SANDRA HERNÁNDEZ FROM LANZAROTE HAS COMPLETED A GREAT WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

Spain could not cope with Japan's potential in the U-17 Women's World Cup final

Sandra Hernández from Lanzarote played the 90 minutes of the match in the Women's World Cup final. ..

April 5 2014 (16:13 WEST)
Spain could not cope with Japan's potential in the U-17 Women's World Cup final
Spain could not cope with Japan's potential in the U-17 Women's World Cup final

Japan fulfilled the predictions and won the champion title in the U-17 Women's World Cup that has been held in Costa Rica for the last three weeks. Japan gave a football lesson, against a Spain that never lost face to the match and that treated the best team in the World Cup as an equal. Sandra Hernández from Lanzarote played the 90 minutes of the match, doing a great job in defensive tasks. And Andrea Sánchez from Gran Canaria also had an active participation in the match.

The match did not start well for Spain's interests. Japan's strong pressure drowned the Spanish team's ball output and in the 4th minute of the match the first goal arrived for the Japanese team. Matsubara's shot from the front of the area, Elena del Toro touches with her fingers to send the ball to the crossbar and Meika Nishida picked up the rebound inside the area to send it to the back of the net. The defense fell asleep when closing the rejection and preventing a Japanese player from picking it up.

As the minutes passed, Spain shook off Japan's dominance and began to have more presence on the field. The Spanish team began to play their usual game, with a lot of touch in the center of the field, although without losing sight of the dangerous counterattack that Japan had. Every time the Japanese team put speed into their game, they were able to stand in the Spanish area.

Spain tried through the game on the wings in the first half, with Andrea Sánchez and Laura Domínguez playing an important role. In the final stretch of the first half, both players exchanged the wing to try to surprise Japan. Nahikari García tried in the attack, fighting for each of the balls. Sandra Hernández from Lanzarote accumulated defensive work, recovering balls in the center of the field and not being able to contribute anything in the attack line.

With the score of 1 to 0, the first half came to an end. Despite the early goal conceded, Spain was showing its face against the power of Japan, and was not having as many problems as in the first match of the World Cup, in which they were easily surpassed by Japan. In set pieces, Spain suffered and even a goal was disallowed to Japan in the 7th minute of the match, after a corner kick.

The match did not change in the second half. Japan did not give the feeling that it was going to lift its foot off the accelerator. Jorge Vilda tried to reinforce the center of the field with the entry of Aitana Bonmati to the field, although the Japanese team continued to be better positioned on the field. Goalkeeper Elena del Toro had two good interventions to prevent the second goal of Japan. In the 53rd minute she saved a one-on-one with Kobayashi. And in the 69th minute, great personal play by Fuka Kono and a great save by Elena to send the ball to a corner kick.

The sentence would arrive with eleven minutes left for the end of the match. Fuka Kono, a player who had only been on the field for 20 minutes, received a ball inside the area and beat goalkeeper Elena del Toro with a low shot. A goal that ended the match.

Japan deservedly won the title of U-17 World Champion, in a tournament in which they have played great football and in which they have not given options to the teams they have faced. Spain achieves its best classification in history and the result obtained in the final should not tarnish the great work done by this young group of players. The Canarian players Sandra Hernández and Andrea Sánchez have had an active participation throughout the World Cup.

 

Technical Sheet

 

Japan(2): Makimo Matsumoto, Shiho Matsubara, Nona Ichise, Asato Miyagawa, Rikako Kobayashi, Yui Hasegawa, Hina Sugita, Meika Nishida (Mizuki Saihari 80), Rana Okuwa, Fuka Nagano and Yu Endo (Fuka Kono 60)

Spain(0): Elena del Toro, Nuria Garrote, Silvia Mérida, Rocío Gálvez, Pilar Garrote (Maite Oroz 82), Nahikari García, Patri Guijarro, Andrea Sánchez (Mireya García 71), Carmen Menayo (Aitana Bonmati 52), Sandra Hernández and Laura Domínguez

Goal

1-0: minute 4, Meika Nishida

2-0: minute 79, Fuka Kono

Referee: Lucila Venegas (Mexico). She cautioned Asato Miyagawa and Fuka Kono for Japan and Pilar Garrote for Spain.

Incidents: National Stadium of Costa Rica, about 30,000 spectators. Final of the U-17 Women's World Cup.

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