On Monday March 7, Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) played their fourth match of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Asian Qualifiers Final Round against Vietnam at Kincho Stadium in Osaka. Despite the 6-1 win, their elimination from the Olympic spot race was determined as China won against Korea Republic before Japan’s match kicked off. Now that Japan will not be able to finish higher than third place, their fourth consecutive, fifth total, Olympic berth is determined as out of their reach. 

Japan replaced eight starters after the match against China three days ago, with two strikers IWABUCHI Mana and TAKASE Megumi placed upfront. YAMASHITA Ayaka took the goalkeeper position and the defence line was consisted of NAKAJIMA Emi on the right together with IWASHIMIZU Azusa, TANAKA Asuna and ARIYOSHI Saori. KAMIONOBE Megumi and KAWAMURA Yuri played the defensive midfielders as KAWASUMI Nahomi and OHNO Shinobu were right and left wingers. 

Japan’s fate of not advancing to the Olympics was determined before their match started because earlier on the day China won their own 1-0. However, Japan came out aggressively from the start, moving the ball around. In the 12th minute, Iwabuchi hit the goal post with her shot off Tanaka’s feed. In the 27th, Tanaka tried head one home from a cross ball right after a corner kick. 

Against Vietnam, who used almost the same line-up as their third contest and kept stable defence, Japan struggled to find the back of the net. At the halfway in the first half, they shuffled the positions of some players on the pitch when Ariyoshi moved to right full-back, Nakajima to one of the defensive midfielders and Kamionobe to left full-back in an attempt to create more offence.

Then the first goal of the match came 39th minutes after the kick-off. Nakajima, with a pass from Kamionobe, fed a cross from left into the middle, which was put into the goal by Iwabuchi with her right-foot. 

Two minutes after that, however, Vietnam’s forward Nguyen Thi Hoa penetrated into Japan’s penalty box and got illegally brought down by Iwashimizu. A penalty kick was awarded for that foul to Vietnam and forward Huynh Nhu converted it to tie the match and at the same time to record the first goal in this tournament by the Vietnam squad.

Japan bounced back immediately as well. In the 45th minute, Iwabuchi deflected a cross from Ariyoshi on the right to Ohno, who left-footed it to gain the lead again.

Japan kept the initiative in the second half as Ohno and Iwabuchi repeatedly created chances and also Nakajima in the 55th minute fired a mid-range shot hitting the cross bar. 

In the 67th minute, OGIMI Yuki and YOKOYAMA Kumi were sent in place of two forwards, Iwabuchi and Ohno. Ogimi soon showed her capability by threatening Vietnam's goal in the 68th and 73rd minutes. Then in the 80th Ogimi set up Kawasumi’s header goal by feeding a cross from the left flank. Three minutes later, Nakajima took advantage of a through ball from Iwashimizu to score the fourth goal of her team. In the 90th minute, the rebounding ball of a shot by MIYAMA Aya, who came off the bench on this day, was put in by Yokoyama with her left foot to extend the lead to four. In the stoppage time, Kawasumi’s cross was volleyed into the back of the net by Ogimi to seal the first win in the tournament for Japan with the 6-1 score.

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As a result, Japan moved up one place to fourth in the standing with one win, two losses, one draw and the total four points. With one more matchday remaining, leaders Australia are with their latest 2-1 win against DPR Korea and the total twelve points, followed by China who beat Korea Republic to add up points to 10. As those two countries now enjoy the safe enough lead of more than four points to third-placed DPR Korea with 5 points, Australia and China will take top two places, and eventually the two Olympic spots, regardless of the outcome of the last matchday. Korea Republic with two points and Vietnam with zero are being placed at fifth and sixth respectively. 

Japan will play against DPR Korea on the last matchday of the tournament on Wednesday 9. 

Coach and Players' Comments

SASAKI Norio, Coach
My players remained focused to play today’s match until the end and kept attacking, convinced that it all starts with this match to the next FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics. We lost the first match, and that made it difficult for us to get on a good rhythm. We failed to turn it around in the second match as well. Those two matches impacted the next one against China. Needless to say about the improving Asian football, small things made a difference.

Considering Australia and China were playing many matches before this tournament started, now I regret that we should have played more matches as well. As the coach of this team, I am the most responsible. As women’s football in the world, including in Asia, are changing, what Nadeshiko Japan are required to do is to regroup ourselves to prepare for three and four years later. 

MF #8  MIYAMA Aya (OKAYAMA YUNOGO BELLE)
We let go the opportunity to provide this great stage of Olympics, one before Tokyo, to all the people supporting us and all girls players who are dreaming of playing for this national team. We couldn’t pass on the streak that the players before us kept passing on. I feel so responsible for not being able to fulfill those things. Rather than saying what was missing, simply we, including myself, were not good enough. How we will challenge other teams in the world and what kind of style we will aim to play, we will have to rebuild. (In the last match left to play) I want to go out and prove what we have built up.

DF #3  IWASHIMIZU Azusa (NIPPON TV BELEZA)
Before our match, we already knew the outcome (of Japan’s elimination from the Olympic qualification). But all we had to do was to get ready for the match in front of us, so I was ready mentally. If we don’t take what we did today to the next match, it’s impossible to take that even further. So I will do my best again in the next match. 

Duc Chung MAI, Coach (Vietnam Women's National Team)
We wanted to play with fighting spirit and do as much as we could do, but we missed the finishing touches and allowed three goals in the last 10 minutes or so. It’s just that Japan played better than us. 

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