Accra-Ghana, July 24, GNA – Japan have secured their first win in the ongoing FIFA Women’s FIFA World Cup after thrashing Zambia by five unanswered goals at the FMG Stadium Waikato, in New Zealand on Saturday morning.
It was a contest full of goals galore as the African side failed to announce their presence in the game with a shambolic performance.
Japan began their journey with their well-known pacy tactics in their attack, sending in long crosses into the 18-yard box of the debutants, hoping to grab an early lead.
Zambia’s Barbra Banda, who was the pivot in the team could not find her way out as the Japanese side managed to lock her in their defense, giving her no breathing space.
Japan was poised to punish the African team getting to the end of the first half but failed as shot-stopper, Cathrine Musonda made some crucial saves to keep her side in the game.
A 43rd-minute strike of absolute perfection from Japanese attacker Hinata Miyazawa made the difference in the first half, as she gave her side a 1-0 advantage.
The second 45 minutes had some exciting moments with Japan opening their goalscoring account against their Group C counterparts as Mina Tanaka and Miyazawa managed to register their names within 20 minutes to register a 3-0 lead.
The silence on the path of the Zambian fans sent a signal of how disappointed they were in their girls.
The ladies in blue and white, Japan were still not satisfied with their lead, increasing the woes of the Zambians with an additional two goals from Jun Endo and Riko Ueki to seal their mission.
After an exciting 90 minutes of play, the game finally ended with Japan cruising over the Africans with a 5-0 win.
Japan now tops Group C with three points.
