Japan on a mission to match 2011 Women’s World Cup triumph

AUCKLAND, Aug 10 – As a younger teenager, Fuka Nagano was impressed by Japan’s Women’s World Cup triumph in 2011 and the Liverpool midfielder stated she and her workforce mates totally believed that this 12 months’s Nadeshiko will be capable of match the feat.

After the early exits of the United States, Germany and Norway, Japan are the final former winners remaining within the match going into their quarter-final in opposition to Sweden at Eden Park on Friday.

The 2011 triumph captured the hearts of a nation nonetheless coming to phrases with the tragedy of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami that killed greater than 18,000 individuals alongside the northeast coast.

“I was 13 years old or so,” Nagano recalled on Thursday. “Back then, I saw how the Nadeshiko played and that really empowered me, that’s what I remember about it.

“The Nadeshiko gained the World Cup and we need to present Japan’s energy once more at this match. We all consider that we are able to do it, and I believe that is what has introduced us to the place we at the moment are.”

In terms of their play at this tournament, Japan could hardly be in a better place.

They romped through the group stage scoring 11 goals and conceding none before sending 1995 champions Norway packing with a dominant 3-1 win in the last 16.

The Swedes will present a similar threat to the Norwegians but coach Futoshi Ikeda said his team would not be intimidated by the physically imposing Scandinavians.

“Of course, they’re tall however we’re ready for that,” he said.

“Our gamers are prepared for any problem. We’re going to be compact at our finish and we will mark their gamers and canopy the whole lot else very correctly.”

The Nadeshiko have shown remarkable flexibility in the tournament by adjusting their tactics according to the opposition. Ikeda said that would not change on Friday.

“Against Sweden, we have to first determine the place they’re placing stress on us. I believe our gamers will discover that from the start,” he said.

“After that, we will determine the place our defensive traces and so forth needs to be. But we do not need to be nearly defence. We need to preserve compact in midfield and put stress on them as effectively.”

Sweden knocked Japan out of their own Olympics two years ago but Ikeda did not think that 3-1 quarter-final loss in Saitama would have much bearing on Friday’s clash, even if his team was feeling similar support from the Japanese people.

“Our workforce may be very completely different,” he said. “It’s a special problem. It’s tough to check, however the help of the individuals in Japan watching on TV is one thing that we are able to actually really feel at this World Cup.” 

—Reuters