Official 2020 Nadeshiko Japan Thread [R] - なでしこジャパン（英語スレッド）

Hi, and merry Christmas everyone!

I was waiting for highlights from the semifinals, but it looks like they weren't up yet on the JFA website, so I opted for the quarter-finals instead, that I had missed for work reasons (I had to give marks to a ton of essays of my students before Christmas' holydays).

INAC Kobe Leonessa vs Albirex Niigata Ladies



Yuuri Kawamura's diving header was quite spectacular: I wonder if she could be taken into consideration again for NT purposes. She's 31 and had two serious injuries, but she had done quite good at NT level around the WWC 2015 era: maybe she could be tried again.
(By the way, it looks like her Wikipedia entry in English has been written by some US people who's persuaded that she retired after leaving NWSL, since she's tagged as a "former Japanese football player" ).

I see that Takenaka was in goal for INAC and it seems to me that she was quite poor, in particular when she's been lobbed by Ishibuchi because completly out of position. I guess INAC should stick to Stambaugh.


Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza vs Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara



The Green Machine looks very well oiled these days, with players that are 20 or 21 yo, like Miyazawa or Endo, who actually play like veterans. Of course, as @pierre bezukhov noticed, Nojima's opposition was particularly weak in this quarter-final, but the passing game I've seen from Beleza in these highlights was really flawless, with many fast and accurate offensive actions.

If Beleza girls are in this state of form, it should be an enticing final vs Urawa on Tuesday!

I am sure I spotted Mizuho Sakaguchi on the pitch in the last minutes, although for some reason her substitution doesn't appear on the scoresheet on the JFA website . What about her these days? Just a role of late-sub, or is there a chance that she could be a starter again, at least occasionally, next season?


Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies vs JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies

The snow was indeed an impressive feature! And the red ball they were using, when they zoomed on it, almost looked like a random beach-ball!

Once again Shikoshi scored an impressive goal: she has been a very good additional weapon for Urawa, this year.

Yes, the first Urawa's goal was really avoidable. On the other hand, it looks like Yamane kept JEF in the game in 1st Half with a pair good saves.


Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies vs Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies



There was snow in this match also, although in 1st Half only. I guess Cerezo paid their defensive blunders: they looked much better in 2nd Half, especially since Maika Hamano was subbed-in at Half-Time (she looks so good, at just 16, that you have to wonder why they didn't have her start). Mynavi, on the other hand, could have avoided the penalty shootout, but Hamada missed her PK in extra-time!

Anyway, I guess the most important sub was good old Saori Arimachi: she was subbed-in at 86' and she scored both the final equalizer and the last penalty of the shootout for her team!

 

Wow, quite an impressive marketing campaign so far!

 

Nadeshiko Japan thread, the one with new content on Christmas' day too!

 

A tweet about Brazil NT schedule for 2021 discloses some interesting pieces of info that are relevant for us:

1) We knew Nadeshiko Japan was going to play SheBelieves Cup, but we didn't know the name of the fourth team: looks like it's Norway (so line-up is: USA, Brazil, Japan, Norway).

2) later along the year Brazil will clash vs Japan twice!

Brasil Feminino schedule to be confirmed prior to the Olympics so far. also the possibility of another game in Europe in April

SBC 🇺🇸 Feb 15-24
USA
Norway
Japan

April 5-13
Norway

June 7-15
Japan x2 pic.twitter.com/3JZYFDwgpV

— Wosoworld (@karlyboy71) December 25, 2020

 

Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies vs Albirex Niigata Ladies

Megumi Kamionobe showed her World Champion status! I guess that wonderful curled shot with the outside of her foot was one of the most technical and most beautiful goal of this season! (Naomoto's FK was beautiful too, but actually a little too low, to the point that the GK should have actually managed to stop it).

Later Kamionobe also hit the crossbar (and scored one of the final PKs): she would have probably deserved another goal, but after all it looks like it was the match of crossbars (2 to 1 for Albirex ).

In the final pso session, it looks like most players went for power over accuracy (or, in some cases for power and accuracy). At 22, Moeka Minami, scoring the winner penalty as a veteran, reminds me of another young CB who sealed a penalty shootout in the past (But actually Kumagai was younger, it was a final and not a semifinal and it was, well, a World Cup! ).


Nippon TB Tokyo Verdy Beleza vs Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies

I wonder if Hamada's shot that hit the post in the first minutes could have changed anything: probably not, Beleza looked vastly superior.

And it looks like this Empress' Cup is giving to us some master-piece goals: Miyazawa in particular showed to everyone how you can optmally use both feet for a volley; triangle pass in the box with Hasegawa, leapfrogging a DF with the right foot and scoring with the left foot. Slow clapping.

Now I really want to see the final!

By the way: I am in holyday, and I should manage to watch the match, if it doesn't start too early in the morning for me in Europe. Can anyone tell me what should be the Central European time of the match?

 

Oh. So the links on the JFA website are only for re-watching the full match after it's been aired?

Has anyone any idea of how I could follow the game?