Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) fell 1-2 to China on 4 March at Kincho Stadium in their third game of the Asian Qualifiers Final Round. Japan has now taken two losses in the tournament.

While the top two teams out of the six participating teams will earn the spots in the Olympics, Japan have fared two losses and a draw for one point and have stayed in the fifth place in the standings. The first-place Australia improved to nine points with a 2-0 win over Korea Republic while China are in the second place with seven points. DPR Korea beat Vietnam 1-0 and have earned five points for the third place. Korea Republic have two points for the fourth place. The sixth-place Vietnam took their third straight loss and have lost a chance to win a berth.

As a result, Japan will have to beat Vietnam on the 7th and DPR Korea on the 9th in the remainder of the tourney and it will still be up to how other teams will do to earn an Olympic spots. If China win more than one point in their next game on the 7th against Korea Republic, Japan's bid for their fifth straight Olympic berth will completely be eliminated.

After they lost their first tournament game against Australia, Japan wound up drawing with Korea Republic. Needing a win against China, Japan kept their goalkeeper and centrebacks from their second game. Yet they changed three players as they started SAMESHIMA Aya as the left side back, SAKAGUCHI Mizuho as a defensive midfielder and NAKAJIMA Emi as the right midfielder. Japan also started forward YOKOYAMA Kumi, who played well in their previous game, for the second consecutive contest, and tried to find offensive opportunities along with forward OGIMI Yuki and midfielder MIYAMA Aya.

China switched their right side back from their second match, and nine of the members also started in the two sides' game in last Augusts’ EAFF Women's East Asia Cup. China intended to have the ball in the middle and move quickly to their own attacks.

In the 14th minute, China midfielder ZHANG Rui intercepted a back pass of midfielder KAWAMURA Yuri. She dribbled forward and brought it into the box past Japan's centrebacks. She put a shot into the Japan goal with her left leg.

In the 29th minute, Yokoyama cut in into the box, but she was surrounded by Chinese defenders and couldn't take a shot. Right after, Nakajima attempted to connect a cross from the left side, but a China defender put her body with Nakajima to touch the ball first. It actually hit Nakajima and flew above the cross bar. 

Japan have been unbeaten against China since June of 2008 going with nine wins and one draw. But this day, they weren't able to dribble and pass as they wanted to against China's sticking pressing. Ogimi couldn't even touch the ball around the box.

Trailing 0-1 entering the second half, Japan sent forward IWABUCHI Mana into the pitch for Kawamura, trying to find a way to change the situation adding one more offensive player. Just following the whistle, Miyama fired a strong shot, but it was stopped by the China goalkeeper. After that, Ogimi received a return pass from Miyama and had a shot, but it didn't go inside the goalmouth.

In the 58th minute, midfielder GU Yasha's middle-range shot went into the right corner of the Japan goal to put China up 2-0. But in the 65th minute, Yokohama robbed the ball and stormed inside dribbling. Then she dodged a defender and fired a shot with her right leg. Japan scored one goal back.

Two minutes later, Iwabuchi had a scoring chance and then in the 79th minute, Tanaka headed a corner kick from Miyama. But both shots were stopped by the China goalkeeper.

Japan sent midfielder KAWASUMI Nahomi in the 68th minute and TAKASE Megumi in the 87th onto the pitch, trying to increase more offensive weapons, but they failed to add a goal as the contest ended with China up 2-1.

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Coach and Players' Comments

SASAKI Norio, Coach
We couldn't come up with a result we needed and I, as the head coach of this team, feel very disappointed and I know I'm responsible for this. Rather than what went wrong, the play quality of each Chinese player was better than us and they took advantage in situations that led to their win. Both in the World Cup in Canada and our trip to the Netherlands, we haven't scored multiple goals in a game. We have to reflect on that as one of our biggest issues. We have two more games and anything could happen. We would like to have the best preparation we could and put up battles with everybody, straightening our heart and fight through until the very end.

FW #10  OGIMI Yuki (1. FFC Frankfurt/Germany)
I have an impotent feeling that I couldn't do anything. I have to admit that we can't perform to our best at a serious competition like this. Unless you excel in batting for the ball, speed and play quality, you're not going to beat your opponents. That's our problems. We've always earned the berths at away, so you can say that we are not used to be playing at home. I feel that we've got to direct the reason (for the loss) toward ourselves. 

MF #8  MIYAMA Aya (OKAYAMA YUNOGO BELLE)
As so many fans gave us their support, I feel frustrated and pitiful that we haven't come up with results we wanted. Each one of us hasn't done her role and I'm disappointed that I haven't brought out the best in them. We have no time to put our heads down, and we've talked between ourselves that we've got to fight until the end.

FW #20  YOKOYAMA Kumi (AC NAGANO PARCEIRO LADIES)
We wanted to win, and I feel sorry. (On the scoring play) because the trapping by the Chinese player was big, I thought I could go take the shot. But one goal wasn't good enough to win and I should've scored a goal when I had a few chances during the first half. Believing the mere chance, we would like to do our best in the two remaining games.

Bruno BINI, Coach (China PR Women's National Team)
Our players did a fantastic job in terms of our strategies and physicality. I've told them to focus on physical plays since I took over as the coach last October, but as we've played according to our plans, I'm satisfied. In the high-intensity game, which would give whoever gets in the pitch as a substitute, partially because they had to deal with playing with short rests, I believe that Japan couldn't use their passing and combinations in the way how they usually do.

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