On Wednesday 29 August, one day after their intense battle against the Korea Republic Women’s National Team, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) spent the day to recover themselves ahead of the final.

Coach TAKAKURA Asako shared her aspirations ahead of the title match, “It’s a wonderful feat that we managed to win over a very tough Korean squad to advance through to the final, but we haven’t achieved anything yet. We are all striving to win the gold medal.” While praising her players, the coach made it clear that their only goal is to win the top prize, as she asked her players to prepare ahead of their final bout, “I know everyone is exhausted. But in order for us to win the gold medal, we must get our conditions back in these two days.”

On this day, the team conducted a recovery session where the players were seen walking through the pitch as they loosened their bodies. They then went through a light drill using the ball to relax themselves. The team’s Physical Coach HIROSE Norikazu came up with a drill where the team huddled up to form a circle. With all players holding a ball in their hands, Coach Hirose threw in an additional ball. The concept of the game was that one person had to let go of their ball in order to catch the additional ball, and someone else had to follow the procedure to keep the flow going so that the ball doesn’t hit the ground. The players kept on communicating to let their peers know who was going to catch the ball and who they were going to have the ball delivered to. The players were seen shying away from the ball assuming their peers were going to catch the ball, or conversely seeing two players making an effort at the same ball. For the players who were at their peek of exhaustion, this drill provided a good way to get their body loosened up and while refreshing their minds.

After supper, the team conducted a film session to go over what they must improve and what they must continue on ahead of the final, as the players listened in carefully. Their goal is to win the gold medal, and they are giving their all to achieve that goal.

The Asian Games Women’s final against the China PR Women’s National Team will kick-off at 20:30 Japan time on Friday 31 August.

Players’ Comments

GK #18 YAMASHITA Ayaka (Nippon TV Beleza)
Although winning the semi-final match was a positive achievement, we suffered some tough stretches after we scored the opening goal, and that’s something we must fix ahead of the final. The Korea Republic side featured one of the best offences in this tournament, so the fact we only conceded a single goal is something we should be proud of. I am honoured to be a part of a team heading into the final of such tough tournament, and I would like to thank all of my teammates, staffs, and everybody supporting us. We hope to pay those people back by winning the title.

MF #13 NAKASATO Yu (Nippon TV Beleza)
The Korea Republic players displayed a very high level of techniques and physical strengths. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed, and it made me think I must work harder to improve myself. However, despite our opponents showing their dominance, our team managed to win the match, and we should be proud of that. These are all very tough matches, but we must take the positives out of these experiences and prepare ourselves ahead of the final in the best way possible, so that we can take home the gold medal.

Schedule

*Local Time, Japan time indicated within the parentheses
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates:Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Women's】Final
Fri. 31 August 20:30 [Japan time] vs China PR
Live broadcasting on NHK BS1

Tournament Information