Unstoppable Japan Dominate Costa Rica 2-0: Stellar Goals Secure Women's World Cup Last 16 Spot
Japan defeats Costa Rica 2-0 with goals from Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino, virtually guaranteeing their place in the Women's World Cup last 16
Japan secured a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica at Dunedin Stadium on Wednesday, scoring two goals in just three minutes during the first half. This win greatly increases their chances of advancing to the knockout rounds of the Women's World Cup, as they are the reigning champions from 2011. The Nadeshiko team displayed their impressive passing game, reminiscent of their previous 5-0 victory over Zambia. If Spain manages to defeat the African team as anticipated in the later Group C game in Auckland, Japan will secure a spot in the last 16 for the fourth consecutive World Cup.
Mina Tanaka was given a prominent midfield role instead of Yui Hasegawa, unlike their previous match against Zambia. Japan had already gained a significant advantage before the unfortunate turn of events that demoralized the Central Americans. In the 25th minute, left winger Hikaru Naomoto capitalized on Maria Paula Coto's mistake, swiftly entered the penalty area, and calmly placed the ball past goalkeeper Daniela Solera.
After two minutes, teenager Aoba Fujino skillfully evaded a defender on the right wing. With determination, she sprinted towards the goal and accurately fired the ball past Solera, scoring from a challenging angle.
Following their 3-0 defeat by Spain in the previous match, Costa Rica struggled to pose any threat to their opponents. It became evident that Japan would dominate the game and accumulate a significant number of goals.
Despite Japan's 25 attempts on goal, they were unable to increase their score, which might worry coach Futoshi Ikeda considering the tougher challenges to come.
On Monday, Japan will take on Spain in Wellington, a match that will likely determine the group's leader. Meanwhile, both Costa Rica and Zambia will strive for their first World Cup win in Hamilton, also playing at the same time.
What is the schedule?
The group stage kicks off and spans two weeks, concluding on August 3. The top two teams from each group move on to the round of 16, which is set to occur between August 5 and August 8.Following that, the quarter-finals are slated to take place in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney on August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final is scheduled for August 15 in Auckland, while the second semi-final will take place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney. The final will be held at the Accor Stadium on August 20. Additionally, a third-place play-off will be played in Brisbane on August 19, a day before the final.
