NSWI Cup Second Match vs U-19 Iran Women's National Team
12 September 2017 (Tue.) Kick-off 15:00 (Local Time) Playing Time 90min. (45min×2)
Fitness Center of Qiannan Main Stadium（Duyun, China）

U-19 Japan Women's National Team 5-1 (3-0, 2-1) U-19 Iran Women's National Team

Scores
6'　      own goal（U-19 Japan Women's National Team）
36'　    MINAMI Moeka（U-19 Japan Women's National Team）
45+3'　NAGANO Fuka（U-19 Japan Women's National Team）
64'　    goal against（U-19 Iran Women's National Team）
80'　    KITAMURA Nanami（U-19 Japan Women's National Team）
89'　    MIYAMOTO Kano（U-19 Japan Women's National Team）

Starting Line-ups
GK：SUZUKI Sawako
DF：ONO Nana, NAGASHIMA Reina, MINAMI Moeka, KIZAKI Aoi
MF：NAGANO Fuka, WATANABE Mai, MURAKAMI Maho, KARAHASHI Mayu
FW：MIYAMOTO Kano, OKUMA Rana

Reserves
GK：SUZUKI Aguri
DF：KITAMURA Nanami, USHIJIMA Riko, TAKAHASHI Hana
MF：HARA Ibuki, SATO Mizuka, MIYAZAWA Hinata, KANNO Oto
FW：MURAOKA Mami, OZAWA Hiro, ENDO Jun

Substitutions
HT　MINAMI Moeka → USHIJIMA Riko
HT　NAGANO Fuka → KANNO Oto
62'   KIZAKI Aoi → KITAMURA Nanami

Match Report

On Tuesday 12 September, U-19 Japan Women’s National Team squared off against U-19 Iran in their second match of the NSWI Cup CFA International Women’s Youth Football Tournament Duyun 2017.

In the game that started at 15:00, Japan got off to an excellent start by scoring early in the match. In the 6th minute, forward MIYAMOTO Kano was illegally taken down right in front of the penalty area and earned a free kick. Iranian player failed to clear midfielder NAGANO Fuka’s cross out of danger, but instead her poor clearance resulted in an own goal. Another scoring chance came in on 36 minutes, after the Japanese squad was awarded a free kick just to the left of the box. Defender MINAMI Moeka headed in a delivery from defender MINAMI Moeka and doubled the advantage. Scoring tally continued in the injury time, as Nagano converted the penalty to extend the lead to three goals just before halftime.

However, the first goal of the second half was scored by Iran in the 64th minute, after they directly netted a free kick. Thereafter, the game was in the balance as the young Nadeshiko squad struggled to find their attacking flair. However, after 80 minutes, substitute defender KITAMURA Nanami struck a dazzling shot into the Iranian net to reclaim the three-goal lead. In the closing minutes of the game, Miyamoto headed home a cross by defender USHIJIMA Riko, before U-19 Japan grabbed their first victory in the tournament with a comprehensive 5-1 win over Iran.

Players' Comments

DF ＃17 KITAMURA Nanami (CEREZO OSAKA SAKAI LADIES)
We dominated possession from the beginning of the match, but we had tough stretches from making simple errors and not knowing exactly how Iran would play. The Iranian squad had distinctive game tactics that we cannot normally come across, and I am glad we had a chance to play against them. In regards to the third match against China PR, we would certainly like to win by showcasing our style of football.

MF ＃15 NAGANO Fuka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
I am glad that we secured three points in the game today. However, the quality of finishing, passing and controlling was not good enough, and we lacked attacking creativity as well. After a sub-par performance today, we are left with plenty of issues that we need to work on. The next match will be last game of our China tour. We are certainly looking to get all three points by making the necessary adjustments from today’s game.

MF ＃20 MURAKAMI Maho (Waseda University)
We lost the previous match against USA, and today we were all aiming to win as a one united team. As a result, we grabbed a 5-1 victory, which was exactly what we were looking for, but at the same time found many areas that we need to work on as well. There were times when we were unable to execute some of the fundamental techniques or were slow in making both offensive and defensive transitions. We should have played with more tenacity and I felt that we got to improve the quality every single one of our plays as well. However, I must add that by watching the replay of Iran match prior to the game, we did have plays where we shares the same idea and executed well. We only have a day before we face China PR and are looking to improve as individuals and as a team in order to win the last match of the tournament.

Schedule

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

【NSWI Cup CFA International Women’s Youth Football Tournament Duyun 2017】
Particiapting Countries: China PR, Iran, USA, and Japan / Format: Round-robin tournament