, we couldn't fully get into the game and conceded 4 goals in the first half.
At halftime, the coach Miyazawa gave us a stern talk, and we headed into the second half.
In the second half, we recovered and fought back by physically challenging the opponent and showing our determination. In the 27th minute, Bryan made a breakthrough and earned a penalty kick, which Okada calmly converted into a goal.
The defense concentrated and held the opponent scoreless, and in the second half we managed to score 1-0. However, the overall result was a 1-4 defeat.
During dinner time, the players interacted with players from other teams, and they felt a sense of strength and growth as they actively engaged in conversation without hesitation.
It was a day that made me feel the toughness of the top league and the toughness of overseas. At the same time, I felt what I can do and what I cannot do, what can be understood and what cannot be understood among that level, and it has become a good experience. Tomorrow will be the final match. I want to fight until the end, have a good experience, and achieve good results.
