On Saturday 25 August, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) faced the Korea DPR Women's National Team at the quarterfinals of the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang.

The two teams have squared off against each other at many Asian competitions in the past. Prior to the match, Coach TAKAKURA Asako shared that she was actually surprised to face their regional rivals so early, as she stated, “I wasn’t expecting to face them at this stage (quarterfinals).”

The match kicked-off at 16:00 under heavy clouds and with temperature dropping to 31 degrees Celsius, a rather cool climate compared to the previous days.

Both teams entered the match with a compact defence, showing composed ball movements to make their transition to attack. Highly technical and well organised football was on display by the two teams.

With both sides creating opportunities at each end, the match turned into a see-saw game. Japan made an aggressive approach upfront, as they were seen pressing up their defensive midfielder SUMIDA Rin to join their offence. The efforts made by the two forwards IWABUCHI Mana and TANAKA Mina shined in the first half, as Iwabuchi made runs all over the pitch to receive the ball, while Tanaka made runs into the space behind the opposing defenders to threaten the goal.

The deadlock was broken by these two forwards, as Japan earned a corner kick in the 40th minute, when SHIMIZU Risa’s cross was deflected off a Korea DPR defender. NAKAJIMA Emi took the corner kick and sent the ball to the far side where Tanaka scrambled to win the ball, cutting it back to the mix, allowing Iwabuchi to score the goal with her left foot. After making a timely run to convert the opportunity, Iwabuchi later reflected, “It went just the way we practiced on the day before.”

Japan showcased a solid defence to sustain their lead into halftime. Just as Coach Takakura mentioned prior to the match, “We would like to showcase the true beauty of the sport,” the two teams combined to display a battle featuring great techniques, strategies, and hard work in the first half.

With an intention to create more ball possession upfront, Coach Takakura brought in SUGASAWA Yuika for Tanaka in the second half, as the team huddled up prior to the half to pump themselves up.

Their opportunity came soon after, in the 48th minute. Once receiving the ball, Iwabuchi carried the ball upfront with great pace, drawing the defenders to her side before releasing the ball to Sugasawa who struck a shot at goal, but her attempt was slightly off target.

Korea DPR gradually stepped up their pace in the second half as more opportunities were getting created, but the Japanese defence line led by their goalkeeper YAMASHITA Ayaka displayed a persistent effort to deny their chances.

The match saw its second goal created in the 62nd minute, when Japan initiated their attack from a composed build up from their defence line. Once the ball was sent upfront, Sugasawa posted up to dish the ball to HASEGAWA Yui who showcased a superb ball control before launching a shot that drove just over the reach of the opposing goalkeeper, giving Japan a two-goal lead.

It was thought that Japan was going to ride the momentum from there on, but conversely, Japan gave up a penalty kick in the 71st minute, allowing Korea DPR to cut down their deficit in half. After this goal, it was the Korea DPR side who gained momentum, as they started to attack aggressively utilising their physical advantage. However, Japan showed great discipline to respond to their attacks, as they denied Korea DPR from taking full control of the match.

In the closing minutes of the match, Japan brought in MOMIKI Yuka for Hasegawa, and MASUYA Rika for Iwabuchi. The team showcased their intention to press forward until the very end, finishing the match with a 2-1 victory, advancing to the semi-final.

Match details

Japan will face Korea Republic in the semi-final, who has beaten Hong-Kong 5-0 in their quarterfinals match. The match is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 28 August with a kick-off time of 18:00 Japan time.

Coach and Players' Comments

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team)
We entered the match knowing that we were going to face a strong team. Watching the match from outside, it seemed like we lost our rhythm from our own mistakes, and it must have been stressful for the players on the pitch, but even under such circumstance, we managed to score the opening goal, so that was huge for us. Our players entered the second half with a faster pace, and even though we could have played better, considering how tired they were I praised them after the match for working hard and running through the entire match.

DF #3 SAMESHIMA Aya (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
We lost to Korea DPR at the E-1 Football Championship last year, so I’m glad we got to win this time. We have played each other in so many different occasions thus far and we knew they are a team with great speed and techniques. It’s a good thing that we have managed to make the necessary adjustments since our last encounter at the E-1 Football Championship. Compared to last year where our defence got expanded, we managed to keep it compact today. Korea Republic is one of the strongest team in Asia, as their individual strengths and speed is such as threat. Their fast break can cause so much problem for us, so we must find ways to contain them and deny them from gaining momentum. With a win over Korea DPR, we have made a huge step forward in our pursuit to win the medal, so we hope to win the remaining matches to earn the gold medal.

MF #14 HASEGAWA Yui (Nippon TV Beleza)
(Regarding the goal scene) I was visualising that play prior to making the give-and-go. I was expecting the return ball to be in the air, so managed to strike the ball cleanly. During our warm-up session prior to the match, my left footed shots were looking good, so I thought maybe I have a chance today. The shot I scored with was actually a right footed shot, but I’m just glad it went in. Once (Sugasawa) Yuika was brought onto the pitch, we managed to hold the ball upfront and that ultimately led to our second goal. Korea Republic is a powerful team with great techniques, but we will continue to display our style of football where we take the initiative of the match. For now, we will do our best to reset our conditions in the next two days. The U-20 Japan Women's National Team has won the World Cup and we hope to follow their success.

FW #8 IWABUCHI Mana (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
The corner kick was executed exactly the way we practiced the day before. (Nakajima) Emi delivered a great cross and (Tanaka) Mina did a great job winning the ball. All I had to do was to tap the ball into the goal, so I was like “Thank you very much.” The second goal featured a great deal of individual effort, but many players were able to get themselves involved to create that sequence. The Korea Republic team features many players with great strength and high-quality techniques, such as Lee Mina and Ji So-Yun. They are such helpful players if they are on your side but can create so many troubles if they are on the other side. Their squad have many players like that, so we must prepare ourselves well in the following two days to enter the next match in good condition.

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】Semi-final
Tue. 28 August 18:00 [Japan time] vs Korea Republic

Tournament Information