USA v. Japan

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USA v. Japan

Stunning Lloyd Strike Sinks Japan

by Jeremy Ruane

A stunning strike from dynamic USA midfielder Carli Lloyd earned her country a fourth 1-0 victory in five games on August 9, and in the process, left Japan's Olympic hopes in dire straits at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

The USA began the first half strongly, with Amy Rodriguez heading narrowly over the crossbar after just three minutes, following a short corner routine which wasn't cleared, allowing USA captain Christie Rampone to flick the ball on at the near post.

Three minutes later, the ever-dangerous Carli Lloyd set off on a run before looking to pick out Heather O'Reilly with a cross-field ball. Japanese goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto was wise to the threat, however, but was looking on in horror two minutes later as the Americans came even closer to breaking the deadlock.

Lindsay Tarpley picked out O'Reilly on the right, and she got around the challenge of Miyuki Yanagita before whipping an angled low cross into the goal area. With Angela Hucles closing in, Yukari Kinga raced back and managed to clear the sphere over her own crossbar.

Seconds later, Tarpley made the most of a lost cause when Rodriguez lost possession on the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder battled her way between three Nadeshiko defenders to unleash a twenty-yarder which Fukumoto smothered low to her left.

After Lloyd had directed a header against the stanchion following a Hucles corner to the far post, Japan, who had largely been feeding on scraps to this point, found a potential opening via Aya Miyama's free-kick artistry. The USA struggled to clear her delivery from the left, Hope Solo having to resort to a timely punch to resolve matters.

That brought temporary relief, for, in the very next attack, Kozue Ando played the ball in to Shinobu Ohno, whose angled lay-off took Yuki Nagasato out of play. It was perfect for overlapping fullback Kinga, however, and her driven cross-shot zoomed narrowly past the far post, with Solo at full stretch.

As she was again in the 22nd minute, using every inch of her six-foot-plus frame to tip Homare Sawa's teasing curler over the crossbar, minutes after Pearce, at the other end of the park, had gone agonisingly close with a headed attempt following a Tarpley corner.

Solo then denied Sawa again, with Nadeshiko's playmaker this time testing the `keeper with a teasing cross-shot which required grabbing under the crossbar. Solo duly obliged.

The `keeper was celebrating four minutes later, along with her team-mates, as the USA hit the front. And how! Tarpley played the ball down the left for Rodriguez to pursue. She managed to retrieve the ball before it got to the by-line, but had little option other than to hook over a first-time angled cross towards the penalty area.

That was perfect as far as the fast-arriving figure of Lloyd was concerned. With the ball having cleared the heads of Japan's defenders, the USA's midfield goalscoring machine strode onto the ball and, without breaking stride, sent a searing eighteen-yard volley sailing over the diving figure of Fukumoto and into the net with gusto aplenty - cracking goal!

Back came Japan, six minutes later, Nagasato leading the charge. She got in behind the defence on the left and lured Solo out of goal before drilling a cross-shot past her. Unfortunately for Nadeshiko, no-one in a blue shirt was racing in on the far post to turn the ball home.

After Fukumoto had smothered Hucles' low drive at her near post, Lloyd volleyed narrowly over from a Hucles corner, which was knocked down into her path by Kate Markgraf.

From the resulting goal-kick, Japan launched onto the attack once more, with Miyama and Sawa combining in midfield. The number ten was hoping for a miracle as she sought to beat Solo from thirty yards, but the `keeper wasn't having a bar of it.

Three minutes before half-time, a blunder by Yanagita allowed Hucles to send Rodriguez racing clear from half-way. The striker failed to make the most of the opportunity, however, tamely shooting wide of Fukumoto, allowing the goalkeeper to smother easily.

Two minutes later, Fukumoto was on the wrong end of a thunderous challenge from Heather Mitts, as she slid in looking to capitalise on a through ball from Hucles. Thai referee Pannipar Kamneung surprisingly made no decision, to which Fukumoto, who had managed to hold onto the ball, made known her displeasure by kicking the ball out in a justifiable fit of pique.

To their credit, Mitts recognised this, and instructed the ball be thrown back to Nadeshiko, thus ending the half on a sporting note.

