On Friday 16 November, the U-17 Japan Women’s National Team faced the U-17 South Africa Women’s National Team in their second group stage match at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Uruguay 2018.

Following their first match against Brazil, Japan rotated six players from their starting line-up. Despite seeing South Africa take the initiative in the early minutes, Japan took control of the match as they started to show good ball movements. The opening goal came in the fourth minute, when OSAWA Haruka reacted to a ball delivered by NISHINO Akane before taking a shot. Her shot captured the goal and gave Japan their first goal of the tournament.

Japan continued to show their dominance, as their second goal came in the 23rd minute, when NAKAO Momo picked out ITO Sara in the right flank, who delivered a cross towards the centre. Osawa converted the cross with a superb volley to make the score 2-0. In the 37th minute, Osawa penetrated the penalty area after receiving the ball from YAMAMOTO Yuzuki. She was then fouled in the area by Jessica WADE, giving Japan a penalty kick. TANAKA Tomoko converted this spot kick to further extend the lead for Japan.

Just before the end of the first half, Ito Sara converted a loose ball created by Osawa’s blocked shot, sending the match into halftime with a 4-0 lead for Japan.

The Japanese side did not show signs of slowing down in the second half, as KINOSHITA Momoka earned a penalty kick in the 55th minute. This time, Ito Sara took the spot kick to score their fifth goal.

Coach IKEDA Futoshi sent out ISHIDA Chihiro, IWAI Ran, and ITO Yuria in the second half, as they all earned their first pitch appearance of this tournament, while TOMIOKA Chihiro was seen with the arm band in the second half.

In efforts to rally back, South Africa brought in new players in their flanks. Their approach seemed to be effective especially following the 80th minute mark, as they took advantage of their athleticism and strong physiques. However, with the persistent efforts made by the Japanese defence line led by NAGAE Ibuki and the quick transitions shown by YOSHIZUMI Warai denied South Africa from scoring a goal.

The match was capped off by another goal scored by Japan in additional time, as Yamamoto capitalised on a cross delivered by Tanaka. As result, Japan earned their first win of the tournament with a final score of 6-0.

With this win, Japan is now tied with Mexico, who they will face in their next group match, with four points, but has taken the group lead in goal differentials.

Osawa was named as the player of the match with her two goals.

The U-17 Japan Women’s National Team will now face the U-17 Mexico Women’s National Team on Tuesday 20 November.

Players’ Comments

DF #6 ITO Sara (Nippon TV Menina)
In order to advance through the group stage, our goal was not just to win the match, but to win with as many goals possible. In that sense, the fact that we managed to score many goals in the first half has helped us gain confidence to play through the match. I played as a fullback in our match against Brazil, but I was given the opportunity to play in a more advance position today, so I was very eager to score a goal today and I am glad I managed to score two goals. This win should give us great momentum heading into our match against Mexico, so we will continue to prepare ourselves well as a team. I don’t know which position I will play next, but I will just focus on giving my very best for the team.

MF #10 NAKAO Momo (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-18)
After failing to score a goal in our first match, we focused on taking as many shots possible. Haruka’s (Osawa) early goal allowed us to play with great confidence. With this being my first match of the tournament, I thought I would get nervous, but my teammates encouraged me to just have fun, and that helped me relax and enjoy the game. I personally focused on making the interceptions in the midfield and to enjoy the plays in front of the goal. Today, our forwards did a great job to eliminate the pass courses and deny the opponents from playing the long balls, so it made it easier for us midfielders to intercept the ball. We will be facing another tough match, but we will work hard as a team and earn our spot into the next round.

FW #12 OSAWA Haruka (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-18)
I am glad that I was able to keep my composure and score the first goal in the early minutes. I don’t really remember the scene in detail, but I am just really happy. In our match against Brazil, I wasn’t able to take many shots, despite carrying the ball upfront in many occasions, so I was committed to take as many shots possible today. The fact that we managed to reset our minds and analyse the match as a team following the Brazil match has helped us earn today’s win. I am very happy that we managed to win the match as a team while I scored goals at the same time.

Schedule

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

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Uruguay 2018

Tournament Dates: Tue. 13 November - Sat. 1 December 2018
Third Match: Tue. 20 November 14:00 (Wed. 21 November 2:00 Japan time) vs Mexico
TV Broadcasting: Live at Fuji Television NEXT

Tournament Information