Two goals in 147 seconds enabled Japan to comfortably cruise past Costa Rica and book a place in the knockout phase of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals with a game to spare on July 26, their 2-0 win being watched by 6992 fans at Forsyth Barr Stadium. "Nadeshiko" were swiftly into their stride, Mina Tanaka heading an Aoba Fujino corner past the near post in the sixth minute before nearly capitalising on an untimely stumble by Daniela Solera as Mariana Benavides played a back-pass to her goalkeeper, who recovered in time before Tanaka could strike. Yui Hasegawa - what a neat and tidy player she is - delivered an angled cross just over the head of the incoming Hikaru Naomoto soon after, while in the twelfth minute, Fujino's corner picked out the unmarked Saki Kumagai, whose diving header from eight yards was turned round the post by Solera. On the quarter hour, Fujino and Tanaka teamed up to play in Naomoto on the left of the penalty area. Her shot was parried by Solera, prompting Risa Shimizu and Fujino to converge on the loose ball with an eye to turning it home. The latter won the race but fired it wide - the former was better placed to finish the job. Japan didn't have too much longer to wait before breaking the deadlock, but prior to doing so, Ayaka Yamashita had her gloves stung by a Gabriella Guillen thirty-yarder as Costa Rica mounted their first attack of the contest in the eighteenth minute. "Nadeshiko"' response? Bang! Bang! Two goals in 147 seconds which left them in control of proceedings for the duration. Shiori Miyake combined with Tanaka for Naomoto's benefit in the 25th minute, an untimely slip by Maria Coto allowing the flank player to storm into the penalty area and lash an unerring drive across Solera and in by the base of the far post. 1-0 became 2-0 moments later, Tanaka's wayward header across goal being recovered by Fujino, who turned past Maria Elizondo before charging into the penalty area and avoiding Benavides' challenge prior to thrashing an acute-angled drive between Solera and her near post. "Las Ticas" looked to hit back straight away, Melissa Herrera pouncing on a Moeka Minami error to draw a parried save from Yamashita. Miyake tidied up the consequences, and what had become normal service - Japan in command - soon resumed. Miyake's fiercely struck fifteen-yarder hurtled narrowly past the post in the 33rd minute, with

Solera forced to save a header from Tanaka five minutes later after Fujino had charged past three players before linking with Hina Sugita on the left. Four minutes before half-time, Tanaka's dipping twenty-five yarder landed on the roof of the net, while within five minutes of the resumption of play in the second half, Honoka Hayashi had volleyed over the bar before Naomoto and Hasegawa both drew saves from Solera, who was keeping her side in contention. Just after the hour, substitute Riko Ueki combined with Naomoto to unleash Sugita down the left. She led Carol Sanchez a merry dance before sending a cross sizzling across the bows of the incoming Hinata Miyazawa and Hayashi. Soon after, Shimizu lobbed a ball forward which saw Solera, Ueki and Fabiola Villalobos converging on the same spot. All three collided, with the defender the only one to recover initially, and out of necessity - her head got to the ball but directed it towards her untended net, so Villalobos sent the ball sailing over her own crossbar to allow treatment to be administered to all three injured players, herself included. All quickly recovered, thankfully, and "Nadeshiko" were soon threatening Solera's goal again, Miyazawa volleying narrowly past the post before a close-range header from Ueki was saved by the goalkeeper, seconds after Herrera's timely intervention had prevented Kumagai from pouncing on an angled cross. After Solera had capably dealt with a twenty-yarder from Miyazawa after the substitute had teamed up with fellow replacements Kiko Seike and Ueki, Costa Rica mounted a rare raid ten minutes from time, one which resulted in Yamashita denying Gloriana Villalobos' attempt to halve the deficit. "Las Ticas" enjoyed more of the ball in the second spell but were never truly allowed to threaten by their dominant opponents, who kept going right till the end, with Ueki thrice going close in stoppage time before the final whistle sounded to guarantee Japan's passage into the last sixteen, the first nation to achieve the feat at these Finals. Japan:          Yamashita; Miyake, Kumagai, Minami; Shimizu (Moriya, 90), Hasegawa, Hayashi (Nagano, 74), Sugita; Fujino (Miyazawa, 58), Tanaka (Ueki, 58), Naomoto (Seike, 74) Costa Rica:     Solera; Coto, F. Villalobos, Benavides, Elizondo; Herrera, Granados (Rodriguez, 64), Alvarado, Guillen (G. Villalobos, 46); Salas (Scott, 76), Chinchilla (booked, 90) Referee:     Maria Caputi (Italy)