The second spell saw the Japanese start on the front foot, with Sawa pulling the strings in her inimitable style. Her prompting invited Azusa Iwashimizu to pick out Nagasato in the 47th minute, with the striker instantly bringing Kinga into play. She skipped round Cox's challenge before whipping in a low cross for Nagasato, whose shot was deflected narrowly past the post.

Four minutes later, Sawa brought Ohno into play, the striker crossing on the run for the fast-arriving figure of Nagasato at the near post. Not fast enough, however, with Solo gathering confidently.

The USA responded to this with a strong attacking spell of their own. Lloyd caught Iwashimizu in possession in the 55th minute, and promptly sent Rodriguez scampering down the left. Her cross on the run was flicked back by Hucles to Shannon Boxx, who unleashed a screamer which fizzed narrowly over Fukumoto's crossbar.

Two minutes later, O'Reilly gathered the ball on the right and laid it back to Mitts, whose hanging cross was headed narrowly past the far post by Lloyd. Within seconds, the Americans were in again, with Fukumoto having the presence of mind to head the ball clear, given she was outside her penalty area.

Nadeshiko's number one was again in fine form in the 59th minute, at full stretch in order to keep out a firecracker from Boxx, who, three minutes later, sent Rodriguez racing through with just the `keeper to beat. The striker squandered a glorious opportunity, blazing wildly over the bar with a shot on the run, and defenders trailing in her wake.

In between times, Japan had gone desperately close to levelling the scores. Mizuho Sakaguchi drove through from midfield before playing the ball into Ohno. She set up Nagasato for a twenty-five yarder which fizzed inches past the diving Solo's left-hand upright.

The `keeper was less troubled in the 67th minute as substitute Ayumi Hara combined with Ohno and Nagasato to set up a chance for another substitute, Karina Maruyama. Solo gathered the shot comfortably near the post.

US pressure in pursuit of a second goal was building. In the 72nd minute, a Tarpley corner was cleared to Mitts, who unleashed a twenty-five yard screamer. Fukumoto flung herself to her left and, at full stretch, punched the ball to safety.

Seconds later, Tarpley was in again, jinking this way and that before engineering some space on the left from which to deliver a wicked cross into the goalmouth. Markgraf dived for it, but with Iwashimizu on her shoulder, was unable to direct her header on target.

Nadeshiko bounced back via Nagasato and Ohno, who combined to create an opportunity for Maruyama. But a vital headed clearance by Stephanie Cox denied the substitute on this occasion.

Cue more USA pressure. O'Reilly and Rodriguez linked on the right, with the latter shrugging off the attentions of Japanese captain Hiromi Ikeda to create space for a driven cross-shot.

This fizzed across the face of goal, while the striker was again denied two minutes later by Iwashimizu's timely tackle, as she looked to race clear once more. She was replaced soon after by Natasha Kai, who was sent racing clear by Hucles in the dying minutes, but spurned the chance by drilling her shot into the side-netting.

This was a rare USA raid in the final minutes, as Nadeshiko laid siege to their opponents' goal in a desperate search for an equaliser. They bombarded Solo's goal with a flurry of crosses, only one of which threatened to pay dividends.

Again, the combined efforts of Nagasato and Ohno provided the opening, the latter skipping past a challenge before getting to the by-line on the right and whipping in a cross. Maruyama met it, but was unable to direct her header on target - a crucial miss, as it turned out, with Carli Lloyd's stunning first half strike ultimately settling an entertaining contest in the USA's favour.

Japan now need to beat Norway if they harbour any hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals at the 2008 Olympic Women's Football Tournament, while the USA need at least a point against the Football Ferns to be certain of having a chance to clinch back-to-back gold medals.

USA: Solo; Mitts, Rampone, Markgraf, Cox (Buehler, 83); O'Reilly, Boxx, Lloyd, Tarpley (Heath, 73); Hucles, Rodriguez (Kai, 86)

Japan: Fukumoto; Kinga, Ikeda (Arakawa, 81), Iwashimizu, Yanagita; Ando (Maruyama, 62), Sawa, Sakaguchi (Hara, 65), Miyama; Ohno, Nagasato

Referee: Pannipar Kamneung (Thailand)

2008