Japan v Costa Rica: Women’s World Cup 2023 Group C – live
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Another really dominant performance from Japan. What did you make of that half of football?
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I still feel like Japan are holding back, I’m waiting for them to put their foot down. But maybe that’s a reflection of Costa Rica still stopping them from breaking through.
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Let me know what you think.
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After Tanaka’s header goes wide, Fujino is able to pick it up outside the area, turns and runs back in and on a ridiculously tight angle sends it between Solera and the near post. Beautiful stuff!
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After a brief trip into Costa Rica’s half, a pass from right to Naomoto is helped after defender Coto slips. Naomoto slams it past Solera.
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Peeeeeeeeeeep! (I’m led to believe that’s how we start things here.) The game is under way in chilly Dunedin.
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Will Japan go back to back? Can Costa Rica get a few more shots on goal!?
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And here’s the updated list for today’s game. Looks like Costa Rica have made a couple of changes from their starting XI against Spain:
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23 Daniela Solera
20 Fabiola Villalobos
4 Mariana Benavides
2 Gabriela Guillen
3 Maria Coto
16 Katherine Alvarado
15 Cristin Granados
12 Maria Elizondo
7 Melissa Herrera
9 Maria Salas
14 Priscila Chinchilla
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Esta es la alineación con la que saldrá nuestra Sele Femenina a disputar su segundo partido de la Copa del Mundo. ¡Arriba La Sele! 💪🏻🇨🇷
Costa Rica 🇨🇷 vs 🇯🇵 Japón
🏟 Estadio de Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda.
⏰ 11:00 p.mPresenta @kolbi_cr#FCRF #LaSeleFemenina #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/XCrTcegYh0
— FCRF 🇨🇷 (@fedefutbolcrc) July 26, 2023
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A few changes for Japan too:
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1 Ayaka Yamashita
5 Shiori Miyake
4 Saki Kumagai
3 Moeka Minami
2 Risa Shimizu
16 Honoka Hayashi
8 Hikaru Naomoto
14 Yui Hasegawa
6 Hina Sugita
15 Aoba Fujino
11 Mina Tanaka
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イラストレーター「OKADA」(@HOOOOJICHA)さんによる #なでしこジャパン 応援イラストで、本日のスタメンを紹介💙
🏆FIFA 女子 #ワールドカップ 2023 🇦🇺🇳🇿
⚔️グループステージ第2節
⌚️14:00(🇯🇵)
🆚コスタリカ代表🇨🇷
📺NHK BS1
📱💻FIFA+
🔗https://t.co/nKJjh3VsTH#FIFAWWC #JPN#なでニコ… pic.twitter.com/MqWonGgf4I— JFAなでしこサッカー (@jfa_nadeshiko) July 26, 2023
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Hello there! It is day seven of the 2023 Women’s World Cup and my goodness is the time flying. We’ve only been waiting for four years, and then it just flashes by so fast.
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There are three games on the schedule today, the first being the subject of this live blog: Japan v Costa Rica in Dunedin, New Zealand. Stay with me, Jo Khan, for team info and minute-by-minute action, kick-off is 5pm local time/3pm AEST/2pm JST/11pm CST/6am BST. Sorry if I didn’t include your time zone, please don’t take it personally.
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Spain and Zambia play later in Auckland, and then Group B’s Canada and Ireland face off in Perth.
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You can get in touch with me via email or tweet @_jokhan. Let me know where you are watching/following from today.
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Key events
77 mins: The attendance is announced in the stadium. I think they said more than 6,000. I’ll confirm that. It’s a low number in comparison to some of the other crowds we’ve seen so far.
Miyazawa has another chance! There’s not a lot of conviction behind the shot though.
75 mins: Costa Rica try to break but they are not getting the numbers forward to support it.
They make another change. Salas is coming off, and Sheika Scott comes on.
74 mins: Hayashi and Naomoto are coming off. Fuka Nagano and Kiko Seike are on in their places. Both Japan’s goal scorers are off now.
