Yamashita better be Schmeicheling people in the dressing room. A goalie must be pissed off when she/he gets left to dry like that.
Japan are not really testing England's defence when they are on the ball, but when they do they look very nervous. I think against one of the better teams England's defence will turn over possession and give up a goal.
59' 0-1 England go up wide right, Daly drags back and turns away, then chips a through-ball for RB Bronze overlapping on the inside, to 6m wide right. Bronze crosses to 7m 1/3 left, Duggan reaches back and swings waist-high right roundhouse to right post low, Yamashita dives and single-blocks it along endline right. White backpass, England 2nd cross to 10m 6-right intercepted and cleared. Beautiful build-up play from England! 👀Yamashita comes up with a big save on Duggan to keep this a one-goal game. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/2ijy51K1Cp— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 19, 2019
Kumagai is not having a good one. She is blaming Ichise but she is the one who created the space for the English player to run into.
Have only watched the second half, Japan look the much better playing side at least in this half. Just can't score
84' 0-2 Stokes passes square right to circle half-front left, Scott slides down and passes to Carney at 35m box left. Carney touches to 32m, rolls a perfect through-ball to 16m arc left. White front-cuts Ichise and lets ball roll past her, one-touch sliding left instep drive beats Yamashita's horizontal dive, just inside left post into 1/5 left back low. ELLEN WHITE AGAIN! Japan has been all over England in this 2nd half but it's the @Lionesses who may have just sealed up 1st place. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/ncXucO1GyW— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 19, 2019 FT 0-2. Japan 16(5)-(4)14 shots(sog), 4-6 corners, 49% possession, 4-11 fouls, 15-26 tackles, 39-45 clearances, 80% (358/447) - (421/510) 82% passing. England were tested a bit, and looked sharp. Post-match, Lucy Bronze gives a brief interview in French And then ... Saki Kumagai does, too
I did not see that game, but based on this game it is quite likely to happen. Can you imagine the US putting pressure on them? It does not look good, but they may be able to figure a way around it. England certainly can score goals and at times carved Japan's defence up very easily.
England played well for most of that game. For me Georgia Stanway was the best player on the pitch. Real breakthrough display. Pretty much every issue England had in defence with the ball was down to Millie Bright. I’ve said enough on this forum about her in the past but she really isn’t good enough on the ball to play this style. Phil Neville nearly cost the team again by delaying the subs.
White with two good finishes, but, good grief, that eyeglass thing with her after scoring is weird. I think she will get the nod in the knockout round. She and Taylor are very similar in style but White is in form. Stanway is a fearless player--thought she was good. Japan had some chances, for sure, and are quick to pounce on mistakes.
Glad to see Toni Duggan back and she still needs to pick up her form. Iwabuchi was great but the strikers couldn't bury the chances. I think England played a bit too passive after 25 mins, remember 2 years ago they were knocked out by Netherlands like that.
England looked really impressive in the first half. Less so in the second, but they rotated 8 players and beat the best team in their group with a clean sheet. Maybe Japan was just that bad, but England will be interesting going forward. A couple of teams seem to be rounding into form just in time for the knockout stages.