Japan stretched its unbeaten run in the Women’s World Cup to seven matches with a thrilling victory over the Netherlands in the round of 16 on Tuesday. The Nadeshiko will look to keep their winning streak intact when they take on Australia in a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash at Commonwealth Stadium this coming Saturday.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Australia barged into the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup with a dramatic 1-0 victory over powerhouse Brazil on Sunday. Kyah Simon scored the winning goal for the Matildas who will next face defending champions Japan in the last eight. The 23-year-old has been on a tear in this tournament, scoring three goals in her opening four matches. She now has 14 goals in 56 international caps for Australia.
It was a huge result for the Matildas who recorded their first ever knockout win in the Women’s World Cup. With the victory, the Australians now have the opportunity to better the quarterfinal exits they suffered in each of their two previous World Cups. Things are bound to get tougher for the Matildas, though, as standing in their way in the last eight are the mighty Japanese.
For the Australians to record another major upset this coming Saturday, they will need to be solid at the back once again. Even though they were outshot by Brazil in shot attempts (14-9) and shots on target (6-2), the Matildas remained resolute in defense as they thwarted each and every one of the Brazilian attacks. Credit must go to goalkeeper Lydia Williams who kept Australia in the match with a string of world-class saves. She had six in total in the win against Brazil.
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Betting on Japan
Japan’s quest for back-to-back World Cup titles is still very much alive after it pulled off a heart-stopping 2-1 win against Netherlands on Tuesday. Saori Ariyoshi and Mizhuo Sakaguchi scored the winning goals for the defending champions who preserved their 100% record in this tournament.
The road to the title will only get harder for the Nadeshiko who undoubtedly received a favorable draw in this tournament. Japan’s first four matches in this competition were all against teams making their World Cup debut: Cameroon, Switzerland, Ecuador and Netherlands. That’s about to change in the quarterfinals where they will meet a battle-tested Australian side.
For Japan to grab that all-important victory against Australia, it needs to control the tempo right from the get-go. Key to Japan’s success in this tournament thus far has been its fast starts with five of its six goals coming in the 29th minute or earlier. With Ariyoshi’s quick goal in the 10th minute, the Nadeshiko were able to dictate the tempo of the match against the Netherlands. They outshot the Dutch in attempts (18-12) and in shots on target (3-2).
Apart from that, what makes this Japanese squad so tough to beat in this competition is its impeccable defense. Through four matches in this tournament, Japan has conceded just two goals with one of those goals coming in added time Tuesday against the Netherlands. The Japanese, though, will need to be wary of an Australian attack that has already scored five goals in this year’s World Cup.
That being said, Japan will fancy its chances of advancing into the next round as it has fared extremely well against Australia in the past. The Nadeshiko defeated the Matildas, 1-0, in the Asian Cup final last year.
Writer’s Prediction
Japan (+113) books a place in the semis with a tough 2-1 win.
