Clinical Japan beat Nigeria 3-1 in the final Group C women’s football event at the Paris Olympics to send the African giants home.
First-half goals from Maika Hamano, Mina Tanaka, and Hikaru Kitagawa ensured that Futoshi Ikeda’s ladies finished second in the group to book a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament at the expense of Nigeria.
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Randy Waldrum kept faith in the side that lost 1-0 to Spain in their second game, with Chiamaka Nnadozie starting in goal for the Falcons while Michelle Alozie, Tosin Demehin, Chidinma Okeke, and Osinachi Ohale played in defence.
The duo Christy Ucheibe and Deborah Abiodun played in the pivot positions with Jennifer Echegini, Rasheedat Ajibade, and Toni Payne in midfield, while Asisat Oshoala played in the attack.
From the sound of the whistle, the Falcons ceded possession to their opponents, allowing the 2011 Women’s World Cup winners to dictate play.
Mina Tanaka tested Nnadozie in the 6th minute, but the goalkeeper comfortably saved the half-volley shot from the winger.
There was a scary moment for the Falcons in the 16th minute as the Asians had a glorious chance to score the opener, but the shot was well blocked by Ohale.
Four minutes later, Japan took advantage of a poor defensive, with their pressure eventually paying off in the 22nd minute as Maika Hamano Cooly finished off a fine pass from Riko Ueki, who beat Nigeria’s offside trap.
Futoshi Ikeda’s side continued to dominate possession and almost got the second goal three minutes after scoring the opener.
Ten minutes after breaking the deadlock, the Japanese got the second goal as Mina Tanaka was the quickest to react to a Ueki fine header that hit the crossbar.
There was a shout for a handball in the 34th minute after Ajibade’s fine cross hit the hand of Rion Ishikawa, but the referee allowed play to continue to the disappointment of the Falcons.
The Falcons began to take control of possession and were rewarded for their effort in the 42nd minute. Following a neat exchange of passes between Abidoun and Echegini, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder rifled a shot into the top corner to beat Ayaka Yamashita and get Nigeria back into the game.
However, five minutes into the additional time of the first 45 minutes, left-back Hikaru Kitagawa ended any hope of a comeback for Nigeria as her curly shot from the set piece beat Nnadozie to restore the Asian two-goal lead.
Just two minutes into the second half, Echegini almost got the second goal for Nigeria. The midfielder drifted in from the left blank, but her shot was headed out by the Japanese defender.
In the 54th minute, Venezuela referee Emikar Calderas awarded Japan a penalty after Ajibade was adjudged to have committed a foul in the penalty box, but the decision was overruled by the VAR.
The Falcons threw everything in their arsenal at the Asians, hoping to get back in the game, but they were unable to beat their opponent’s defence for the second time.
With the clock ticking down, the 11-time Africa champions went all out in search of a consolation goal but wasted several chances to find the back of the net.
The defeat means the Falcons are out of the tournament after losing all their three group games to finish bottom of Group C with zero points.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
