On Saturday 14 December, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) played their second match of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 against the China PR Women's National Team at Busan Gudeok Stadium.

Following their 9-0 victory over Chinese Taipei on Wednesday 11, coach TAKAKURA Asako made eight changes to their starting line-up, as SHIMIZU Risa, SUGITA Hina, and MATSUBARA Arisa were among those who made their first start in this tournament. IKEJIRI Mayu, who scored a brace in the first match was once again named into the starting eleven.

The Nadeshiko Japan started off the match aggressively, as MOMIKI Yuka struck a shot in the third minute to threaten the opposing goal. The opening goal was scored in the ninth minute, when MIYAGAWA Asato played a give and go with HASEGAWA Yui before sending the last pass to IWABUCHI Mana, who made a run into the box and struck a shot through the legs of the opposing goalkeeper. Following this goal, China PR picked up their pace to take control over the match, but Japan made changes to their positions to make the adjustments and gradually found their rhythm. In the 44th minute, Ikejiri and Hasegawa forced a turnover inside the Chinese territory and sent the ball to Iwabuchi, who chased the ball into the box before slotting the ball into the net.

After entering halftime with a 2-0 lead, Japan managed to extend their lead in the 56th minute, as Iwabuchi responded to a keeper’s deflection created by a shot taken by KOBAYASHI Rikako to make it 3-0. Goalkeeper YAMASHITA Ayaka made some superb saves to keep China PR from scoring a goal, as the Japanese defence showcased a great performance to keep a clean sheet.

With this victory, the Nadeshiko Japan remain in first place, as the team utilised all of their field players in the first two matches. The team will now face the Korea Republic Women's National Team on Tuesday 17 December, with a kick-off time of 19:30.

Coach and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team)
We were able to showcase a wonderful game against our Asian rival. China PR is a very strong team and we were forced to play in the defensive end for the most part of the first half. Our team managed to showcase great persistency while our ace scored the goals for us. After making many adjustments in the second half, we committed many small mistakes. When facing strong intensity from our opponent, we have the tendency to play passively, and that is an aspect that needs to be addressed, but we should take this win positively and prepare ourselves ahead of our final match against Korea Republic.

GK #18 YAMASHITA Ayaka (Nippon TV Beleza)
During the first half, our opponent applied aggressive pressure from their front line, and we were forced to clear the ball from the defence line. However, with Ikejiri playing in the offensive midfield position, we were able to control the ball in the midfield and score goals from her plays, so that was great. It would’ve been better if we were able to possess the ball longer through our build-up plays, but with Miura getting man-marked, it was difficult to keep the ball moving. We hope to showcase an improved version of our passing football at the Tokyo Olympics, so we must polish our techniques and play with more creativity to earn positive results at the Olympic Games.

DF #5 MINAMI Moeka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
I feel like I was able to showcase my ability to apply aggressive pressure against our opponents and win the aerial battles, but I had to do a better job of coaching my teammates to organise our defence. That is definitely an aspect I was heavily dependent on Kumagai, so I must improve myself so that I can take over the leadership role to control the defence line. This is my first Asian tournament as a member of the Nadeshiko Japan, and I am enjoying every details of this competition. I gave up some crucial opportunities to our opponent today, so I will make the necessary adjustments ahead of our next match.

FW #8 IWABUCHI Mana (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
It was great that we managed to take the lead in the early minutes of the match. Although we allowed our opponent to pick up their momentum in the first half, we still managed to keep our composure and controlled the defence line to deflect off their attacks. It’s been a while since I scored a hat-trick, so I am happy about it, but I was only able to score those goals because of my teammates. Each goal came as a result of our team playing great football. Scoring the opening goal gives our team great momentum, so I will continue to focus on scoring the opener in the following matches.

Schedule

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

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 Final Korea Republic

Tournament Dates: Tue. 10 - Wed. 18 December 2019
Tournament Venue: Busan Gudeok Stadium/Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Korea Republic)
Participating Countries: Chinese Taipei, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic

Tournament Information

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