The Spanish team is playing against Japan (9h, La1) much more than the leadership of group C. The victories over Costa Rica (3-0) and Zambia (5-0) served to seal the pass to the round of 16, but against the Nadeshiko will measure their aspirations in the tournament. It is the first acid test for Jorge Vilda, the game that he will decide if the red has permission to dream of great things.
“It is the most difficult opponent we have encountered so far and the one that is going to demand the most from us,” acknowledged the coach in the preview from Wellington. A high-quality Japanese team that, unlike their rivals so far, will not lock themselves back and try to wrest possession from their opponent. “We hope to take the ball away from them and, in a kind of one-on-one combat across the field, create chances for our players,” Futoshi Ikeda confessed.
His team is one of the four who know what it is to be proclaimed world champion, they did it in 2011, just after the country was shaken by tragedy. More than 16,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the island. Amid the desolation, the Nadeshiko brought smiles back to the country with a young Saki Kumagai scoring the decisive penalty in the final against the United States. Today, Kumagai is 32 years old and is the captain of Japan after having gone through top-level teams such as Olympique de Lyon or Bayern.
“What strikes me the most about Japan is that they interpret the game very well. They are not automatic players, they are clear about their plan. It is a very intelligent team and very well worked”, warned Vilda. The Madrid coach confirmed the recovery of Athenea del Castillo. The Real Madrid winger set off the alarms in the match against Zambia with a possible ankle sprain, but yesterday she already trained with the group and will be available. Who is not clear that she can arrive is Ivana Andrés, with problems in the soleus. A sensitive loss for the plans of a Vilda who has bet on the Real Madrid player in both games to form a partner in the axis of the rear with Irene Paredes. Her place could be occupied by the blaugrana Laia Codina.
Despite the fact that the Spanish team already has a ticket to the round of 16 guaranteed, they will look for a lead against Japan that would give them many advantages, in addition to avoiding playing at the worst times for the Spanish fans (10am, instead of 07am, in the round of 16; and 9:30 a.m. instead of 03:00 a.m., in quarters). If the red one is first – it is worth drawing against Japan –, they will face a resurgent Norway in the round of 16. With Graham Hansen back in the eleven, Hege Riise’s men seem to have overcome the crisis in the locker room and sealed their classification with a win (6-0) against the Philippines. On the other hand, if Spain loses today, the rival will be the Switzerland of Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, MVP in the goalless draw against New Zealand on the day he celebrated 150 caps.
It has been a turbulent year for the Spanish team but, if they take first place in the group, they will have a license to be excited. He would avoid the United States until a hypothetical semifinal, facing Sweden or the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, on paper. Although Vilda assures that she “does not think” about possible rivals: “Spain will always go out to win the games.”