The 38th Empress's Cup All Japan Women's Football Tournament saw two third-round matches taking place at the Fujieda Sports Complex Park Stadium on Thursday 3 November.

Pick-up Match 1

Nippon TV Beleza (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Tokyo） 8-1（4-1, 4-0）Ehime FC (Nadeshiko Division 2/ Ehime)

The first match was the encounter between the current Nadeshiko League Division 1 champions, Nippon TV Beleza (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Tokyo), and Ehime FC (Nadeshiko Division 2/ Ehime). Powehouse Beleza scored 12 goals in their first match and advanced to the third round of the competition.

Beleza took a lead three minutes into the game, as TANAKA Mina received the ball from a deep vertical pass and calmly fired to the left corner of the goal. On the other hand, Ehime had their own chances attacking from both flanks. Just as in the opening minutes of the game, where they had a one-on-one scoring opportunity with the opponents’ goalkeeper, in the 16th minute, they exploited the space behind the backline and YAMASHIRO Miyuki broke loose of the defenders to strike an equaliser.

However, Beleza took control of the match by pressing the opponents upfront and cornering the them to steal the ball. After regaining possession, they simply advanced the ball forward and looked for their scoring chances. Then, in the 18th minute, HASEGAWA Yui scored the go-ahead goal. Before the end of the first half, they added two more goals from set plays and led 4-1 at the break.

Beleza with the commanding lead kept their momentum in the second half and tallied two additional goals in the 55th and the 57th minutes, where Hasegawa completed a hat-trick. However, Ehime never gave up the game and attacked relentlessly. In the 76th minute, OYA Ayumi managed to steal the ball and struck a shot at goal with her right foot, but failed to score. Then, it was Beleza who scored a minute later and added their eighth goal in injury time. Beleza with a convincing 8-1 victory advanced to the quarter-finals.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Pick-up Match 2

IGA FOOTBALL CLUB KUNOICHI (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Mie） 0-2（0-1, 0-1）Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Saitama)

The second match saw the meeting between Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Saitama) and IGA FOOTBALL CLUB KUNOICHI (Nadeshiko Division 1/ Mie). Both teams advanced to the quarter-finals last year, but failed to reach the semi-finals. During this season, they squared off against each other twice in the Division 1 league matches, and Urawa won both of them.

Powerhouse Urawa are known for their swiftness, relentless pursuit to victory and strength in battles for the ball. In the 26th minute, they created a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, but failed to open the scoring. Then, in the 32nd minute, KATO Chika dashed to find the long ball and attempted to fire an opener, but her shot went above the cross bar. After 35 minutes, their persistence finally resulted in a goal, as NAOMOTO Hikaru pressured the opponents’ goalkeeper and stole the ball from her, feeding GOTO Michi with a cross ball. Her shot was unsuccessful, but Naomoto reacted to the loose ball and slotted home the much-awaited opener for Urawa.

Urawa continued to attack aggressively in the second half. In the 57th minute, after regaining possession in the opposing half, they coordinated their play finding SHIOKOSHI Yuzuho, who sent a cross towards the far side. There came onrushing Goto, who fired the second goal for Urawa with her right foot and extended their lead.

On the other hand, Iga used the entire pitch and moved the ball around, while putting more players in offence to open their scoring. However, the opponents defended solidly, and they only had one attempt at goal in the second half. Urawa who continued to manage the game well until the final whistle came on top of the contest and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Empress Cup.

The remaining 6 third-round matches will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November in the Fujieda Sports Complex Park Stadium or the Coca Cola West Stadium in Hiroshima. After these matches, the eight teams advancing to the quarter-finals will be decided.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Coach's and Players' Comments

NODA Akemi, Coach (IGA FOOTBALL CLUB KUNOICHI)
We were utterly beaten today. Urawa were powerful and they came out even stronger than in the league games. Against the players who kept running for the ball, we had difficulties picking up second balls and allowied the opponents to take control of the match. In the first half, when we had the early initiative, we failed to score and ended up conceding goal from our mistake. I think this characterises exactly how we played this year. Since I signed up for the coach in the middle of this season, all the players tried their best to adapt to the new playing style. However, there are still times that our performance is affected by factors such as the weather and the pitch condition. I know we still have a long way to go.

HASEGAWA Yui (Nippon TV Beleza)
Today we were able display our strengths in individual skills, battles for the ball and quick transitions. When we won the title two years ago, we had such a wonderful team with strong motivation. We are now using that squad as our benchmark. I believe that we surpassed that standard in many aspects including swiftness and speed of transition. In the second-round match, I was not disappointed since I created many scoring chances from the left side I play, but I did not score that day. Prior to the match, I told my teammate, ARIYOSHI Saori, ‘I really want to score today’. I am enthralled that not only I scored goals but completed a hat-trick.

HARUYAMA Saori (Ehime FC)
Beleza were better in every aspect of the game. When we scored a goal, I thought we had a chance to win the match. But that was only a wake-up call to them—thereafter, they took full control of the game, making me think ‘they are the top Nadeshiko team’.

However, we still managed to show our strengths few times by passing the ball from one side to the other and using the entire pitch to build up attacking plays. If we increase the number of times we attempted such plays, at the same time improving the quality of execution, I think we will have a better chance of scoring. Since we are currently playing for the second division of the Nadeshiko league, the Empress’s Cup gave us such a wonderful opportunity for us to know our current level by experiencing matches against stronger top-flight teams.

NAOMOTO Hikaru (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
Today I focused on winning the battles for the ball. Losing the match means the end of this tournament, so we were even more focused on every play on the pitch. We barely won the previous league match, where we were pressured and forced to defend on our end. At that time, we had difficulties dealing with their press defence when we were trying to string passes with other teammates, so this time we made the necessary adjustments to rectify the problem. We have one month before the quarter-finals. What we do to prepare during that period will be the key in determining the outcome of the match.

Third Round Fixtures (11/5～6)

Fixtures and Results (Japanese version only)

38th Empress's Cup All Japan Women's Football Tournament

2016-10-22(Sat.)～2016-12-25(Sun.)

Tournament Information