73 mins: Japan are about to make another two changes.
Japan send a cross over from the right, miles over the goal.
72 mins: Naomoto takes the free kick and passes to her right. The ball is chipped forward and the Japanese captain can’t quite her her head on it.
Another cross in is met by Ueki who gets her head on it behind the defenders but sends it to Solera.
71 mins: Coto with the throw for Costa Rica. Japan pick it up and Miyazawa looks for an option in the middle. She doesn’t find one but draws the foul.
70 mins: On Solera … another message from Mary.
“Solera is heroic in goal and Las Ticas are trying their best but I can’t see Japan surrendering this lead. They are so organized and clinical, they simply dominate. Spain v Japan is going to be a banger!”
68 mins: The teams huddle in the brief pause. Ueki goes over to Solera to offer a handshake which she accepts. It didn’t look malicious at all mind you, the hit.
Play restarts with. Japan corner. Again Solera came out to take it but a Costa Rican defender cleared it to the edge of the area.
66 mins: Solera is still on the ground in the penalty area. She took a very hard hit from Ueki there as the forward was running in.
65 mins: A long, high ball from Shimizu results in a nasty collision between Solera and Ueki. The goalkeeper came out to collect the ball but Villalobos tried to head it away. Nearly ended in an own goal.
64 mins: Raquel Rodriguez comes on for Cristin Granados.
Rodriguez gets her first touch early and Costa Rica move the ball around the back third.
63 mins: Ueki passes off to Sugita who easily gets past Herrera and sends it across goal. The cross is a bit too hard and fast.
62 mins: Costa Rica interrupt Hasegawa’s momentum. But the pass forward from Villalobos goes straight back to Japan.
61 mins: Not a great delivery from Naomoto, fall short of the Japan players in the middle. Costa Rica clear it and Japan are allowed to reset.
60 mins: Ueki gets a low cross into Miyazawa who can’t quite get to it in time. It’s out for a corner.
59 mins: Japan are making their first changes.
Fujino is coming off for Riko Euki. And also Tanaka is making way for Hinata Miyazawa. Changing up the forwards there.
57 mins: Coto helps Costa Rica push up the pitch a bit further again. They can’t break through so they bring it back and start again.
55 mins: The substitute Gloriana Villalobos is lying on the pitch after a head collision, they pause to check she’s ok, and she is so play resumes.
54 mins: Fujino looks promising on the edge of the area but no one can get on to her low cross/shot and Solera takes it up easily.
53 mins: That minute of play from Costa Rica was probably the most exciting yet. Gloriana Villalobos went hard at the Japanese defence.
52 mins: A brief sign of attacking pace from Costa Rica, its from the substitute Gloriana Villalobos.
51 mins: Costa Rica’s clearances are not helping them, Japan are regaining possession so quickly.
Chinchilla is fouled and Costa Rica have some time to work the ball around.
50 mins: On the counter attack after a turnover in midfield, Hasegawa has a ping from outside the area, but Solera dives to her right and saves it.
49 mins: Naomoto has a shot but it’s straight to Solera. She has made more saves than any other goalkeeper so far this tournament.
48 mins: Another cross in from Sugita is headed away but picked up by Japan at halfway.
47 mins: Sugita is causing trouble on the left.
46 mins: Japan are dangerous from the whistle as Sugita sends a cross into the area. It falls without a touch and is then sent over the crossbar.
Second half kick-off!
Peeeeeep! Let’s go again. One change for Costa Rica.
In other World Cup news today – there are more injury woes in the camp of co-hosts Australia! Not only is Sam Kerr still out injured but now another striker is in doubt.
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Mina Tanaka has been incredible again. The Costa Rica defence really need to close her down faster.
Kurt asks: “Can Japan win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup?”
Can anyone else answer that? They are looking great, their goals have been impressive. Their passing is clinical, and there’s been flashes of creativity up front. But they also haven’t been particularly challenged yet. And they aren’t converting all their chances.
We might have to wait for the matchup with Spain to get a better idea on that question.
