CFA International Women's Youth Tournament 2016 Weifang vs U-17 Canada Women's National Team
2016-7-12 (Tue.) - 16:00   Playing Time: 45min.×2
Weifang Olympic Sports Center Stadium (Shandong/China)

U-17 Japan Women's National Team   3-1 (0-0, 3-1)   U-17 Canada Women's National Team

Scores
63'   Lau Raimondren (U-17 Canada Women's National Team)
85'   ENDO Jun (U-17 Japan Women's National Team)
88'   ENDO Jun (U-17 Japan Women's National Team)
90＋4'   ENDO Jun (U-17 Japan Women's National Team)

Line-ups
GK: KOGURE Chiaki
DF: FUNAKI Nodoka, TAKAHIRA Miyu, WAKISAKA Reina, USHIJIMA Riko
MF: MIYAZAWA Hinata, KARAHASHI Mayu, NAGANO Fuka, SHIMANO Mio, YAKATA Miyu
FW: TAKAHASHI Hana

Substitutes
GK: MIZUGUCHI Mayu
DF: TOMITA Miyu, KANEKATSU Rio, ONO Nana
MF: KANNO Oto
FW: TAKARADA Saori, MATSUMOTO Manaka, UEKI Riko, ENDO Jun

HT   TAKAHASHI Hana → UEKI Riko
63'   YAKATA Miyu → TAKARADA Saori
63'   SHIMANO Mio → KANNO Oto
68'   FUNAKI Nodoka → KANEKATSU Rio
68'   KARAHASHI Mayu → ONO Nana
80'   MIYAZAWA Hinata → ENDO Jun

Match Report

In the opening match of the CFA International Women’s Youth Tournament 2016 Weifang, U-17 Japan Women’s National Team took on Canada, who will play the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016.

The match kicked off at 16:00 under a cloudy sky. In the 3rd minute, NAGANO Fuka fired a free kick from the left centre just outside of the box, but her shot went inches wide. In the 22nd minute, TAKAHASHI Hana received the ball in the advanced central area of the field from KARAHASHI Mayu and took a shot, but the goalkeeper saved it. Although Japan earned a corner kick in added time, it was cleared by a defender before finishing the first half 0-0.

UEKI Riko, coming off the bench at the beginning of the second half, beat defenders with dribbling to launch a shot just off target. In the 63rd minute, Japan conceded a goal through a counterattack that was initiated from the defensive line.

Then, Japan sent in TAKARADA Saori and KANNO Oto in the 63rd minute and KANEKATSU Rio and ONO Nana in the 68th minute in attempt to come back.

In the 85th minute, Takarada cut in with dribbling and fired a shot after receiving the ball from Kanekatsu on the left flank. ENDO Jun tapped in the deflection by the goalkeeper to draw her team level. In the 88th minute, Endo met Ueki's right cross to turn the score around. In added time, after intercepting a pass from the goalkeeper, Endo found the back of the net for a hat trick. Japan finished the opening match with a 3-1 victory.

They will face the host country China in their second match kicking off on Thursday 14 July at 19:35. 

Coach and Players' Comments

KUSUNOSE Naoki, Coach
We kept the possession from the start but had a hard time finding space behind defenders. Having a height advantage, Canada demonstrated vigour and strength in the battles for the ball against our dribbling. We gave up a goal from a counterattack in the second half but were successful in coming back in the closing minutes of the match to win the opening match. Ahead of the World Cup, it was a great experience for us playing against opponents who've got a long reach and power. We will sort out the issues and make the best possible preparation for the next China match.

MF #14  SHIMANO Mio (Otemon Gakuin Senior High School)
It's my second call-up and there’s a lot of things to get used to. But I got a chance to play today, so I tried my best in the match. I wasn't strong enough to cope with the opponents' physical strength and pace, but I was able to come through when battling and keeping the ball. While improving those aspects, I will try to be aware of my weaknesses like quick close-out on defence and quality of passes during the rest of training and matches. We found lots of things to improve as an individual and as a team. I will try to communicate and make things better.

MF #10  NAGANO Fuka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Youth)
In the first half of today's match, we ended up playing at their pace and failed to perform in the way we wanted. Getting into the second half, we picked up the attacking rhythm by fixing the distance between players which resulted in goals. I felt that it's important to tell what each player feels during a game and try to improve the things that are going against us.

FW #20  ENDO Jun (JFA academy FUKUSHIMA)
Today's match was the opener of our China trip, and we played against Canada. Canadian players were physically taller and stronger than us. In the first half, we played in a new formation, and the roles of each player weren't clear. As a result, we end up losing the ball. We also didn't have a clear understanding of where and how to win it back. The first half finished scoreless.

We conceded a goal in the second half and got into a tough situation. But compared to the first half, we had better possession of the ball and thus gaining shooting chances by finding space behind the opponents and accelerating the passing speed.

I was sent on to the pitch in the 80th minute. It was great that we scored a goal when we were in a tough situation with 1-0 down. With this equaliser, the flow of the game changed, and we exerted more pressure up front and increased our passing tempo. As a result, we were able to score a go-ahead goal. We added one more goal and finished the match 3-1. I'm pleased with the win. We hope to win the remaining two matches and finish this trip favourably to play well for the upcoming World Cup. 

Schedule

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