5IVE: World Cup, Day 12
Olympic champions Canada are going home as Australia survive. Nigeria join them in the second round, while Spain get a reality check at the hands of impressive Japan...
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Japan make their biggest statement yet
As we approach the final few group stage games, we are starting to get a clearer picture of who may and may not be genuine contenders to lift the World Cup trophy.
Spain and Japan breezed through their first two games, so facing each other was a true test of who really does look the part for two sides well fancied to go far in this tournament.
And what a statement it was Japan made. They sat back, stayed in their shape, and were devastating on the counter attack. They only entered Spain's final third three times in the first half, for a combined time of 27 seconds, yet scored three goals to lead 3-0 at the break.
Spain had no answer, and fell to a fourth goal in similar fashion in a second half where they couldn't breakdown the Japan wall. I'll come onto Spain, but this is about Japan.
They had a game plan, and what's been impressive about Futoshi Ikeda in this tournament is he has adapted in every game. Mina Tanaka, Yui Hasegawa and Aoba Fujino weren't simply rested, this was a carefully curated plan to tweak the system, sit in a 3-5-2 off the ball and use Hinata Miyazawa and Hikaru Naomoto, two of their WE-League talents, on the break behind Riko Ueki, and it worked to devastating effect.
Off the ball, Ueki was left up top on her own as Miyazawa and Naomoto dropped in to suffocate Spain's midfield on the ball, and both were ready to break forward to support Ueki with Spain's midfield and full-backs pushed high up the field.
In all three games, whether they've had all the ball or none of it, Japan has looked absolutely able to adapt to whatever is put in front of them. Norway will provide another different test, but they look a team who knows exactly what is expected of them right now.
Spain fall into the same traps
And I - and many others - fell into the belief this time it might be different. It might still be, but this was a reality check. Spain were class in attack and midfield as they cut through both Costa Rica and Zambia in devastating fashion, but this was what was lingering in the backs of many people's minds.
Against a team with a plan, happy to sit back and counter, Spain had no answer. Jorge Vilda's side had 77% possession, completed 842 passes (to Japan's 174) and had 53 dangerous attacks (to Japan's 7) yet lost 4-0 and finished second in Group C.
Japan's 23% possession is the second lowest for a team who won a game in World Cup history - men's or women's - only behind...yes, you guessed it...Spain vs Japan in Qatar last year. Deja vu and all that.
Spain didn't really tweak their system except resting the injured Ivana Andres. They did nothing to adapt to what was in front of them, and for all their possession and attacks in the final third, Ayaka Yamashita in the Japan goal was rarely tested, with Spain managing just two shots on target all game.
Jenni Hermoso up front was frustrated and isolated, while Mariona Caldentey and Salma Paralluelo couldn't get in the game, the latter certainly cutting a frustrated figure after Japan constantly kept nicking the ball back.
Even the brilliant Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí could do little and regularly gave the ball away with Japan piling pressure on in midfield and little outlet in front of either of them except a sea of Blue shirts.
It could have worked out worse, with Switzerland awaiting them in the next round, but finishing second could potentially mean a match-up with the USA in the quarter-finals, although they may not be quite as defensive against Spain as Japan were given their attacking mindset.
Australia use width to get out of jail
There was plenty of pressure on Australia, Tony Gustavsson and his side heading into a decisive Group B match against Canada, given how dimly it would have been viewed had the in-form co-hosts gone out in the group stage.
In truth, it was rarely in doubt from the off, despite the continued absence of Sam Kerr. Canada didn't live with the Matildas from the off and if the home Melbourne crowd could have dreamt the game in advance, a commanding 4-0 win would have been perhaps even beyond their imaginations against the Olympic champions.
But this wasn't just down to momentum, intensity and the home crowd, but a few key tactical tweaks from Gustavsson, but pre-match and during it. The key move was shifting Caitlin Foord out left, where together with Arsenal teammate Caitlin Foord they caused chaos down Canada's right side, leading to Jayde Riviere's substition, along with three others, at half-time, but Allysha Chapman had an equally torrid time.
Mary Fowler retured and played in attack with Emily van Egmond, allowing Foord to take up a different role, and Fowler added some dynamism to a previously static Australia attack, threatening all game before finally rolling home the third and hitting the post late on.
During the game, midfield duo Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry regularly switched positions in the centre depending on which side Canada was threatening on and where Gorry's extra tenacity defensively was required, and throughout the match they stifled any creativity Canada tried to bring to the party.
Canada have big questions to ask, both on and off the field
This was such a disappointing tournament for Canada. They're the first Olympic champions to go out of a World Cup in the group stage, and they just never got going against Australia.
The Matildas' width stretched Canada's usually solid backline and it could have been worse had a tight offside call stopped it becoming 2-0 just minutes before it did.
While Australia looked vulnerable at the back against Nigeria, Canada did nothing to threaten and failed to even have a shot on target until deep into the second half of the game.
Head coach Bev Priestman made four changes at the break which stemmed the flow but didn't get her side into the game. For a second game in a row, Priestman made wholesale changes at the break, bringing into question her original team selections against both Australia and Republic of Ireland.
But Priestman and her team weren't helped off the pitch either. In the build-up to the tournament, players were in a constant battle with Canada Soccer Association over bonuses and general support, and it wouldn't have helped not playing a single competitive friendly from April onwards.
Only a warm-up behind closed doors friendly against England in Australia itself was what the Olympic champions had to show for their efforts two years ago, due to their ongoing battle.
Canada has plenty of quality, and their failure in this tournament is not solely down to off-field issues, but they need to have a big conversation over how they've moving forward both on and off the pitch.
Nigeria qualification a great achievement, but also a missed opportunity
It was Nigeria who profited from Canada's elimination, following in Switzerland's footsteps and progressing from Group B with a couple of 0-0 draws after drawing a blank against Republic of Ireland.
Defences win tournaments, after all.
It's a huge achievement for Nigeria, who despite always being the leaders in African women's football have themselves been embroiled in off-field turmoils leading up to the tournament.
Randy Waldrum though has navigated a tough group and not lost a single game, keeping two clean sheets and showing both that Nigeria is a solid, tough outfit who are hard to beat, but also have plenty of quality and tenacity in the middle of the park and some top class talent in attack who play in some of the best leagues in the world.
The Super Falcons are likely now on a collision course with the Lionesses in the second round, and while their qualification is a great moment for them, they may also feel it was a slightly missed opportunity given beating Vera Pauw's side would have guaranteed them top spot and avoiding a clash with the European champions.
Right now though, they probably won't be bothered, given this was a nation rumoured to be considering strike action ahead of their first game, such was the gravity of their fight with their own federation.
Is this the end of Jorge Vilda I knew eveyone was getting over excited at the 1st two games. They will never achieve with him in charge... For a nation like Spain with such talents and no one speaking up.... We need competition to grow not stagnate