“Jo, greetings from California.”
Hello, Mary! I just checked at I think it’s nearly 11pm there, so thanks for following along.
“Two questions. After getting blown away in their first match, will their second be a repeat for Costa Rica? Japan was so impressive. And how long will it take a Pink shirted Inter Miami Messi to do a cross promotion with the Barbie movie?”
OK on the first question: I’d say it’s looking that way for Costa Rica already. We know Japan got going in their second half against Zambia on the weekend, will they come out firing after the break and brush Costa Rica aside? Or maybe Costa Rica can regroup and make trouble. I sort of answered.
On question two: it’s genuinely baffling that this Messi/Barbie crossover hasn’t happened already!
Half-time (Japan 2-0 Costa Rica)
Another really dominant performance from Japan. What did you make of that half of football?
I still feel like Japan are holding back, I’m waiting for them to put their foot down. But maybe that’s a reflection of Costa Rica still stopping them from breaking through.
Let me know what you think.
45 + 5 mins: Japan work the ball around the middle for a bit, but it’s intercepted and cleared by Benavides. That will be it I think for now.
45 + 4 mins: Mariana Benavides sends the free kick forwards but it bounces straight back out to the halfway line and Japan regain possession.
45 + 3 mins: Sorry forgot to say there are 5 minutes added to this first half. I was worrying about people’s knees. Now Chinchilla has just gone down after a challenged from Kumagai.
45 + 2 mins: A cross in is controlled down by Tanaka who passes to Naomoto. She looks offside, but the flag stays down. Naomoto rushes and sends the ball out.
45 + 1 mins: Oh no the replay of a shot from Tanaka shows the ball absolutely slamming into the inside of Villalobos’s knee. She has walked off the pitch for now. Oh no she’s back on already!
45 mins: Costa Rica have a player down in their penalty area getting some treatment. Ah it’s Villalobos. Maybe cramp?
43 mins: Fabiola Villalobos is working so hard at right back. It might not seem obvious from the score but she is thwarting chances.
42 mins: Shot from Tanaka from outside the area is just high off the crossbar! Solera may have had that covered anyway.
41 mins: Japan look so strong. Although still making some errors they are then winning back the ball afterwards, regrouping in pushing again.
40 mins: Maria Salas showing some of that frustration – she thinks she was pushed, but the referee is not interested.
39 mins: There’s a foul by Herrera and I think the Costa Ricans might be starting to get a bit frustrated.
38 mins: Nice cross in from Naomoto finds Tanaka on the edge of the six-yard box but her header is straight to Solera.
37 mins: Costa Rica starting to flood the area with red shirts whenever Japan push forward. Tanaka looks so threatening, but the pass through is to a player offside.
36 mins: Another long lob forward from Costa Rica is intercepted by Japan.
33 mins: Foul by Herrera. Japan have a free kick. Costa Rica have looked vulnerable at set pieces, and Japan have got numbers. The free kick is a fizzer and the resulting shot from Miyake is off target.
31 mins: Japan regroup after a slight scare. Their passing is near immaculate on the edge of the area. Tanaka goes down in the area but nothing comes of it. Risa Shimizu sends a rebounding ball wide of goal.
30 mins: Costa Rica push up, passing it across the line of defenders and have a chance in the penalty area! It goes across the face of goal and Chinchilla can’t get there in time.
28 mins: Two goals in quick succession and I feel like this could just escalate now. Costa Rica’s defence doesn’t have a lot in reply.
GOAL! Japan 2-0 Costa Rica (Fujino 27′)
After Tanaka’s header goes wide, Fujino is able to pick it up outside the area, turns and runs back in and on a ridiculously tight angle sends it between Solera and the near post. Beautiful stuff!
GOAL! Japan 1-0 Costa Rica (Naomoto 25′)
After a brief trip into Costa Rica’s half, a pass from right to Naomoto is helped after defender Coto slips. Naomoto slams it past Solera.
22 mins:…
Read More:Japan v Costa Rica: Women’s World Cup 2023 Group C – live