On Thursday 28 November, Nippon TV Beleza played their second match of the AFC Women's Club Championship 2019 FIFA/AFC Pilot Tournament against Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels (Korea Republic).

Following their 1-1 draw against Jiangsu Suning Ladies FC, Beleza faced the Korean club, who has won their first match against Melbourne Victory (Australia) 4-0. With the inaugural title of the AFC Women's Club Championship at stake, the match kicked off on a freezing night at Yongin, Korea Republic.

The match saw Beleza taking control of the ball possession from the early minutes, as their winger UEKI Riko continuously penetrated the left flank. With their wingers positioned deep in the opposing territory, the Beleza midfielders also pressed up to add layers to their offence.

Incheon also utilised the width of the field, as they ran down the line and made attempts to target their striker at the centre. A close opportunity was created in the 20th minute, when the ball was delivered into the Beleza goal area, but the final shot went over the cross bar.

Beleza responded in the 24th minute, when Ueki broke through the left flank before sending a cross that allowed KOBAYASHI Rikako to strike a shot from the far side, but her effort fell short from finding the back of the net.

After entering the second half scoreless, Beleza took the lead in the 49th minute, when Ueki responded to a corner kick delivered by HASEGAWA Yui and flicked the ball towards the far post, as the ball went off the post and shook the net.

With momentum on their side, Beleza continued to press forward, as Kobayashi and MOMIKI Yuka struck shots to threaten the Incheon goal. Ueki came close to scoring her second goal in the 72nd minute, when she struck a powerful shot, but her attempt went wide of the target.

While Incheon made their final efforts to level the match, Beleza captured their second goal during additional time of the second half, as MIYAZAWA Hinata delivered a cross towards the centre, allowing Kobayashi to slot the ball into the bottom right corner.

With this victory, Beleza will now enter their third match as the tournament leader, when they face the W-League champions Melbourne Victory on Saturday 30 November.

Coach and Players' Comments

NAGATA Masato, Coach (Nippon TV Beleza)
While our opponent also tried to possess the ball, it was great to see our team manage to take control of the match and create numbers of opportunities. I am glad that we were able to convert our chances to earn this victory. We focused on keeping possession of the ball and to eliminate the opponent’s opportunities to counterattack by carrying the ball deep in the opposing territory. We also applied pressure to force turnovers from our front line. Despite the tight match schedule, our players did a great job to run through the entire match and execute our game plan.

UEKI Riko (Nippon TV Beleza)
We all knew that this was a very important match for us, so I am glad that we were able to win this match. After seeing the match enter halftime scoreless, it was great that we managed to score goals in the second half. In the scene where I scored the first goal, I started my run from the far side, but I saw an open space at the near side, so I made an eye contact with (Hasegawa) Yui and made my run towards the near post. The ball was delivered perfectly, so I just had to redirect the ball towards the far post. It was great that we were able to score the opening goal during the early minutes of the second half. The tournament title will be at stake in our final match, so we will work hard as a team to take back the inaugural title to Japan.

KOBAYASHI Rikako (Nippon TV Beleza)
Prior to the match, we talked as a team that we wanted to start the match with great intensity and to penetrate the sides, so I focused on those things in the early minutes. Although there were still room for improvements, we managed to keep the ball moving and showcase a better performance than our first match. Our opponent came out playing zone defence, so we were able to exploit the open space and showcase our strengths. However, I wasn’t able to create much opportunities for our team until the very end, so I hope to do a better job to create chances from the early minutes of the match. If we can’t win tomorrow, today’s win will not mean anything, so we will stay eager to win the match tomorrow.

AFC Women's Club Championship 2019 - FIFA/AFC Pilot Tournament

Tournament Dates: Tue. 26 - Sat. 30 November 2019
Tournament Venue: Yongin Citizen Sports Park

Tournament Information