Japan v. England 09/11/08

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Brave England Jilt Japan On Penalties

by Jeremy Ruane

The inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals witnessed a major upset at Waikato Stadium on 9 November, as crowd darlings Japan were sent home by an England side which, unlike their male counterparts, held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out.

The Young Lionesses triumphed 5-4 in the twelve yard test of nerve, after twice pegging back Young Nadeshiko with stoppage time goals at the end of each half to bring about a 2-2 draw which owed much to England's magnificent defensive display.

The match began in extremely open fashion, with both goals surviving scares inside the first 42 seconds of the match! Mana Iwabuchi escaped down the left to set up Chinatsu Kira inside the first thirty seconds, only for Lucy Bronze to stop the striker in her tracks with a super tackle.

The ball was instantly cleared upfield to Rebecca Jane, whose pace took her clear down the right, and subsequent teasing cross rattled the crossbar. Japan tidied up and instantly stormed downfield, Chiaki Shimada splitting the defence with a peach of a pass to put Iwabuchi through, only for Young Nadeshiko's star to slip her shot past Lauren Davey but just past the far post as well.

In the eighth minute, Japan opened the scoring, and it was the magical Iwabuchi who supplied the opportunity. While evading two challenges, she spotted Kira's darting run in behind the defence, and supplied her strike partner with an inch-perfect angled ball in from the right.

England's defence was carved upon by this incisiveness, and Kira took the ball on in her stride before steering a shot across the exposed figure of Davey and inside her far post - 1-0, and a beautifully conceived goal which had many in the crowd licking their lips in anticipation of more.

But more never materialised, despite Japan virtually throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at England's goal. They certainly had their chances to increase their lead, but they also found themselves up against a quite superb defensive strategy, one which required the Young Lionesses to work their socks off for the cause.

Basically, every time a Japanese player crossed the half-way line and received the ball, they found themselves face-to-face with an English player, and another lurking just behind to pounce lest the first line of defence be evaded.

It's a strategy which required a terrific work ethic to make it happen, but with a World Cup semi-final berth as their incentive, there was no way on earth the Young Lionesses were going to simply let Young Nadeshiko run riot at their expense. And on the occasions they were beaten, England could always call on Bronze.

Standing in for the suspended Jodie Jacobs, the Sunderland defender produced the performance of her career to inspire the upset of the tournament. While England's display was the result of a genuine team effort right across the park, Bronze's performance in particular merits special mention - a fabulous individual effort, with that of fellow central defender Gemma Bonner not far behind in quality.

It wasn't all defending on England's part, either - they mustered the odd attack or two as well, such as in the ninth minute, when captain Jordan Nobbs let fly from thirty yards with an effort which warmed the gloves of Japan's goalkeeper, Sakiko Ikeda, who was chosen ahead of incumbent number one, Saki Nakamura - something of a liability between the sticks for Young Nadeshiko throughout this tournament.

Generally, however, a blue tide kept pounding away on England's foreshore, with Shimaka going close from twenty yards in the tenth minute, five minutes prior to the irrepressible Iwabuchi wriggling her way through three challenges before laying the ball off to Kira.

She shot straight at Davey on this occasion, while two minutes later, the `keeper blocked another effort from the striker after Akane Saito had curled over an inviting cross. The rebound from Davey's parry ricocheted off the retreating Bonner to safety.

In the nineteenth minute, Iwabuchi and Kira worked a one-two which put the talismanic number ten inside England's penalty area. She shot across the face of goal, with Naomi Chadwick nearly turning the ball into her own net as she beat a hasty retreat to cover the target.

On the half-hour, Bronze set off downfield on a run which brought a brief respite from Japan's attacking endeavours. Isobel Christiansen and Danielle Carter combined to continue her surge, with the latter beating the offside trap to find herself one-on-one with Ikeda. The `keeper's superbly timed tackle thwarted Carter in classic fashion.

Not content with that opportunity, Carter enjoyed another opening five minutes later, Christiansen again her partner in crime. Kozue Chiba blocked this effort, and prompted renewed Japanese efforts

to get a second goal before the interval.

