The U-20 Japan Women's National Team, who got through the group stage of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016 to the quarterfinals, held a training session in two groups in the morning on Monday 21 November. Most of the players, who had started the match against Canada, stayed at the hotel to focus on recovery, while the others practiced four-on-four possession drills and played a four-a-side game with the goalkeepers.

In the afternoon, the team paid a visit to the Japanese Embassy in Papua New Guinea. Local children attended at a welcome ceremony, and the players expressed their gratitude to the children and the Japanese people who have been supporting the team throughout their stay.

The quarterfinal of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016 between U-20 Japan and U-20 Brazil will kick off at 19:30 (18:30 Japan Time) on Thursday 24 November.

Players' Comments

MF ＃17 MATSUBARA Shiho (CEREZO OSAKA SAKAI LADIES)
Initiating attacks aggressively whenever we had the ball in the game against Canada was one of our achievements. However, we found our problems at the same time – making careless mistakes and not staying physically competitive. I was aiming to contribute to leading the team by staying vocal during today’s session. In the knockout stage, we will go home if we lose. I’d like to play as a united team to win the next game, so that we can play three more matches.

MF ＃7 SUGITA Hina (INAC KOBE LEONESSA)
In the game against Canada we improved the speed at which we initiated movements. So the players with the ball didn’t have to hesitate, and it was easier for us to receive the ball as well. We played Japanese football, passing the ball around. I’d like to perform entertaining football in order to excite the spectators, not to mention enjoying ourselves.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.