Nadeshiko Japan, who will play their third match of the group stage against Ecuador Women's National Team in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada on Monday 15 June, held a practice session in the morning in Winnipeg. Only the first 20 minutes were open to the media.

The players started under a cold, cloudy sky, but the sun gradually appeared, shining warmly during the practice session.

They seemed to be relaxed, starting the warm-up with smiles all round. The players moved onto passing and taking shots in pairs, and then in groups of three players, followed by a practice game to check tactics and set pieces. The practice session lasted about one hour.

Nadeshiko Japan aim to top Group C. Currently, after the second match, Japan is leading the group with six points (and a two goal difference), followed by Switzerland with three points (and an eight goal difference), Cameroon with three points (and a five goal difference), and Ecuador with no points (and a negative difference of 15 goals).

Although Ecuador, who Japan will meet in the third match, are currently at the bottom, they can still get through to the round of 16 if they win against Japan, depending on the result of the match between Switzerland and Cameroon and results in other groups.

Ecuador head coach Vanessa ARAUZ commented during the media conference on Sunday 14 June: “we can’t place 11 players in front of our goal, even though Japan’s attacking is excellent.” He showed a positive attitude towards the coming match for Ecuadorian women’s football. For Nadeshiko Japan, their third match will be a preparation for the coming knockout stage. However, they will play as hard as possible to win the game.

Nadeshiko Japan’s third match against the Ecuador women's national football team will kick-off at 6 a.m. on Wednesday 17 June Japan time (4 p.m. local time on 16 June).

Players’ Comments

MF #14   TANAKA Asuna (INAC Kobe)
If I’m on the pitch as a defensive midfielder, I’d like to contribute to both attack and defence. If I play as a centre back, I’d like to pass the ball around to prevent the opponent from initiating their counter-attacks. We let the opponents counter attack in both matches against Switzerland and Cameroon. So it’s vital to manage the risks in defence. We’ve been preparing ourselves by reviewing videos of our games and discussing our issues in the meetings. I’ll play hard tomorrow to score goals without conceding any, so that we can earn three points.

DF #23   KITAHARA Kana (Albirex Niigata Ladies)
I stayed on the bench during the first and the second games. So naturally, I feel strongly that I’d like to be on the pitch. International players make unexpected passes and have longer reaches. So we need to make swift judgments. Whenever I’m on the pitch, I’d like to show everything I’ve got and contribute to goals through set pieces, using my particular strengths - speed and height.

In terms of the defence, I’ll constantly think about how to control the defensive line sensitively and keep our eyes on the key players in Ecuador attack. I’ll keep concentrating for 90 minutes, so that we can win the match in a good way, preparing ourselves well for the coming knockout stage.

FW #16   IWABUCHI Mana (FC Bayern Munich/Germany)
I’m relieved that I could finally join the team’s practice session. Although I felt pressure, causing the team trouble, it was good that I finally stepped ahead towards our aims. I’d like to prepare myself for tomorrow’s match.

On the pitch, I’d like to contribute to the team with swift attacks, using my strength - dribbling. I’ll play hard, so that I can score a goal, assist my teammates, speed up our attacks, or whatever is good for the team. When I picked up an injury, Ando encouraged me a lot, which made me think I had to hang tough. I must play hard, thinking of Ando.

FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015

Ecuador Women’s National Team  vs  Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team)  
Wed. 17 June   Kickoff 6:00 (subject to change)

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