July 31, (THEWILL) – Hinata Miyazawa scored twice as Japan claimed the top spot in Group C with an impressive 4-0 triumph over the highly-rated Spain at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
The Nadeshiko forward stunned La Roja in the 12th minute when she latched onto Jun Endo’s exquisite pass from the left and calmly rolled the ball beyond Misa Rodriguez. Spain dominated possession for extended periods but found themselves undone again just before the half-hour mark when Japan’s counter-attack saw Riko Ueki cut in from the left and fire a deflected shot into the near post.
Miyazawa then extended her goal-scoring spree, netting a double for the second consecutive game with a magnificent shot into the far corner from Ueki’s pass, securing her fourth goal of the tournament five minutes before the interval.
The pattern persisted in the second half, with Spain struggling to break down Japan’s well-drilled defence. Substitute Mina Tanaka added to Spain’s woes, scoring a delightful fourth goal eight minutes from time. With this result, Futoshi Ikeda’s side maintains their perfect record at the finals, setting up a last-16 clash with Norway on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Spain’s second-place finish means they will face Switzerland in the next stage, despite only requiring a point to claim the top spot in Group C.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
