Lions had a good preseason game vs. Japan FC
After a good summer break, we arranged last Saturday our 1st preseason gathering with a friendly vs. Japan FC. The day before the game, we had 20+ Lions registered for this event. Due to last minute drop-out, we ended-up around 15 players… Still a good number with a mix of youth, senior & veteran players. Despites this last minute inconvenience and the hot weather; it was more playing time for the players on spot to work on their fitness during the preseason.
In the 1st quarter, the game was kind of even and we did score first with a goal from Seiwa. Rhythm was decent and the passes quite accurate… A pleasant game to watch from the sideline. Japan FC did equalize 5mn before the break with a nice combination from the side followed by a cross within the edge of the box.
In the 2nd quarter, we did only 1 or 2 changes to push players’ cardio. The game kept same spirit as the 1st quarter and Japan took the advantage with a 2nd goal.
In the 3rd quarter, we started to do a bit more substitutions. We got the equalizer in hand after a beautiful combination… Mam got into the box from the right side and passed the ball into the penalty area, but our striker missed the target for a few centimeters. Still 1-2 for Japan FC.
In the last quarter, the depth of the bench proved making the difference. With 20+ subs, Japan kept rotating their squad… To be very honest, they were probably fitter than us too. Unsurprisingly, we started to get a bit too far from our opponents. With more time to control and pass the ball, Japan did what they do best launching their fast winger in the back of our defense at offside limit… After 5 or 6 attempts, the dam of our defense broke, and we took 2 consecutive goal to make it 1-4 for Japan FC. To our merit, we didn’t give-up and Othmane got a penalty that he confidently converted by himself.
[ Friendly ] Shanghai Lions FC 2-4 Japan FC
With this preseason friendly, we are officially starting the new season 2023/2024. We will try to organize another friendly next weekend. Besides, you can already put into your agenda the 1st training of the season to be held on Tuesday 05th of September from 20:00-22:00. We will also play a friendly vs. Azzurri FC on Saturday 09th of September (timing to be confirmed yet).
Cheers
FL
