The Hindu : Japan clinches title in style

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 29, 2002

Sport

Sport - Football

Japan clinches title in style

By Our Special Correspondent

MARGAO APRIL 28. Chinese Taipei played like a giant in slumber and ended up paying a heavy price for it. Japan out-played Taipei 2-1 in a well-contested final of the first AFC Women's Under-19 Championship on Sunday.

Japanese Coach Ikeda Shinobu took a calculated risk when he changed his trusted combination and let two new players into the line-up. The system could never get into terms as Taipei took a firm foothold in the first half.

Riding on the exuberance of its nippy winger Tseng Sho O, Taipei took the lead in the 25th minute. Tseng Sho O earned a corner with her splendid ball sense when she was confronted by two Japanese defenders. She floated a teaser across the goal-mouth from the resultant flag kick for the tall Shing Jung Wu to head the ball home.

Last night, the Taipei coach Chang Yao Chuan was talking about a Mission Impossible. But this goal changed that perception. More than anything it seemed to shatter the Japanese myth.

A goal like that can do wonders for the confidence of a side which long before taking the pitch considered itself clearly a notch below Japan.

For Taipei, adrenalin flowed in a gush. Its impact lasted the whole of the first half. But well-knit sides cannot be kept quiet for a long time.

The silence from Japan was too eerie to last long, and after a pep talk from Shinobu, and a few minor adjustments in its attacking lines, Japan let its full might on Taipei. The first crack in Taipei's resolution was when the Japanese frontliners began to stretch the defence to the hilt.

Under enormous and constant pressure, Taipei's defence wilted for the first time when Yukari Kinga got past two blockades and flicked the ball to the advancing Kanako Ito, who gave no chance to the goalkeeper Feng Chiu Huang.

Moments earlier, the Taipei custodian had come up with a timely tip over a freekick from the same Japanese player.

Breathing a lot more easy, Japan sustained the pressure. Off a flag kick from Akido Niwata, Shinobu Ohno scored what turned out to be the match winner in the 69th minute.

Japan's coach said he was happy that the girls won but was clearly disappointed at the way the team went about its task, particularly in the first half.

"The first half was no good. I was confident that our players would come back into the match. I reorganised the system in the second and it produced the desired results," Shinobu said. The Japanese girls were here a full month ahead of this tournament, and this the coach felt had helped them a great deal in adjusting to the heat, food, and playing conditions.

Taipei's coach, as modest as always, touched on the element of luck, which he thinks has played a great part in bringing his team so far. He said it had never been easy playing a strong team like

Japan and with its spirited performance today his players proved a point that if the talent available in the team were to be harnessed well, Taipei could emerge as a leading team.

"Our players have talent but they are still under-developed. It has been a good learning experience for the team and I am happy with our overall performance," Chang Yao Chuan said.

The trophy may have slipped out of Taipei's grasp. But the team did commendably well on so many other fronts. Taipei took the Fair Play trophy. But most importantly, Taipei's Tseng Sho O emerged as the leading goal scorer of the championship with seven goals and five assists. She was also adjudged the most valuable player.

China takes bronze

In the play-off between the losing semifinalists for the bronze medal, China beat North Korea 4-1 in a match that saw one red card and four yellow cards flashed at Korean players.

China's dominance was complete. But Korea started attacking more severely, ticking infringements in scores.

China scored through Han Duan (two goals), Bi Yan (one) and Zhang Na. In fact, Zhang Na' s freekick was deflected to the goal by a Korean defender. The lone goal for North Korea came from Jong Pok Sim.

Both Japan and Taipei have qualified for the FIFA World Cup (|Under-19) to be held in Canada from August 7 to September 2.

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