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Japan defeated Spain 4-0 on Monday to take first place in Group C of the Women's World Cup. Japan scored three lightning-fast goals in the first half, one in the second, and played staunch defense.
When Japan quickly turned from defense to counterattack and scored from its only three shots on goal before halftime, Hinata Miyazawa and Riko Ueki each contributed to one of the goals.
In the 82nd minute, Mina Tanaka came off the bench to score the winning goal as Japan, who had only 22% of the possession, put on a masterful counterattack in front of 21,000 spectators.
Japan for the fourth World Cup in a row and Spain for the second have already secured their spots in the round of 16. Spain had the greater goal differential following a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, while both teams had defeated Zambia 5-0. For the first time in its history, Spain would have finished first in a group with a draw.
However, Spain has struggled in World Cup matches against Asian opponents, falling to South Korea in 2015 and drawing with China in 2019.
In the first half, Japan played with a strong, chilly wind at its back. This gave long passes forward additional carry, which helped fool Spain's defense into retreating.
By the 25-minute mark, Spain held 68% of the possession and more than 230 passes that were successfully completed compared to Japan's 43. However, it was shy, hesitant to advance, and played primarily in the field's center, keeping the ball on the ground in the direction of the wind.
Japan was content to hold its ground and launch a retaliation. On the 12th, it set off the trap for the first time. Jun Endo sent a long, curving ball forward from just inside the Spain half and wide on the left, and it landed for Miyakawa, who skillfully slipped her shot past Misa Rodriguez.
Moeka Minami was expelled from the region around Japan on the 23rd. Ueki directed Nagano to send Miyazawa away on the right by returning the ball with a nod. She threw the ball across the goal to Ueki, who received it with her left foot, shifted her weight to her right, and blasted a shot that hit Irene Paredes and flew over Rodriguez.
A day after her 24th birthday, Ueki marked the accomplishment.
It was Ueki's time to make a delivery for Miyazawa in the 40th. As the Spain defense sought to reorganize, Miyazawa broke sharply to the left, passed across to the right, and finished with her left foot.
Every objective followed the same pattern and was carried out with the same level of accuracy. Prior to halftime, Spain had few opportunities, with Jennifer Hermoso's header from Ona Batlle's cross serving as possibly its best.
Tanaka made a fantastic solo effort to score the goal. After eluding Batlle and Paredes and beating Rocio Galvez nearly halfway, she drove the ball forcefully into the top left corner. Japan scored four goals in five attempts.
Some Palmerston North residents were among the spectators at Sky Stadium. Palmerston North, a rural community located 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Wellington, served as Spain's base until they abruptly left it last week.
