Japanese Female Football Players: The Real Battle Begins Against the U.S. – We Must Break Through the Semifinal Barrier

On August 3, in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympic Women’s Football Tournament, Team Japan will face off against the United States.

Japanese media note that with a past record of one win, eight draws, and thirty losses, the U.S. is the biggest “bogeyman” for the Japanese women’s football team. At the Olympics, Japan’s women’s football team lost to the U.S. team in the final of the 2012 London Olympics and has suffered multiple heartbreaks since. On August 2, Japanese midfielder Hinata Miyazawa (24 years old, plays for Manchester United) said in an online interview: “To advance, we must overcome this barrier; we have to break through it. This is also an important match for the world of women’s football.” She is brimming with fighting spirit and vows to defeat the U.S. team.

Although they lost their first group stage match against Spain, they achieved a dramatic comeback victory in the second game against Brazil. On the brink of elimination, the Japanese team held on and advanced to the knockout stage as runners-up of their group. Facing a single-elimination knockout match, Miyazawa said calmly: “The real battle starts now; we need to stay vigilant and not let up. We will fight with all our might.”

The Japanese team was eliminated in the quarterfinals in two consecutive major tournaments (2021 Tokyo Olympics, 2023 World Cup). Regarding this, Miyazawa said: “In the World Cup, we failed to break through the quarterfinal barrier and felt the gap between us and the top teams in the world. After a year of hard work, we have gained considerable experience. Although breaking through this barrier is very difficult, I believe we can do it now. We will give it everything we have.”

To achieve the goal of reaching the semifinals for the first time in three tournaments, the Japanese women’s football team has no room for error and will fight with their backs against the wall.