On Monday 3 April, the U-16 Japan Women's National Team played their first match of the Montaigu Tournament against the Norway Women's National Team.

Japan scored the opening goal in the 10th minute, when SHINJO Miharu (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Menina) intercepted an opponent’s pass before delivering a through ball to MOTEKI Mihiro (Omiya Ardija Ventus U15), who calmly slotted the ball into the net.

Despite taking the initiative of the match, Japan struggled to create chances facing the athleticism displayed by the Norwegian players. However, Japan’s second goal came in the 32nd minute, when NEZU Ririka (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-15) responded to a cross sent by AOKI Yuna (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Menina) to setup the shot of Moteki, who scored her second goal of the match.

With momentum on their side, Japan continued to show their dominance in the second half. After IWAKI Kotomi (Tochigi SC Ladies) capitalised on a corner kick in the 76th minute, HAYASHI Tsubaki (JFA Academy Fukushima) followed by converting a cross sent by Nezu in the 77th minute, as Japan walked away with a 4-0 victory.

Players' Comments

DF #23 AOKI Yuna (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Menina)
The first thing that came to mind after playing this match was the joy of playing football. It was so much fun thinking about how we could score goals and defend against faster and taller opponents. However, it wasn't all fun and games, as we struggled to play our game when our opponents came out applying pressure from their frontline. This match reminded us of the importance of communication, challenge, and ball possession. We will try to make the most of this match to showcase a better performance in our next match. I'll try my hardest to come out on top of this tournament, keeping in mind that I could not play in such a wonderful setting without the help of so many people. I'll try my hardest to come out on top of this competition, while keeping in mind that we are able to play in such a great environment because of the support of so many people.

MF #8 NAKAHIRA Rena (INAC Kobe Tesoro)
I felt a bit uneasy in this match against Norway because I played in a different position than usual. The Norwegian players were fast and strong and would crush us if we were slow in making our decisions, so we had to be aware of our surroundings before receiving the ball. In defence, I made conscious efforts to keep myself in position where I could anticipate and aim for interceptions. Although we had our share of successful and unsuccessful moments, it felt like there were more unsuccessful moments in this game. Even so, given that this was only our first game of the competition, we will work hard to get better as we play more games, and I'll try to make the most of this experience to support my team once I get back to Japan.

MF #20 KIKUCHI Hana (Hokkaido Consadole Asahikawa U-15)
First of all, I am happy to participate in this international tournament. This first match against Norway has brought to light a lot of things I could and could not do. I entered the game intending to apply intense pressure in an effort to gain possession of the ball and score goals. I felt that I would need to gain strength in order to compete against players from other nations in the future because they are physically much stronger than I am. I want to play with all my might, maintain communication with my teammates, and increase my passing accuracy in the second game. In addition to playing with a sense of gratitude for everyone who helped make this tournament possible, I'll keep trying to improve as a player.

Montaigu Tournament

Tournament Dates: Mon. 3 - Sun. 9 April 2023
Tournament Information

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