Japan head coach Futoshi Ikeda has revealed that Nadeshiko are aiming for a win over Zambia when they meet in their Group C opener of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Saturday.
Ikeda believes a win over the Copper Queens will enable them to make their mark at the tournament following their round of 16 elimination at the last edition.
“This is a tournament so we have to win one game after the other. That’s important. We want to get off on the right foot so we have to win. It’s the first game so we have to, we just have to win it tomorrow,” Ikeda said.
Ikeda, who guided the Japan Under-20 to World Cup glory in 2018 by beating Spain 3-1, is confident his team will bag all three points.
“We are ready for our match tomorrow. Our first match of the World Cup is very important. So we have to be very careful, but dynamic, and we’re going to get those points,” Ikeda said.
He has however cautioned his players not to lose possession cheaply against Zambia who recently beat Germany 3-2 in an international match.
Ikeda states that the Copper Queens were very direct on the counterattack. He has urged the Japanese players to react quickly when they lose the ball.
Are the Copper Queens intimidated?
Japan has been in the final twice, winning it in 2011 before losing four years later. They will be hoping to recover from their Olympic Games’ quarter-final exit on home soil in 2021.
Meanwhile, the only member of their 2011 triumphant squad is skipper Saki Kumagai who converted the winning penalty in the shootout against the United States that decided the title that year.
Ikeda has been in charge of the team for two years now and will look up to the likes of Kumagai and Riko Ueki for much-needed goals.
Ueki possesses a lot of pace and will be expected to play a huge role for the Asians. She also emerged as a top scorer in the AFC Asian Cup with five goals.
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Meanwhile, Copper Queens assistant coach Florence Mwila told FAZ media that the team is not intimidated by any team in the group.
“Nothing really intimidates the Copper Queens but we know that they play a fast game. Height wise we are almost the same but they play quick football so we need to know how to close those spaces that they might want to use to penetrate to go and score,” Mwila said.
Japan, Zambia, Costa Rica and Spain will battle it out in Group C.
