The 3rd Delle Nazioni Tournament Final vs U-16 USA Women's National Team
Sun. 29 April 18:00 kick-off Playing Time 80min. (40min.x2)
Gradisca, Italy

U-16 Japan Women's National Team 0-5 (0-1, 0-4) U-16 USA Women's National Team

Scores
1' Goal against (U-16 USA Women's National Team)
51' Goal against (U-16 USA Women's National Team)
58' Goal against (U-16 USA Women's National Team)
68' Goal against (U-16 USA Women's National Team)
80+4' Goal against (U-16 USA Women's National Team)

Starting Line-ups
GK: NAKAZONO Karen
DF: TOKUNAGA Miyabi, KAWAGISHI Emika, TABATA Haruna, SUGISAWA Mihoshi
MF: MOMONO Miyuka, IWASAKI Kokona, WATANABE Urara, ONISHI Wakana
FW: SHIROWA Reina, YAMASAKI Aimi

Reserves
GK: ISHIDA Kokona
DF: TAMAGAWA Mina
MF: ITO Megumi, IDO Keito, TAKAWA Serika, TSUKIJI Iku
FW: SHIMADA Mei, NODA Miyuu

Substitutions
35' MOMONO Miyuka → TAKAWA Serika
57' ONISHI Wakana → ITO Megumi
63' WATANABE Urara → TSUKIJI Iku
70' IWASAKI Kokona → SHIMADA Mei
76' TOKUNAGA Miyabi → IDO Keito
76' SHIROWA Reina → NODA Miyuu
80+4' NAKAZONO Karen → ISHIDA Kokona

Match Report

Under a tense atmosphere at the pitch, the match kicked off at 18:00.

After just one minute, Japan conceded a goal from a left cross.

In the seventh minute, Japanese midfielder ONISHI Wakana delivered the ball to IWASAKI Kokona in the centre, who then combined with forward SHIROWA Reina, playing a give and go with the striker before taking a shot, but her attempt could not find the net.

Despite their strong intention to score a goal, Japan struggled to find their rhythm. In the 27th minute, Shirowa penetrated the box from the right side, but failed to take a shot. The match went into half time with a 1-0 USA lead.

Trailing by a goal, Japan created an opportunity 30 seconds into the second half. TAKAWA Serika dished out a pass to Iwasaki, who sent a through ball to Shirowa in the goal area, but their timing was slightly off. Few moments later, the ball was passed from Takawa to Iwasaki, who then delivered a cross towards the centre, but this attempt was called offside.

Seeking for the equaliser, Japan kept on attacking aggressively. However, they went onto concede consecutive goals from the USA side. In the 51st minute the team gave up a goal from a cross delivered from the right side, followed by another cross seven minutes later, which this time delivered from the left side went in directly. Now down by three goals and in desperate need to score a goal, Japanese substitute ITO Megumi delivered a long feed from right to left. Midfielder WATANABE Urara was the recipient of this delivery, who then passed the ball, allowing Takawa to take a shot from the outside of the box, but her attempt could not score a goal for Japan. Conversely, Japan gave up the fourth goal when they lost possession of the ball in the 68th minute, further extending their deficit to 0-4.

In the 77th minute, TSUKIJI Iku received the ball at the centre, and passed it to NODA Miyuu. The ball was then delivered to Takawa. who took a shot from long-distance, but once again failed to find the back of the net. In additional time a penalty was given to the USA side, who converted the spot kick to end the match with the final score of 0-5.

With the conclusion of this match, Japan finished as the runners-up in the tournament.

Players' Comments

DF #2 TOKUNAGA Miyabi (Hinomoto Gakuen Senior High School)

We entered the match with strong intentions to win the match, but unfortunately we lost with a huge margin of 0-5. It’s very disappointing, but we must acknowledge the fact most of the goals we conceded from our own mistakes, and there were plenty of goal scoring opportunities for us as well. We must not forget this match and train hard to improve ourselves once we return to Japan. Although we couldn’t bring home the title, we learned so much about ourselves, and the tournament served as a great experience for us.

DF #6 KAWAGISHI Emika (Cerezo Osaka Sakai Academy)
We entered the match today with the intention to showcase our strengths while eliminating our own mistakes. However, we conceded early in the match when our opponents broke through from a through ball. We struggled to find our rhythm after that goal, and made many mistakes that disabled us from scoring the equaliser in the first half. We managed to reset our mind-set at half time, kept a positive intention, and fought hard as a team, but lost 5-0.

I have been able to find out what I lack through these matches including the USA match. In offence I must keep a wider vision, make better decisions and pass with more accuracy. In defence I need to approach with a strategy facing larger opponents with faster speed. For example I need to shove my body against my opponents so that I don’t give them free space when our defence line is drifting back. We failed to take home the title, but we gained so much during this tournament, and it was truly a precious time for me. Through this tournament I was able to find out what I lack, and what I need to improve in order for us to compete in the top flight of the world. I will continue to work hard once I return to my team in Japan.

FW #9 SHIMADA Mei (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Youth)
We faced the USA National Team today, and we were beaten severely with a score of 0-5. I entered the match as a substitute and I was focused on changing the rhythm of the match. As a striker, I wanted to contribute to the team by scoring goals, but in the past four matches, I could not score any goals.

During this tour, I found many tasks for myself. One of the biggest task is to reduce errors. One simple error can cost the team greatly, so I felt the need to control the ball with perfection. All four matches were tough matches, but we managed to play through as a team, and I am very grateful for that. We failed to win the championship, and I feel like it shows where we stand in the world right now. Once I return to my club team, I will work hard to improve myself with a detailed plan and feed off our experience here.

Schedule

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

The 3rd Delle Nazioni Tournament

Tournament dates: Wed. 25 April - Sun. 29 April 2018
Tournament information