This was a disappointing result for Japan. They haven’t looked like their previous World Cup appearances: lacking in attacking prowess and defensive cohesion. Although they move on to the Round of 16 (in thanks to a 3-3 tie between Scotland and Argentina), this will be a tough loss and it will be hard for them to bounce back in the elimination round.
Although, England showed some weakness in this game, having most of their shots in the first half and letting Japan take over in the second. The second half is really where Japan shined, they took advantage of a tired English defense and, although they weren’t able to capitalize and score, they were able to split up English defenders and let the rest of the tournament see how they too can take advantage of an otherwise strong English side.
The key to Japan’s offensive success really showed in the second half too. Combinations between forwards Mana Iwabuchi and 61st-minute substitute Yuika Sugasawa were some of the more aggressive plays. It leaves the Japanese fans wondering how many more chances they would have had in the first half had Sugasawa started.
Even though Japan’s offense needs a restart if they want to make it to the final, defensively they also need to end the turnovers. A lazy pass from Rikako Kobayashi combined with English midfielder Georgia Stanway overpowering Japan’s Hina Sugita lead to a breakaway pass to Ellen White and England’s first goal in the 14th minute.
Constant turnovers in the first half helped England dominate offensively. Japan only seemed to look threatening off of free kicks. Especially in the 9th minute, Kumi Yokoyama had a spectacular shot in the top corner of the net that was followed by an even better save from English keeper, Karen Bardsley.
As stated earlier, Japan was only threatening in the run of play in the second half. They took a lot of shots from distance, testing Bardlsey, while England relaxed both offensive and defensively. That being said, England was able to seal the win with a second goal in the 84th minute. Karen Carney, who was only on the field for 10 minutes, played a through ball to White, splitting the Japanese defense. White one-timed the ball to get her second goal of the game.
Much like in the previous games, Japan is only showing moments of brilliance. There is a lot of skill on this team, but also a lot of youth. They are still struggling to play cohesively, it’s hard to say that we’ll see another USA-Japan final. Japan still needs time to play together, and, as a lot of commentators are saying, they will show their true colors in the 2020 Olympics.
Culture
Women's World Cup
