At the 2012 Algarve Cup, Japan’s Women’s National Team won all three of its group matches, including its final group match versus the United States. By topping the group, Japan played in the placement match for first place, where they lost 4:3 in a match that saw 3 goals scored in the final few minutes.
(No real analysis this time, this is mostly just bookmarking of links and notes.)
Homare Sawa, who recently stepped down as captain of the squad, was absent for Japan’s final two matches (USA, Germany) due to what has subsequently been diagnosed as “benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.”
Other notables: (1) Japan’s first “normal time” victory over the United States; and (2) Yuki Nagasato and Nahomi Kawasumi each scored 2 goals during the tournament.
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(note: assist details are not readily available)
Japan 2, Norway 1 (29-Feb-2012).
45: Yuki Nagasato.
65: Nahomi Kawasumi.
Starting XI: Kaihori, Kinga, Kumagai, Sameshima, Utsugi, Sakaguchi, Miyami, Sawa, Ohno, Kawasumi, Nagasato.
JFA write-ups (English, Sasaki quotes), JFA box score.
Japan 2, Denmark 0 (02-Mar-2012).
52: Yuika Sugasawa.
90+2: Ohno Shinobu.
JFA write-ups (English, Sasaki quotes), JFA box score.
Starting XI: Fukumoto, Kinga, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Ariyoshi, Tanaka, Miyami, Ito, Kyokawa, Takase, Sugasawa.
Japan 1, USA 0 (05-Mar-2012).
84: Megumi Takase. (web box score says 83rd, but officially it is 84th)
JFA write-ups (English, Sasaki quotes, Miyami quotes), JFA box score.
Starting XI: Fukumoto, Kinga, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima, Tanaka, Sakaguchi, Miyama, Nagasato, Ando, Ohno.
Japan 3, Germany 4 (07-Mar-2012).
35: Nahomi Kawasumi.
55: Rumi Utsugi.
90: Yuki Nagasato.
JFA write-ups (English, Sasaki quotes), JFA box score.
Starting XI: Kaihori, Iwashimizu, Sameshima, Utsugi, Ariyoshi, Sakaguchi, Miyami, Kawasumi, Ohno, Ando, Nagasato.
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TABLE: Playing Minutes, Japan, 2012 Algarve Cup
(The number preceding each player’s name is their shirt number.)
##: Player P. NOR DEN USA GER Total 01: KAIHORI Ayumi GK 90 0 0 90 180 12: FUKUMOTO Miho GK 0 90 90 0 180 04: KUMAGAI Saki DF 90 90 90 45 315 02: KINGA Yukari DF 68 90 90 45 293 13: UTSUGI Rumi DF 90 45 25 90 250 14: TANAKA Asuna DF 22 90 89 44 245 05: SAMESHIMA Aya DF 90 0 90 45 225 15: ARIYOSHI Saori DF 22 90 0 90 202 03: IWASHIMIZU Azusa DF 0 90 65 45 200 08: MIYAMI Aya MF 90 70 90 90 340 06: SAKAGUCHI Mizuho MF 83 0 79 90 252 09: KAWASUMI Nahomi MF 90 20 25 90 225 07: ANDO Kozue MF 0 0 65 45 110 10: SAWA Homare* MF 68 0 NR NR 68 16: ITO Kanako MF 7 45 1 0 53 18: KIRYU Nanase MF 0 33 0 1 34 17: NAGASATO Yuki FW 70 20 90 90 270 11: OHNO Shinobu FW 83 8 65 89 245 19: TAKASE Megumi FW 20 90 25 1 136 20: SUGASAWA Yuika FW 0 70 11 0 81 21: KYOKAWA Mai FW 7 49 0 0 56
*Sawa sat out the last two matches due to what was subsequently diagnosed as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
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