The Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship final took place at NACK5 Stadium Omiya on Sunday 29 December, where Nippon TV Beleza (Nadeshiko1/Tokyo) squared off against Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko1/Saitama).

Final

Nippon TV Beleza 1-0 (1-0, 0-0) Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

In a fixture between the top two teams of this season’s Nadeshiko League, a total of 10,012 people crowded the stadium, as the match started with Nippon TV Beleza taking the initiative in the early minutes. The opening goal was scored in the seventh minute, when TANAKA Mina connected with a corner kick delivered by MOMIKI Yuka to give Nippon TV the lead. Following the opener, HASEGAWA Yui, SHIMIZU Risa, and Tanaka made attempts to threaten the opposing goal, but Urawa’s goalkeeper IKEDA Sakiko showcased a spectacular performance to keep the score intact. As the match progressed, Urawa gradually picked up their pace in offence, as SEIKE Kiko pressed up from the fullback position to give support to their attackers SUGASAWA Yuika and TAKAHASHI Hana.

The second half saw Urawa brining ANDO Kozue onto the pitch, as they shifted Takahashi to the left fullback position. Urawa’s inform player, MIZUTANI Yuki, was also introduced to the game midway through the second half, while Nippon TV brought on UEKI Riko in the 61st minute to change the dynamics of the game.

In the 63rd minute, Ueki dribbled up the field and fired a powerful shot, but her attempt was denied by the goalpost. Urawa responded by collecting the ball to their striker Sugasawa, but their offensive efforts were completely shutout by the Nippon TV defence, as the final whistle was blown with the defending champions holding onto the one goal lead.

As a result, Nippon TV was crowned as the first Empress's Cup champions of the Reiwa era. For the club, this was their third consecutive, and 14th overall Empress's Cup title. With this victory, Nippon TV have completed the quadruple crown (Nadeshiko League, Nadeshiko League Cup, Empress's Cup, and AFC Women's Club Championship 2019 FIFA/AFC Pilot Tournament) for this season.

Ahead of this final, many events to promote women’s football were held at the match venue. At the booth to support the Japanese Bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, actual trophies from the FIFA Women’s World Cup were on display, as visitors took pictures of the championship trophies won by three different categories of the Japan Women’s National Team.

Coaches and Players' Comments

NAGATA Masato, Coach (Nippon TV Beleza)
We entered the match with the intention to apply aggressive pressure from our frontline, and our players did well to execute the game plan to force turnovers. However, we wanted to apply more pressure against our opponent, so we made the necessary adjustments during halftime. We managed to defend well, capitalise on our opportunity, and take control of the match to earn this victory.

FW #9 TANAKA Mina (Nippon TV Beleza)
We had to endure a very tough season, but I feel like everything was paid off by this victory. In the scene where I scored the goal, Momiki made a good decision to deliver that ball. I feel very fortunate that I was able to score the game winner. Our team showed great persistency to hold onto the lead. As the team captain, I am very proud of our team to win the quadruple crown.

MORI Eiji, Coach (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
We conceded a goal way too early in this match. Although we tried to initiate our attacks by collecting the ball to our two strikers, it didn’t go as we planned. The early goal has caused us to lose our composure, so we must be able to maintain our composure in such situations. To be honest, I am surprised that we were able to make a deep run in my first season as the head coach. I though it would take much longer to make it this far, so I am grateful for our players.

FW #7 TAKAHASHI Hana (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
Sugasawa did great to hold onto the ball upfront, but we fell short from scoring a goal today. Although we lost to them at the final, we managed to win against Nippon TV during the regular season, and also win against INAC Kobe Leonessa at the Empress's Cup semi-finals. I was given the opportunity to challenge many positions and this season has given me a great learning experience. We will continue to work hard so that we can deliver a championship title to our supporters next season.

Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Sat. 2 November - Sun. 29 December 2019
【1st Round】Sat. 2 & Sun. 3 November
【2nd Round】Sat. 23 & Sun. 24 November
【3rd Round】Sat. 30 November & Sun. 1 December
【Quarterfinals】Sun. 8 December
【Semi-Finals】Sun. 22 December
【Final】Sun. 29 December

Tournament Information