Classy Japan ease way past Costa Rica

Costa Rican goalie Daniels Solera dives to make a save against Japan during their Fifa Women’s World Cup match in Dunedin last night. PHOTOS: GREGOR RICHARDSON

Japanese class comfortably trumped Costa Rican courage in Dunedin last night.

Two goals in quick succession in the first half were the ultimate difference between the two teams but this was not a Fifa Women’s World Cup clash where the winners ever looked in doubt.

Japan made it two from two in Group C with a professional display in front of 6992 fans at the covered stadium.

They jinked and jived and did most things at a reasonable clip.

At the back, they snuffed out nearly everything that came their way, preventing Costa Rica from having a single attempt on target until the 82nd minute.

Japan’s dominance extended to possession (57% to 43%), shots (23 to six) and corners (nine to zero).

It became apparent, early in the clash at the rechristened Dunedin Stadium, that this was going to be a long and difficult night for the Costa Ricans.

Japan, World Cup champions as recently as 2011 and fresh off a 5-0 win over Zambia in the opening round of this tournament, looked utterly dominant and full of enterprise in the final third.

The Japanese poured forward in waves in the opening quarter and probably should have banked an early goal or three.

Much of the action went through slippery forward Minami Tanaka and she had the best initial opportunity with a reasonably clear header.

Costa Rican goalkeeper Daniela Solera was then called into action when she made a smart save from the firm header of 138-game Japanese veteran Saki Kumagai.

It really should have been 1-0 after 15 minutes but two Japanese players collided after a rebound left the goalmouth wide open.

Spiky defender Fabiola Villalobos tried manfully to keep Costa Rica in the game, and Solera was mostly sound, but there was a sense of inevitability when Japan finally opened the scoring.

Alert midfielder Hikaru Naomoto pounced on a defender’s slip, drove into the box and lanced a crisp left-footed shot through the hands of the diving Solera.

Junior Naivalu, 5, of Dunedin, shows support for Japan during yesterday’s match.

That goal had been coming, and the second took barely 120 seconds to arrive.

Aoba Fujino did it all herself, tracking away from the goalmouth to regain possession, beating a defender, cutting to the byline and threading a perfect shot that beat Solera at the near post.

That made it six different scorers of seven goals for the Japanese, who could go far in this World Cup if they maintain that sort of scoring balance.

Tanaka blazed over shortly before halftime and, if there was one minor niggle for Japan at the break, it was that they should really have been a couple more goals to the good.

The first 20 minutes of the second spell were relatively subdued.

Japan then seemed to sniff a third goal when replacement Riko Ueki chased a lofted ball into the box and collided with Solera, leaving Villalobos to play the rescue game before nearly hoofing the ball into her own net.

Hinata Miyazawa, who scored twice in the demolition of Zambia, had a good look with a volley from the edge of the box, but could not find the target.

The match ebbed and flowed in the final 15 minutes. Costa Rica looked comfortable on the ball without really threatening, while Japan just tidied up as necessary, though Miyazawa might have done better with a very late opening.

The Japanese complete group play with a game against Spain in Wellington on Monday, and Costa Rica head to Hamilton to play Zambia.

In the late game last night in Auckland, Spain underlined their credentials as pre-tournament favourites when they became one of the first teams to seal qualification for the Women’s World Cup knockouts with a 5-0 win over Zambia in their second Group C encounter.

Teresa Abelleira opened the scoring while Jennifer Hermoso and Alba Redondo scored twice to give Spain their second victory, which also assured Japan of last-16 qualification after their 2-0 win.

Abelleira settled any opening nerves with the fastest goal of the tournament when she picked up the ball after an intricate passing move in the ninth minute and fired a shot from long range that rocketed into the top corner.

Four minutes later, Hermoso marked her 100th appearance for Spain with an easy header at the far post after Zambia failed to defend a cross from Alexia Putellas.

Spain continued to dominate after halftime although Zambia goalkeeper Eunice Sakala made several saves. But she was left stranded when Redondo was put through on goal as the forward rounded the 21-year-old keeper to make it 3-0.

Costa Rica’s Katherine Alvarado shadows Aobo Fujino, of Japan.

Hermoso then grabbed her second — and 50th for Spain — when she pounced on a rebound off the post to fire home, a goal awarded after some confusion over the referee’s initial announcement that it was ruled out for offside.

Redondo then beat the offside trap late in the game to score Spain’s fifth, also awarded after a VAR review when the assistant referee flagged for offside. — Additional reporting Reuters