Three days following their first match against the USA Women's National Team at the 2019 SheBelieves Cup, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) faced the Brazil Women's National Team on Saturday 2 March in Nashville, Tennessee.

In their second match of the tournament, Coach TAKAKURA Asako elected to start fresh players as she rotated seven players from the starting line-up of their match against the USA. In this match MINAMI Moeka and MIYAGAWA Asato made their national team debut.

It was Japan who was the aggressor in the early minutes of the match, as YOKOYAMA Kumi started the action by taking a shot from a freekick. In the eighth minute, NAKAJIMA Emi, who wore the armband in this match, struck a shot from distance, followed by an attempt made by MOMIKI Yuka in the 23rd minute.

Brazil responded with a powerful shot taken by their ace, MARTA to threaten the Japanese goal. Through their aggressive approach, the Brazilian side gradually took control of the match.

However, the young centre halves, OGA Risako and Minami showed their brilliance to control the defence line, while the veteran midfielders, UTSUGI Rumi and Nakajima did well to support the defenders and denied the Brazilian side from creating a critical opportunity.

While their defence showed great persistency, the Japanese offence managed to capture the opening goal just before the end of the first half. In the 44th minute, Momiki received the final pass from Nakajima to deliver a lobbing shot over the head of the opposing goalkeeper to give Japan the 1-0 lead at halftime.

In efforts to level the match, Brazil came out attacking in the second half, as they applied more pressure upfront to force Japan out of their comfort zone. Despite the persistent efforts made by the Japanese defence, the equaliser came in the 57th minute when Brazil’s DEBINHA converted a loose ball in the goal area.

After conceding the goal, Coach Takakura made the decision to bring in SAMESHIMA Aya, HASEGAWA Yui, ENDO Jun, KOBAYASHI Rikako, and SUGITA Hina, to change the dynamics of the match.

With Sameshima showing her effectiveness at the left fullback position, and Endo making attempts to dribble through the opposing end, Japan regained their momentum. The golden moment came in the 81st minute when the second half substitute Kobayashi struck a header off a perfect cross delivered by Momiki to give Japan the lead once again. Four minutes later, Hasegawa responded to a through ball sent by Momiki to score the insurance goal, as the match ended with a final score of 3-1 in favour of Japan.

Match details

After finishing their first two matches with a record of one win and one draw, the Nadeshiko Japan will now travel to Tampa, Florida for their final match against the England Women's National Team, who drew against the USA on this day.

The match against the England Women's National Team will take place on Tuesday 5 March at 17:25 (Wednesday 6 March 7:25 Japan time), and the match will be broadcasted live on BS Fuji.

Coach and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team)
We weren’t able to take control of the ball possession today and conceded a goal when our opponents picked up their pace in the second half. Although we were able to show great persistence in many other occasions, we had to do a better job in that scene where we conceded the goal. On the other hand, through our substitutions, we managed to make the adjustments to increase our time with the ball and execute our game plan. These matches have made it clear what we must work on. If we can make less mistakes in our decision makings at both the team and individual level, there are much more room for us to improve as a team.

DF #23 MINAMI Moeka (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
With this being my national team debut, rather than being nervous, I was more excited to face the top players of the world. I kept talking with Oga to stay alerted against the counter attacks and manage the risks against the highly talented Brazilian players. Personally, there were occasions where I wasn’t able to get myself involved in our build-up plays, so I need to be able to get more involved even when we are facing fast opponents. This match has made me realise that I still have long ways to go, so I hope to feed off of this encounter against Brazil and strive to become a better player.

FW #11 KOBAYASHI Rikako (Nippon TV Beleza)
The team conceded a goal just as we were preparing to make the substitution of four players, so we talked to each other to get the team refocused before entering the match. I was told to anticipate for the gap between the opposing defenders and midfielders, and the space behind their fullbacks, so I kept that in mind. (Reflecting on the goal scene) Momiki always delivers great crosses, so even though I got crossed up with Sugita, I was committed to score. I felt the goalkeeper was coming out to make the save, so I aimed for the corner.

FW #15 MOMIKI Yuka (Nippon TV Beleza)
In the scene where we scored the opening goal, Nakajima faked a shot before delivering the pass. Even though there were two defenders covering the area, that move gave me enough time to take a look at the goalkeeper and allowed me to convert the opportunity with ease. In these two matches, our clearances in the defensive end have not been decisive nor big enough, which has led to us conceding goals. The importance of holding individual strengths has been a key factor since the start of this team, and that’s an aspect we still need to improve on.

Schedule

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

2019 SheBelieves Cup

Tournament Dates: Wed. 27 February – Tue. 5 March 2019
All 3 matches involving Japan will be broadcasted live on BS Fuji
Tournament Information