On Friday 24 August, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) held their final tune-up session one day ahead of their quarterfinal match against Korea DPR at the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang.

The training was open to the media for the first 15 minutes as broadcasters and each media outlets observed their session. The players were seen going through their warmup routines with a smile, showing signs that the team is relaxed despite facing a big match.

However, once the team started conducting drills utilising the ball, the atmosphere tensed up as each player went through the drills with their game-face on. The tension reached its max when the team worked on their set-plays, as each player listened in carefully to get themselves on the same page.

With the competition reaching the knockout stage, the team concluded the training session by practicing their penalty kicks, as the matches at this stage will be determined by penalty kicks in case of a tie game after regulation time.

On this day, the U-21 Japan National Team won their match in the men’s round of 16 against the U-23 Malaysia National Team 1-0 in Jakarta. Later in the evening the U-20 Japan Women's National Team won against the U-20 Spain Women’s National Team 3-1 to take down the championship at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup France. The Nadeshiko Japan will try to follow the success of their fellow members of the football family in the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinal match against Korea DPR will take place on Saturday 25 August with a kick-off time of 18:00 Japan time.

Coach’s Comment

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team)
We will be facing Korea DPR in the quarterfinals, but they are a team we must beat somewhere along the line to win the title. It was a little surprising to see them lose to China PR, but we were going to face them sooner or later, so we will just take it as one game and give our best to advance to the next round. We will build on what we have been working on and utilise the match to see how much we have improved through our recent matches. I will see how the young players will react to the game flow and the scores of the match, as we must find ways to determine the winner at the knockout stage. As a team striving to become the world champion, we must stay flexible to adjust ourselves depending on the game flow and understand the strategical aspect of the game, so I am looking forward to seeing which players can display those qualities in the match. It will certainly be a tough match, but we will enter the match with confidence.

Players’ Comments

GK #1 IKEDA Sakiko (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies)
We are finally here in the knockout stage. First of all, we must take the upper hand in terms of the mental aspect against our opponents. We must convert the opportunities we are given, while showcasing a solid defence. Korea DPR is a tough opponent to face, but regardless of who we face, we just have to keep working hard for the entire 90 minutes as a team. Personally, I will be seeking to keep a clean sheet, but ideally, we would want to contain our opponents so that they don’t even get a chance to create a goal scoring opportunity. We don’t know who will start in the next match, but if I am given the chance to play, I will give out directions to my teammates for the entire 90 minutes and deliver feeds that can contribute to our goals.

DF #4 MIYAKE Shiori (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
After watching the match between Korea DPR and China PR, it was clear that their individual skills are very high, and they showcased a very organised teamwork. There is no doubt that the next match will present us with a great challenge. In order for us to win the match, we must work even harder as a team. We also must keep an emphasis on winning each fifty-fifty ball and defend persistently for the entire 90 minutes. I hope we can win the match and advance to the semi-finals.

Schedule

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

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates:Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Women's】Quarterfinals
Sat. 25 August 18:00 [Japan time] vs Korea DPR

Tournament Information