U-16 Japan Women's National Team starts off with two consecutive wins at the 4th Delle Nazioni Tournament #football

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:36:37 +0900
U-16 Japan Women's National Team starts off with two consecutive wins at the 4th Delle Nazioni Tournament

The 4th Delle Nazioni Tournament vs U-17 Russia Women's National Team
Mon. 29 April 2019 18:00 (Local time) Match duration 70mins (35mins×2)
Latisana, Italy

U-16 Japan Women's National Team 2-0 (1-0, 1-0) U-17 Russia Women's National Team

Scores
25' NISHIO Hanon (U-16 Japan Women's National Team)
58' HAMANO Maika (U-16 Japan Women's National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: NODA Nina
DF: KOYAMA Shinomi, AMANO Suzu, ISHIKAWA Rion, ASAKURA Kanako
MF: KIMURA Sana, OYAMA Aemu, OGIKUBO Yuri, MATSUO Mizuki
FW: NISHIO Hanon, MUNAKATA Minami

Reserves
GK: HATTORI Momoka
DF: HAZEKAWA Yuna, HAYASHI Manaka
MF: OTA Moe, MINOWA Chisato, TANNO Ririka
FW: NISHIKIORI Miki, HAMANO Maika

Substitutions
HT KIMURA Sana → MINOWA Chisato
44' MATSUO Mizuki → HAMANO Maika
44' MUNAKATA Minami → TANNO Ririka
47' ASAKURA Kanako → HAZEKAWA Yuna
62' KOYAMA Shinomi → HAYASHI Manaka
68' NISHIO Hanon → NISHIKIORI Miki

Match Report

The U-16 Japan Women's National Team played their second match of the 4th Delle Nazioni Tournament against the U-17 Russia Women's National Team on Monday 29 April.

Prior to the match, Coach KANO Michihisa told his players, “Never give up and make every play count.”

With the rain pouring down from the morning, the pitch condition was not ideal at the time of kick-off, but Japan managed to create opportunities from the early minutes. In the sixth minute, MUNAKATA Minami responded to a pass delivered by OYAMA Aemu to penetrate the space behind the opposing defence and struck a shot, which was blocked by the goalkeeper. Three minutes later, MATSUO Mizuki threatened the Russian goal with a cross delivered from the flank, but the play fell short from scoring a goal. The opening goal came in the 25th minute, when NISHIO Hanon connected with the freekick delivered by ISHIKAWA Rion to give Japan a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Japan continued to take the initiative in the second half. A close opportunity was created in the 50th minute, when Nishio chased down a through ball delivered by OGIKUBO Yuri, before sending a cross to the middle, but the play was denied by the opposing goalkeeper. Second half substitute, HAMANO Maika scored the second goal in the 58th minute, when she intercepted a pass from the Russian defender and dribbled her way into the goal. Japan managed to hold onto their lead to earn a 2-0 clean sheet victory in their second match.

With the group lead at stake, Japan will now face the U-17 Macedonia Women's National Team on Wednesday 1 May.

Players' Comments

DF #5 HAZEKAWA Yuna (Seiwa Gakuen High School)
We faced a stronger opponent than the first match, but we were able to make adjustments in the areas we didn’t do well in our previous match and managed to enter the match in great form as a team. I entered the match as a late substitute, but I wasn’t able to adjust to the pace and couldn’t showcase my usual performance, so I will prepare myself well ahead of our next match against Macedonia and enter the match in good condition.

MF #16 OYAMA Aemu (Nippon TV Menina)
Prior to the match, we talked about the importance to always be prepared and increase the intensity from our first match against Italy. This was the first time I was named in the starting line-up, so I was a bit nervous, but I was able to get myself involved in more plays and win the ball in the air, which gave me confidence that I can compete against foreign players. We have now won two consecutive matches, but we must stay focused and give our best performance to advance through the group stage as the group leader.

FW #20 HAMANO Maika (Cerezo Osaka Sakai Girls)
As a late substitute, I entered the match with the intention to change the dynamics of the match. Compared to our first match against Italy, we faced less pressure when we had the ball, but we still made bad decisions in certain occasions. However, we made positive adjustments from our first match and managed to score a goal after forcing a good turnover in defence. We hope to make the necessary adjustments to improve ourselves in our next match and earn another victory.