New Zealand's Junior Ferns suffered the heaviest defeat in the team's thirty-year history on 2 September, annihilated 7-0 by Japan in their first match at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals at Bogota's El Techo Stadium. Young Nadeshiko have great pedigree in this tournament, having finished third, first and second in each of the last three FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals, so they were always favoured to prevail over their Kiwi counterparts. The fact it was by seven goals, however … Junior Ferns coach Leon Birnie set up his team to contain as much as possible, Milly Clegg the lone attacker in a side which tried hard but was simply given the runaround by opponents who were supremely confident in possession, and which exploited the Junior Ferns' multiple shortcomings mercilessly. Japan fired their first shot in anger inside the first two minutes, Aemu Oyama's deflected volley being directed straight at Madeleine Iro, who was in no man's land two minutes later as she misjudged a lofted through ball. Hiromi Yoneda didn't, however, and guided a header over the stranded goalkeeper, only to see the ball drift past the post with the goal gaping. Iro wobbled again with the resulting clearance, directing it straight to Chinari Sasai. Suya Haering bailed her goalkeeper out with a superb tackle, but Japan were only just warming up! Two minutes later, Oyama spotted the run of Maya Hijikata through New Zealand's defence, and picked her out with a sublime pinpoint pass which wasn't matched by the striker's bid to break the deadlock - Iro fielded her tame attempt with ease. Scrambling defence and the blocking of numerous shots kept the Japanese at bay in the ninth minute, while from Rio Sasaki's resulting corner, Yoneda headed over from four yards - she should have at least hit the target from that range. A smart turn by Miyu Matsunaga in the twelfth minute culminated in a one-two with Sasai. Matsunaga then squared the ball to Shinomi Koyama, who fired over the bar from the penalty spot as they continued to lay siege to the New Zealand goal. Their relentless attacking finally paid dividends in the sixteenth minute. Matsunaga was picked out on the right by Oyama's cross-field pass and skipped inside Haering before delivering a cross to the near post which Hijikata, sliding in, deftly steered home between Iro and the upright. That goal had been coming, and a second nearly followed two minutes later. Sasai picked out Rihona Ujihara on the left, from where she sent a delightful teasing cross inches past the far post - a real let-off for the Junior Ferns. Halfway through the first half, New Zealand mustered their only attack so far, the former Auckland United strikers Ruby Nathan and Clegg engineering an opening before the latter played a one-two with Manaia Elliott. She slipped the ball inside to Nathan, whose twenty-yarder was smothered low to her right by Akane Okuma. Normal service soon resumed, with Japan putting the Junior Ferns' goal under siege as they looked to build on their one-goal advantage. After Iro saved at the feet of Hijikata in the 28th minute, the goalkeeper thwarted a shot from Sasai after she'd been released down the left by Sasaki. That flank, New Zealand's right, was the route down which Japan was making great in-roads - Zoe McMeeken's defensive frailties were clinically and repeatedly exposed by this free-flowing footballing side. Miku Hayama - an early substitute for Ujihara - did the fullback an absolute treat in the 36th minute, Ella McMillan coming to her team-mate's rescue by blocking the resulting shot. Three goals in the final seven minutes of the first half destroyed the Junior Ferns' hopes not just in this match, but effectively for the entire tournament - think the combination of goal difference and the psychological damage a result like this inflicts, and you'll understand why. The first of them came in the 38th minute, and was

simply superb in its execution. Just two passes were required to tear apart the Junior Ferns on this occasion, Yoneda inviting Koyama to split the defence with devastating precision, sending Hijikata careering through the inside right channel, from where she beat Iro with power at her near post, the ball glancing off the upright before nestling in the net by the far post - 2-0. Only the crossbar prevented Nana Kashimura from scoring a third two minutes later via a scorching twenty-yard drive, but Young Nadeshiko had just seconds to wait before they were celebrating again. Yoneda and Hayama combined for the benefit of Sasai, who cut in past McMillan before beating Iro all ends up at her near post. 3-0 became 4-0 on the stroke of half-time, the scorers of the first three goals combining to carve out a chance which Oyama thrashed home in unerring fashion, with Iro once more beaten at her near post. Although visibly shell-shocked, the 'keeper managed to prevent a fifth goal before the half-time whistle sounded, parrying Hayama's fierce drive after she'd been released by Oyama. Sasai was prevented from pouncing on the rebound by the alert Ella Findlay, whose clearance marked the final act of note in a half New Zealand will want to forget. They still had another forty-five minutes to endure, however, and Japan were swift to slip back into gear once play had resumed. Sasai outpaced Emma Pijnenburg to the edge of the penalty area before inviting Koyama to execute a 48th minute shot on the turn, only for her to fall foul of the recovering Pijnenburg. Seven minutes later, McMeeken's stray pass - her distribution throughout proceedings was poor, and while she certainly wasn't alone on that score, Japan invariably looked to make the most of her contributions towards New Zealand's downfall. On this occasion, half-time substitute Fuka Tsunoda was the beneficiary, and worked a one-two with Sasai before being thwarted by Iro's save at her feet. Japan went nap on the hour, Hayama splitting the defence with an angled pass through four players which found Koyama careering through from midfield. She steered her shot across Iro and into the far corner - another strike superbly conceived and executed, and for which the Junior Ferns had no answers ... the image of a patient lying prone on a hospital bed undergoing precision surgery accurately reflects their plight in this fixture. Koyama's dipping twenty-yarder hit the bar two minutes later, while inside the next five minutes Iro denied efforts from half-time substitute Raika Okamura - a header from Sasaki's corner - and Hayama, whose shot the 'keeper saved at the second attempt. Twenty minutes from time, the Junior Ferns mustered their second attack of the game, with Elliott and Clegg working an opening which culminated in the former's shot being grabbed by Uruha Iwasaki, Japan having seen fit to change their goalkeeper five minutes earlier - the footballing equivalent of adding insult to injury when taking on a clearly inferior opponent. Said opponent conceded a sixth goal fifteen minutes from time, Sasaki and Sasai combining to set up Hayama, whose scorching twenty yard finish arrowed into the bottom far corner of the net. Within five minutes, Hijikata twice went close to completing her hat-trick, before Hayama shot straight at Iro after sending Rebekah Trewhitt for an Echo! Young Nadeshiko weren't going to settle for six of the best in this one, however, and in second half stoppage time, iced the cake with a splendid seventh, Sasai volleying home Sasaki's cross to complete a night New Zealand will never forget, for all the wrong reasons. Japan:          Okuma (Iwasaki, 64); Hayashi, Yoneda (Okamura, 46), Sasaki; Kashimura, Ujihara (Hayama, 24), Oyama (Shiragaki, 61), Koyama; Matsunaga (Tsunoda, 46), Sasai, Hijikata Junior Ferns:     Iro; McMeeken (Trewhitt, 77), McMillan (Ingham, 77), Findlay, Haering; Elliott, Pijnenburg (Colpi, 84), Nathan (Brazendale, 54), Errington, Bercelli (Benson, 77); Clegg Referee:     Dione Rissios (Chile)