Big win against Great Britain propels Japan back into contention

Japan opened their account in style at the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1, with a big 43:16 win over Great Britain, but their Olympic dream relies on a win on Sunday against Hungary, with the Asian side needing a win by as much as five goals to get the coveted Paris 2024 ticket.

Olympic Qualification Tournament #1
Japan vs Great Britain 43:16 (25:9)

Two flawless starts in both halves of the match saw Japan take a commanding lead and delivering a pitch perfect performance against Great Britain, with their trademark fast breaks seeing the British side struggling to find an answer.

As goalkeeper Atsuko Baba saved seven shots for a 47% saving efficiency in the first half, Japan used both her saves and Great Britain’s mistakes to create fast breaks, which were nearly flawless, as the Asian side opened the match with a 14:1 run after only 15 minutes.

Great Britain nearly matched Japan in the following 15 minutes, with the gap staying close to the 14-goal mark, with right back Arisa Kinjo leading the pack with six goals, while key centre back Natsuki Aizawa was rested.

After the break, Japan opened another 11:2 run to start the second half, taking full advantage of Great Britain’s aggressive tactics on attack, where coach Mark Hawkins deployed a seven-on-six attack, by substituting their goalkeeper with an attacking player. 

After four open-goal shots converted by Japan, Hawkins reverted to the traditional six-on-six style and that improved Britain’s play, especially in defence, where misses started to pile for Japan, including two penalties saved by goalkeeper Cleo Stephanides.

But that did not prevent Great Britain to concede over 40 goals for the second match in a row, after the 11:49 loss against Hungary, with the Asian side continuing to score at free will on their way to a 43:16 win, with Britain’s Georgina Gowland leading her side with six goals, while Japan had Naoko Sahara and Arisa Kinjo each scoring seven times.
 
Japan have now tied Sweden on two points, but still have their fate in their hands, with a potential three-way tie with Hungary, Sweden and the Asian side being on the cards, provided Japan beat Hungary on Sunday.

However, the Asian side needs a win by at least five goals to ensure qualification in this case, after they lost in the first matchday, 28:35, against Sweden. On the other hand, Great Britain will face Sweden, as they are virtually out of contention in their maiden appearance in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

hummel Player of the Match: Naoko Sahara (Japan)