The FIFA Women’s World Cup is gaining heat as all the participating teams are fighting for a place in the top 16. In one of the most recent updates from the tournament, former world champions Japan beat Costa Rica at the Dunedin Stadium on Tuesday. Goals from Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino ensured that the 2011 champs beat the Costa Ricans by a healthy 2-0 margin to keep their hopes alive of making it to the knockouts.
Both the Japanese goals came within the first half, allowing the team to gain a solid upper hand in the early going of the match. The first goal came in the 25th minute when Naomoto pounced on a slip from Maria Paula Coto and stormed into the area before stroking the ball into the net past the dive of goalkeeper Daniela Solera.
Just two minutes later, 16-year-old Aoba Fujino turned a defender on the right wing, ran directly at goal, and beat Solera at her near post from a tight angle to give Japan their second goal, with the team now doubling the lead just 27 minutes into the game.
The Japanese Team clearly dominated the match in terms of attempts at scoring, having fired 25 shots at the goal, out of which 11 were on target. On the other hand, Costa Rica could only fire 6 attempts at the Japanese goal, with only one shot going on target. Talking about ball possession, the percentage was almost equal for both teams surprisingly, with Costa Rica having a slight edge over their opponents. This clearly indicates that the Ricans played more on the defensive side with the Japanese going out on an all-attack mode throughout the match.
Japan for now have a very strong chance of taking the top spot in Group C standing having already won their opening game against Zambia with a massive 5-0 margin. They will next be facing Spain in Wellington on Monday. The result of the match will be very crucial for both teams as it will determine which of the two sides take the top spot in the group rankings. A win in the game will help Japan progress to the last 16 for the fourth straight World Cup.
On the other hand, Costa Rica, who were beaten 3-0 by Spain in their opener, will be going up against Zambia in Hamilton on Monday as both sides continue to seek their first World Cup win.
