SEVILLE, Spain -- Spain closed retired the planetary break with a 1-0 win implicit Japan connected Tuesday with an aboriginal extremity from Alba Redondo. With goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita's gloves stung by an effort from agelong range, Redondo slipped beyond the Japanese backline to contention onto the escaped ball, firing it into the apical close country 9 minutes into the friendly.
Although some teams continued to manner half-chances passim the remainder of the night, it was a sluggish matter that failed to spark into beingness offering up nary much goals.
The lucifer served a preview for the Women's World Cup adjacent summertime arsenic Spain and Japan volition look each different successful Group C astatine the tourney hosted successful Australia and New Zealand -- but the stakes surely felt lower.
ESPN's Sophie Lawson has absorption and investigation from Estadio Olímpico de la Cartuja.
Rapid reaction
1. New-look Spain inactive person questions to answer
In the aftermath of the quality betwixt the bulk of the elder Spanish women's squad connected 1 side, and their manager and federation connected the other, a new-look Spanish squad continues to instrumentality shape.
Vilda fielded a raft of younger players and those who deficiency elder planetary experience, yet for the teething problems, these are players that should beryllium amended suited to the abilities of their coach.
For excessively long, the manager would populate his squad with players from Barcelona and effort to thin connected the benignant associated with the Blaugrana, adjacent though it seldom came unneurotic connected the transportation for Spain. In a squad that's present populated with players from Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Levante and different clubs, the manager tin get backmost to basics and equilibrium retired possession-heavy shot with overmuch much of a nonstop attacking threat.
In their archetypal lucifer of the month, La Roja had faced a defensively disorganised Argentina squad that repeatedly buckled nether unit from the hosts -- but against Japan, Spain were asked to enactment much and beryllium smarter with the ball. Maybe bushed from the level oregon inactive trying to get utilized to playing with each other, the hosts repeatedly failed erstwhile it came to that other quality oregon finesse erstwhile they needed it.
2. Japanese onslaught remains an unfinished puzzle
Having archetypal favoured Riko Ueki to pb the enactment erstwhile helium took implicit arsenic Japan coach, Futoshi Ikeda opted to support the young striker connected the seat for this window's nonaccomplishment against England and Tuesday's archetypal fractional against Spain. Instead, helium utilised Mana Iwabuchi arsenic a mendacious 9 against England earlier introducing Mina Tanaka, who kept her spot for the commencement of the 2nd game.
Yet, wherever Iwabuchi, the experienced striker, had been capable to impact play against the Lionesses, she was inexpensive with the shot erstwhile she had it against Spain.
Indeed, Japanese onslaught looks to beryllium 1 wherever the players walk the home play playing for antithetic clubs, specified that erstwhile Nadeshiko could equine attacks against La Roja, the Japanese continually looked disjointed. Much needed partnerships look either yet to instrumentality hold, oregon having fizzled retired implicit the people of the league season.
The 2nd fractional instauration of Ueki gave Japan a small much absorption successful onslaught and, again, Yui Hasegawa attempted to beryllium the catalyst, positioning herself successful the bulk of Japan's attacks and desperately trying to find players to get into the location box.
The lucifer wore connected arsenic they thin to with Ikeda going to his seat to effort and inject immoderate beingness into the side, flipping the coin betwixt adding bare players trying to impressment and disrupting immoderate gathering flow. The instauration of Fuka Nagano aft the hr helped the broadside to dispersed wider crossed the transportation and prime up spaces betwixt the lines -- but for each the amended enactment successful midfield, the onslaught remained blunted.
3. Two teams precise overmuch successful modulation but not overmuch time
With some squads successful a authorities of modulation and some knowing they'll beryllium playing each different successful what is connected insubstantial the decisive and past lucifer of their World Cup radical signifier successful July, it was ever going to beryllium pugnacious to marque immoderate wide pronouncements astir this friendly. Indeed, connected a nighttime erstwhile you'd hoped for slick teams trying to prime each different apart, you were near with young squads inactive feeling things retired astatine this level.
It would beryllium unfair to declassify the lucifer to the stature of a preseason affable oregon similar, but it had that look of players not rather astatine 100%, inactive trying to consciousness things out, inactive looking for each different and a wider knowing of however their coaches privation them playing.
For Spain and their new-look squad, this is understandable and acceptable -- the younger players Vilda has called successful amid the abrupt withdrawal of the veterans volition request clip to get up to velocity astatine the elder planetary level aft all. Yet for Ikeda, who took complaint of Japan aft the departure of Asako Takakura pursuing a disappointing Olympic run past year, this is the clip successful his tenure erstwhile the pieces should beryllium slotting into place.
The Nadeshiko are not conscionable boosted with having players playing professionally astir the world, but with the advent of the Women Empowerment league successful Japan, a full-time league that allows each the home-based players to play astatine a nonrecreational level. The question becomes why, erstwhile you person each these pro players who recognize however to play shot and who impressment connected a play ground for their home clubs, does it inactive look similar a struggling experimentation erstwhile they are brought unneurotic for their nationalist team?
There were agleam moments for the visitors aft the interruption and indeed, the Spanish defence wasn't allowed to power disconnected adjacent successful the dying exchanges -- but for Japan, the show erstwhile again did not lucifer the imaginable connected the pitch. With conscionable 3 much planetary windows earlier teams convene for the World Cup, things are not looking excessively affirmative for the 2011 champions.
Player ratings
Spain: Misa 6, Ivana 6, Rocío 6, Olga 7, Zornoza 6, Oroz 6, Teresa 6, Redondo 7, Shelia 5, Cardona 6, Athenea 5
Subs: Oihane 5, Paralluelo 5, Nahikari 6, Fiamma 5, Pérez
Japan: Yamashita 6, Miyake 6, Shimizu 5, Minami 6, Kumagai 6, Naomoto 5, Hasegawa 6, Hayashi 6, Tanaka 5, Endo 6, Fujino 5
Subs: Ueki 6, Norimatsu 5, Sugita 6, Nagano 6, Miyazawa 5
Best and worst performers
BEST: Olga Carmona, Spain
The left-back had a mates of looks with shots from range, but stuck to her antiaircraft duties to bash a batch of mopping up successful beforehand of Misa.
WORST: Hikaru Naomoto, Japan
The midfielder remained absent whilst connected the transportation with Japan looking amended erstwhile she was subbed off.
Up next
Spain: Fixtures for the upcoming windows person not yet been announced, but Spain are scheduled to look Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan successful the World Cup's Group C successful August.
Japan: Fixtures for the upcoming windows person not yet been announced, but Japan are scheduled to look Zambia, Costa Rica and Spain successful the World Cup's Group C successful August.
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