Japan v England

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Japan v England

England Edge Japan To Top Group

by Jeremy Ruane

England scored a 2-0 win over Japan in front of 14,319 fans at the Stade de Nice on June 19 to top their group at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, with both teams advancing to the knockout stages of the competition after a very even contest.

"Nadeshiko" were first to threaten, Kumi Yokoyama firing a fifth minute range-finder before unleashing a twenty-five yard free-kick four minutes later which Karen Bardsley tipped onto the crossbar and over.

"The Lionesses" tidied up the resulting corner and offered their own threats on goal through Georgia Stanway soon afterwards, before the midfielder threaded a pass through the defence to leave Ellen White one-on-one with Ayaka Yamashita, whom the striker steered the ball past to open the scoring in the fourteenth minute.

They came desperately close to doubling their lead inside the next five minutes, with Yamashita pulling off two outstanding saves to prevent White's thirty yarder and Stanway's twenty-five yard swerving missile from finding the net.

Yamashita was then forced into a hurried clearance under pressure as White bore down on her, with the striker then directing a header across the face of goal after Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly - an eye-catching performance - combined to create the opening.

Yokoyama stung the gloves of Bardsley from twenty yards on the half-hour, which gave "Nadeshiko" the impetus to get back into the contest - England had held them at arm's length for the last twenty minutes.

Mana Iwabuchi was swiftly becoming a very prominent figure in anything Japan did, and she soon worked an opening with Emi Nakajima, whose shot was grabbed by Bardsley.

Back came England, Daly going desperately close with a rasping drive which was tipped away by Yamashita, who was relieved to see Toni Duggan drag her shot past the post from the resulting corner.

Japan's pursuit of an equaliser proved fruitless before the break, while after it, England enjoyed the initial chances in the half, Saki Kumagai twice foiling them inside the opening four minutes, firstly intercepting a Jill Scott pass intended for White, then blocking another shot from the impressive Stanway - she had a fine game.

Millie Bright then saw her header grabbed by Yamashita following a Keira Walsh cross, after which "Nadeshiko" began to pick up their game again, but without threatening a defence superbly marshalled by England captain Steph Houghton.

On the hour, Daly's enterprising lobbed pass invited the overlapping figure of Bronze to race on and

pick out Duggan with a cross. The striker's volley was goalbound until Yamashita pulled off a fine save low to her left to turn the ball to safety.

Cue a pile of Japanese pressure, following the entrance to the fray of substitutes Yuka Sugasawa and Narumi Miura. The latter provided the former with a pass which Houghton thwarted with a superb 65th minute tackle in the penalty area, before Bardsley kept out efforts from Sugasawa and Iwabuchi as "Nadeshiko" continued to press.

Fourteen minutes from time, Iwabuchi delivered a peach of a through ball which Sugasawa somehow failed to latch onto - she was in with just Bardsley to beat otherwise.

Iwabuchi then lashed a shot across the face of goal before Sugasawa twice went close, firstly with a volley over the top from a Risa Shimizu cross, then an angled cross from Aya Sameshima which the striker met with a deft flicked volley, the ball flashing past the near post.

Somewhat against the run of play by this stage, England doubled their advantage in the 84th minute. Substitute Nikita Parris marked her introduction seconds earlier by igniting a move which featured Scott and Karen Carney, whose through ball was drilled home from the edge of the penalty area by White, who had been inconspicuous for quite some time.

Trailing 2-0 didn't put Japan off one iota - they kept on coming like a steam train. Iwabuchi volleyed past the post before Nakajima played in Sugasawa, who was one-on-one with Bardsley, only to be foiled superbly by the 'keeper, with Houghton racing in to prevent substitute Saori Takarada from turning home the rebound.

Into stoppage time, Japan produced a delightful move, with Sugasawa's cross-field run inviting Nakajima and the overlapping figure of Shimizu to partake in the move. Both soon featured, the latter's cross being headed across the face of goal by Takarada, much to the disappointment of the Japanese faithful.

It was to be their last chance of a well-contested encounter, one which leaves England awaiting the results of tomorrow's matches to find out who they'll be playing in the knockout round, while Japan's focus will be on the clash between Holland and Canada - "Nadeshiko" will play the winner of that match, or the Dutch if it's a draw.

England: Bardsley; Bronze, Houghton, Bright, Stokes; Scott, Walsh (Moore, 72), Stanway (Carney, 74); Daly, White, Duggan (Parris, 83)

Japan: Yamashita; Shimizu, Kumagai, Ichise, Sameshima; Kobayashi (Miura, 62), Nakajima, Sugita, Endo (Takarada, 85); Yokoyama (Sugasawa, 61), Iwabuchi

Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (Uruguay)

Group Matches