On Saturday 30 November, three third round fixtures of the Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship took place, as Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko1/Saitama) faced Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita (Nadeshiko2/ Shizuoka) in Shizuoka.

Pick-up Match

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (Nadeshiko1/Saitama) 3-0 (1-0, 2-0) Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita (Nadeshiko2/Shizuoka)

In the match between the division one side and division two side of the Nadeshiko League, both teams started out passively to test the water, as Urawa’s coach MORI Eiji mentioned, “We had various plans depending on how our opponent was going to come out.”

Urawa’s lone striker SEIKE Kiko made numerous runs to exploit the opposing defence, while SASAKI Mayu possessed the ball in the midfield to keep Iwata guessing. With Urawa taking the initiative of the match, the opening goal came in the 18th minute, when ANDO Kozue converted a pass from Sasaki to give the division one side an early lead.

Gaining momentum from the opening goal, Urawa took full control of the match. In the 23rd minute, Sasaki responded to a long feed from MINAMI Moeka before firing a shot that struck the post. HIBATA Hanae and SHIOKOSHI Yuzuho combined in the right flank to threaten the Iwata goal. Despite seeing numerous chances created by Urawa, the match entered halftime 1-0.

Following their dominating performance in the first half, Urawa changed their rhythm in the second half, as Sasaki later reflected, “I focused on getting myself involved with the ball, so I positioned myself in the central area during the first half. However, I was told to keep my position wide in the second half, so focused on exploiting the open space in the flanks.”

Urawa continued to show their dominance in the second half, as they managed to double their lead in the early minutes. The goal came when Seike responded to a lobbing pass delivered by KURISHIMA Akari before converting the opportunity.

Despite their efforts to level the match, Iwata fell short from creating a major chance, as their biggest opportunity came in the 72nd minute, when the ball was connected through MIWA Reina and HIRANO Asami, before the ball was sent to FUJITA Momoka, who struck a right footed shot, but her attempt was saved by the Urawa goalkeeper IKEDA Sakiko.

In the closing minutes of the second half, Urawa added another goal to their tally from a counterattack, as KIRA Chinatsu capitalised on the opportunity to make it 3-0, sending Urawa to the quarterfinals.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORI Eiji, Coach (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
We didn’t have much information on our opponent, so we weren’t sure how they were going to play against us. If they were going to play aggressively, we were planning on using Seike’s speed to exploit the space behind their defence line. If they retreat, we were going to utilise the width of the field. It turned out that our opponent chose the former. We had plenty of time to possess the ball and created many shooting opportunities. Although we struggled to find ways to score goals, I am satisfied with our overall performance.

SASAKI Mayu (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
Although we had limited information on our opponent, we focused on executing our usual game plan. I personally wanted to work on my offensive plays, so I entered the match with the intention to play aggressively upfront. I was able to get myself involved in our goals when I positioned myself upfront, so I hope to continue on that approach to help the team win. I felt like I was able to possess the ball well and keep the ball moving, but I wasn’t able to score any goals, so that is an aspect I must work on.

MURAMATSU Taisuke, Coach (Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita)
We entered this match with the same approach we took against Sfida Setagaya FC. Last year, we took a defensive approach against INAC Kobe Leonessa and lost, so we tried playing aggressively to seek for our opportunity to score goals, but it didn’t go as we planned. The biggest difference between us and the division one side, was speed. Not necessarily just how fast we run, but the speed of making decisions and the overall tempo of the game. This match made us realise that we must become more critical in front of the goal.

MIWA Reina (Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita)
It wasn’t like we had no chance to win, so we entered the match with the intention to enjoy the game. Urawa showcased great teamwork and exploited our weaknesses effectively. After we conceded the opening goal, we started to play passively and failed to apply enough pressure against our opponent. That approach led us to rush our plays and make bad decisions in the final third. If we could have converted our early opportunities, the match could have ended differently.

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