Zambia 0- 5 Japan: Japan secures perfect FIFA WWC victory against Zambia
Posted : 22 July 2023
In a dominant display, Japan started their FIFA Women's World Cup campaign with a perfect win against debutants Zambia. Hinata Miyazawa scored two goals, with Mina Tanaka adding another, and Jun Endo securing the fourth goal.
Zambia's goalkeeper, Catherine Musonda, received a second yellow card for conceding a late penalty, leading to her replacement, Eunice Sakala, who saved the initial penalty but was ruled to have come off her line, allowing Riko Ueki to score on the second attempt.
Japan's victory places them at the top of Group C, level on points with Spain. The match was marked by several VAR interventions, ruling out goals for both teams due to offside calls.
Aoba Fujino was Japan's primary threat early on, testing Musonda with close-range efforts. Despite the lifelines for Zambia, Japan finally broke through with Miyazawa's calm finish just before halftime.
In a lively start to the second half, VAR came into play again, disallowing Tanaka's second goal and revoking a penalty for Japan.
However, Tanaka eventually found the back of the net, doubling Japan's lead in the 55th minute. Miyazawa added her second goal shortly after, and Endo secured the fourth goal in the 71st minute.
In added time, Musonda's challenge on Ueki resulted in a penalty, earning her a second yellow card. Substitute goalkeeper Sakala saved the first attempt, but VAR ruled she came off her line, allowing Ueki to score on the second try, sealing a 5-0 win for Japan.
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