WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Japan scored its 14th goal of the Women’s Earth Cup and conceded its 1st Saturday, beating Norway 3-1 to access the quarterfinals for the fourth time.
Hinata Miyazawa sealed the win with her fifth goal of the tournament in the 81st moment to continue to be the leading scorer. Risa Shimizu’s 50th-minute goal followed an Ingrid Syrstad Engen very own aim in the 1st half to assist give Japan its fourth straight get of the event.
With five goals the 23-year-outdated Miyazawa equals the record for a Japan participant at a Planet Cup. Homare Sawa scored 5 in 2011 when Japan won the match. She received the Golden Boot that yr.
This Japan workforce previously has scored more targets than the 2011 group.
Guro Reiten headed a superb aim for Norway in the 21st minute to conclude Japan’s flawless defensive performance and leave the groups locked 1-1 a halftime.
Following beating Spain 4- with only 23% of possession in its team-phase finale, Japan once once again was a tactical chameleon in the spherical of 16 — playing with far more than 60% of possession in a commanding performance.
Japan traded its normal blue uniform for pastel hues Saturday, pink and purple. The softer shade plan did very little to uninteresting its attacking design it pressed forward from the start and had its initial corner soon after two minutes.
“We knew Norway were being heading to participate in to their energy but all of our players really worked hard,” Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda explained. “We built several adjustments in the second fifty percent and it was good that they led to the objectives and the get.
“Whether we are No 1, we will uncover out if we continue profitable. We will locate out at the stop.”
Whilst it was ineffective, it was an early declaration of intent. With extensive balls or sharp, fast passing, Japan frequently pressed ahead and Norway, which conceded only one goal in team engage in, generally seemed rattled at the again.
When the defense last but not least yielded, it was in unusual instances. In the 15th minute Miyazawa curled the ball in from depth on the left and Engen extended her leg to parry the ball. She managed only to deflect it large of Aurora Mikalsen in intention for the eighth own target of the tournament.
Japan seemed well on top but in the 21st moment, and from the initially time in the match Norway experienced threatened, Vilda Boe Increase bought away on the ideal, took the ball to the byline and crossed to the center in which Guro Reiten stood tall and headed wide of the diving Ayaka Yamashita into the still left corner.
The target came solely in opposition to the operate of engage in. After a half-hour, Japan experienced 183 concluded passes to Norway’s 88, experienced more than 60%, 5 pictures on intention. Miyazawa, Aoba Fujino, Jun Endo and other individuals had been threatening.
Shimizu’s winner arrived in the 50th moment as Japan pushed forward yet again from midway. Miyazawa tried using to keep up the ball around objective, misplaced possession to Boe Risa, who attempted a back move but rolled the ball into the path of Shimizu hurrying in from the appropriate to rating.
“There is still a long way to go but right after we felt discouraged in 2019, I experience like we have overcome an impediment,” Shimizu said. “We’ll head to the up coming 1, but I experience we bought a definitely terrific victory now.
“Among us there had been only constructive phrases. Even when it turned 1-1, no one particular has a destructive temper. We could engage in in a really optimistic way.”
Miyazawa generated a copybook finish in the 81st, jogging on to a superb by way of ball and directing her shot large of Mikalsen.
Norway and Japan experienced achieved only after prior to at a Entire world Cup, in 1999, when Norway received 4-. Present Norway mentor Hege Riise scored on target in that match. On Saturday, Riise watched and admired the new Japan group and the excellent of its attacking engage in.
“’I’ve noticed them enjoy in the team stage and they are a good workforce with a large amount of fantastic players and strategies,” Riise stated. “The plan was for us to be robust in defense and not permit them play too a great deal into us.
“But they did well. We played stable defense some times but not very great more than enough. No matter of who and how to perform in the again 5, I would say Japan was more robust than us.”
Former Ballon d’Or-winner Ada Hegerberg started out on the bench for Norway and was launched late, indicating her health still might not have been up to scratch.”
Japan now will participate in the winner of Sweden and the United States.
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