Four minutes prior to same, Iwabuchi and Kira combined to play Shimada through. The midfielder's dummy fooled many, but not Iwabuchi, who had dashed around behind her in anticipation of such a move. She wasn't alone in having kept her eye on the ball, however - Bonner stepped in to clear the danger.

In stoppage time at the end of the first half, English hopes were heartened by a goal against the run of play. Carter and Christiansen had been foiled by a lack of supporting team-mates moments earlier after swooping on a stray Nagisa Okuda pass, but there were no such excuses this time.

Lucy Staniforth stampeded through the inside right channel, accelerating past three defenders before burying a bullet beyond Ikeda and inside her near post - a blistering finish which brought about the 1-1 half-time scoreline.

Buoyed by their goal, the Young Lionesses emerged the stronger in the initial stages of the second half, despite Young Nadeshiko having rested the vast majority of their players in their final group fixture earlier in the week.

Ikeda was off her line swiftly in the 48th minute to deal with the threat posed by a Nobbs through ball after which Carter and Staniforth were in hot pursuit, the `keeper promptly clearing downfield to allow Iwabuchi the chance to threaten an England goal out of which Davey had hurtled - with good reason, as she cleared the danger posed by the exciting Japanese playmaker well outside her area.

It set a further example for England's cause, strengthening their defensive resolve still more as Japan struggled to find an answer to the challenging conundrum with which they were faced - finding a way through the maze which was England's defensive strategy.

An error by Bronze presented them with an opening in the 65th minute, the defender tripping Kira just outside the penalty area. The defensive wall did its job, however, standing firm to foil Shimada's attempt to regain the lead for Young Nadeshiko.

After gathering Staniforth shot nineteen minutes from time, Ikeda picked out Yuko Takeyama with her clearance, the fullback releasing Iwabuchi through the offside trap. Davey cleared on this occasion, too, to Chiba.

She was caught in possession by Lauren Bruton as England counter-attacked, the speedster sprinting into a penalty area in which Ikeda was in total command. And after seeing Kira head a Takeyama corner narrowly wide of the park, Japan's new number one had to be on her toes to thwart Carter, after she chased down a Bonner clearance twelve minutes from time.

After Saito had spurned a Natsuki Kameoka-inspired opportunity to give Japan the lead, a crowd favourite turned the game Young Nadeshiko's way eight minutes from time.

Bronze was, for once, outwitted by Iwabuchi as a stray ball suddenly appeared in the inside left channel. Japan's star turn seized on the opportunity with relish, dashing past her into the penalty area, from where she blasted the ball beyond Davey for what was surely the winning goal.

England reeled at the blow, and Japan moved in for the kill. Davey denied substitute Kei Yoshioka after Iwabuchi had once again pulled the strings, while Carter headed a Saito header to safety following a Takeyama corner.

Yoshioka then steered the ball inches wide from a Saito cross, while Kameoka cracked a thirty-yarder three minutes from time, the sphere sizzling over the bar as Japan piled on the pressure.

The Young Lionesses were on the ropes, but mounted one last raid of their own in an effort to force extra time. A minute into stoppage time, the ball appeared at Christiansen's feet some forty yards out from goal, prompting her to let fly.

From the second the ball left her boot, there was only one place it was going, and nothing Ikeda could do was going to stop the sphere smashing into the top right-hand corner of the net - a fabulous strike, which surely brought about a further thirty minutes for this fabulous contest to capture people's imagination.

There was still time for Young Nadeshiko to win it in normal time, however. And they went for broke. Straight from the kick-off, England survived strong claims for a penalty as Chadwick tripped Iwabuchi inside the area.

Referee Quetzalli Alvarado had a long look, but kept her whistle from her lips, instead awarding Japan a free-kick twenty-five yards from goal seconds later. Davey tipped Natsuki Kishikawa's effort over the bar, which prompted a final Takeyama corner.

