ALGARVE CUP 2018
5th Place Play-Off vs Canada
Wed. 7 March Kick-off 14:55 (Local Time) Playing Time 90min.(45min.x2)
Estadio Municipal da Bela Vista (Parchal/Portugal)

Nadeshiko Japan 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Canada

Scores
20' Goal against (Canada)
50' Goal against (Canada)

Starting Line-ups
GK: YAMASHITA Ayaka
DF: SAMESHIMA Aya, KUMAGAI Saki, ICHISE Nana
MF: SAKAGUCHI Mizuho, ARIYOSHI Saori, NAKAJIMA Emi, SUMIDA Rin, HASEGAWA Yui
FW: SUGASAWA Yuika, IWABUCHI Mana

Reserves
GK: YAMANE Erina, IKEDA Sakiko
DF: UTSUGI Rumi, TAKAGI Hikari, OYA Ayumi, MIYAKE Shiori, SHIMIZU Risa
MF: NAOMOTO Hikaru, MASUYA Rika
FW: HAJI Madoka, YOKOYAMA Kumi, TANAKA Mina

Substitutions
HT ARIYOSHI Saori → SHIMIZU Risa
58' NAKAJIMA Emi → UTSUGI Rumi
58' SUGASAWA Yuika → TANAKA Mina
70' SHIMIZU Risa → TAKAGI Hikari

Match Report

After recording two wins and a loss in their group league matches of the Algarve Cup 2018, Nadeshiko Japan took on the runner-up of Group B, Canada in the fifth Place Play-Off match. Currently ranked fifth in the FIFA Rankings, Canada is considered as one of the top flights in the world. The persistent rain that has been pouring over the past days continued on as Canada kicked off the match at 2:55 p.m.

Nadeshiko Japan came out of the match applying pressure aggressively from the front-line. Strikers SUGASAWA Yuika and IWABUCHI Mana did not give much freedom for the Canadian defence. Their efforts helped the team pick up a good rhythm both in offence and defence early on. On the other hand, Canada avoided to be stretched, keeping a compact midfield to defend against the Japanese attacks.

The two centre-backs KUMAGAI Saki and ICHISE Nana initiated the build-ups for Nadeshiko Japan, utilising the flanks before connecting to their attacking players. A pattern they have been working on in training sessions showed its effectiveness, as they created a chance from the left flank in the 9th minute. The continuous rain caused the Japanese side to make errors, creating critical threats to their goal, but the defence led by YAMASHITA Ayaka held off the opponents from scoring. In the 19th minute, Iwabuchi made an individual effort to cut into the centre, launching a shot with her right foot, but her attempt was blocked by the Canadian defence. Then, just a minute later, Japan gave away an opportunity for the Canadian side to penetrate the penalty area and allowed a shot to be taken. When the shot seemed to hit an arm of a Japanese player, the Japanese side stopped momentarily, giving enough time for the Canadian player to fire another shot off the deflection to score the opening goal.

After giving up the goal, Japan showed its tenacity in defence, quickly closing down on turnovers to deny further damage. Seeking for an opportunity to level the match, Sugasawa fought for the ball, allowing NAKAJIMA Emi to break through the penalty area in the 30th minute, but her shot was denied by the Canadian defender chasing back and the goalkeeper.

Unable to create real threats, Nedeshiko Japan entered half-time down by a goal.

SHIMIZU Risa came on for ARIYOSHI Saori for the Japanese side, but they continued to struggle to pick up their rhythm. The steady rain denied their passes to get through and made them sluggish both in offence and defence.

Then in the 50th minute, Kumagai tried to carry out a loose ball in front of Nadeshiko Japan's goal, but the ball was poked away by the opponent and rolled into the net. Japan allowed Canada to extend their lead to 2-0.

In the 53rd minute, Japanese substitute TANAKA Mina made a brilliant turn while holding off the opponent on her back before delivering a through ball to Iwabuchi, but the pass was merely short. Then in the 70th minute, Shimizu, who had shown solid one-on-one defence, was forced out of the game due to injury after colliding with an opposing player.

A critical opportunity arrived for Japan in added time when Tanaka was brought down in the penalty area to earn a penalty kick. Takana took the shot herself but failed to convert with the fine save made by the opposing goalkeeper. The game would end with the final score of 2-0. Nadeshiko Japan ended the tournament in sixth place, the same result from last year.

The final between Sweden and the Netherlands scheduled after the Japan match was cancelled due to heavy rain, which picked up its pace even stronger. Both teams were awarded the championship trophy. It was the first time in the tournament history to have two champions in one tournament.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team)
It is a very disappointing loss. We knew going into the match that Canada, being fifth in the world rankings, is a quality team. We tried to avoid competing against their speed and power, but I've got to admit that we couldn’t keep up with them in the midfield, nor in front of the gaol in both ends. We need to be more creative on how we connect the ball and need to further improve combinations. The second goal really caused us to lose our entire balance. It's also disappointing that we struggled to get close to our opponents' goal and took very few shots throughout the match.

DF #2 UTSUGI Rumi (Seattle Reign FC/USA)
The Algarve Cup presents us with a rare experience to play numbers of matches in a short period of time. It's a precious opportunity to address problems and then improve on it immediately afterwards. You always have stretches where things don’t go well. And it's important to get your game back during that 90 minutes. Fortunately, we are given the opportunity to work on what we lack and improve on it, so we would like to show our improvements in these matches. If we can keep improving, we will be able to play our game even better. I want to keep winning with this team, and that’s my motivation to work hard.

DF #4 KUMAGAI Saki (Olympique Lyonnais/France)
​As a team, there were some aspects we did well, and some not so great. We kept adjusting ourselves throughout this tournament, and Japan is a team that can learn from losses. It’s important to feed off of this experience. We need to build our team from what we’ve learned here. We don’t want to waste what we have built up so far, so we all need to sort out what we experienced here and prepare for our next gathering. If we do this right, I believe we can achieve great things at the Asian Cup in Jordan.

MF #10 SAKAGUCHI Mizuho (Nippon TV Beleza)
We knew Canada had the upper hand in terms of physical strengths, but they have improved on their techniques as well. Our defence played well, and we showed good combinations in the first half, but our opponents capitalised on their opportunity and took the initiative. We need to build a team that can over come a deficit by scoring back. But for now, we need to make sure we don’t allow goals in the first place, so we’ll work on that ahead of the Asian Cup.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

Algarve Women's Football Cup 2018

Tournament Period: 28 February 2018 (Wed.) - 7 March 2018 (Wed.)

For more information