Cue an almighty goalmouth scramble, in which

Japan must have had at least five shots at goal, all of them blocked as England somehow held out for the extra thirty minutes Christiansen's blockbuster had earned them a matter of two minutes earlier.

The body language upon referee Alvarado's full-time whistle said everything - England stoic, standing, a “We will not be beaten” mentality clearly evident. Japan, meanwhile, were floored, literally - every single one of them sitting down having legs rubbed ahead of thirty minutes which they had never anticipated, thirty minutes which enhanced still further this terrific contest.

Two minutes after the resumption, Iwabuchi weaved yet more wizardry, dribbling through three challenges in England's penalty area before seeing Davey block her shot at the near post to deny what would surely have been the best goal of its ilk in a tournament laden with memorable goals.

Davey kept England on level terms again six minutes later, flinging herself to her left to turn another Kishikawa free-kick to safety. Japan's captain then cleared her team's lines at the other end of the park a minute before the turnaround, after Rebecca Jane had got the better of Takeyama and, with the assistance of Nobbs, provided a cross which had Christiansen as its intended target.

Kishikawa hadn't read that script, just as England hadn't read the script for this entire quarter-final. Many had thought this would be a one-sided contest in Japan's favour, such had been their dominance in round-robin play, with seventeen goals to their name, and England having just copped a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Korea Republic.

Instead, here we were, embarking on the final fifteen minutes of extra time, with the game in the balance at 2-2. Japan piled on the pressure straight away, with Iwabuchi's probing ball through for Saito prompting a mix-up between Bonner and Davey which almost saw the defender turn the sphere into her own net.

Davey then grabbed a long-range effort from Kameoka before Saito sent a twenty yarder sailing over the bar, these attempts either side of another Christiansen shot which fizzed past the post.

Saito then cleared the crossbar by a minimal margin with a teasing cross-shot from the most acute of angles, before Japan pressed for a last-gasp winner in the 119th minute of an epic contest.

Iwabuchi - who else? - led the charge, careering past three opponents as she scythed in off the right flank before linking with Kira. Davey blocked her shot, the rebound from which fell to Saito, who returned the ball to the game's first scorer in the hope that she would also be its last one.

Kira pulled the trigger, the goal at her mercy. But she looked on in horror as a lone England defender lunged despairingly to deny Young Nadeshiko the glory at the death … Bronze was pure gold for the Young Lionesses from first whistle to last, and it was fitting that her intervention should prevent this epic affair from being decided via traditional means.

Instead, the dreaded penalty shoot-out, so often the nemesis of English football at international level, would determine which team would be shedding tears of sadness and which team tears of joy at the prospect of extending their stay in New Zealand into the final week of the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals.

Japan went first, Kira converting comfortably. Nobbs replied in kind for England, before Takeyama buried her effort right in the corner of the net. Bruton made it 2-2, and up to the spot stepped Kameoka.

Davey dived to her right and saved the spot-kick, a poorly executed effort it must be said. Kameoka's distress was compounded when Carter put England in front for the first time in the contest.

Kisihikawa - she sent Davey the wrong way, substitute Rachel Pitman and Saito all converted their efforts, meaning that if Bonner found the net with the last of England's five regulation penalties, the Young Lionesses would be heading to Christchurch, and Young Nadeshiko would be heading for home.

Awaiting the victors are North Korea, the Asian champions, who had downed Japan 1-0 in the final of that particular contest. The eagerly anticipated re-match was not to be, though, the tears of the Japanese saying more than any words ever could as Bonner was engulfed by her colleagues, her spot-kick securing England a 5-4 win on penalties to bring to an end a truly great match, one which neither team deserved to lose.

Japan: Ikeda; K. Chiba, Okuda, Kishikawa, Takeyama; Inoue (Yoshioka, 80) (Hamada, 112), Kameoka, Shimada (Tanaka, 74), Saito; Kira, Iwabuchi

England: Davey; Daly (Marsh, 58), Bronze, Bonner, Chadwick; Staniforth (Pitman, 72), Nobbs, Carter, Christiansen, Bruton; Jane (Eli, 106)

Referee: Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)

2008