Spain starts its engine with a victory and already thinks about the challenge of Switzerland
The women’s team wins with patience and without dazzling (2-1) against a tough Japan in Butarque before heading to the EURO
LEGANÉS (MADRID), 27 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Spanish women’s football team defeated Japan 2-1 on Friday at the Butarque Municipal Stadium in the Madrid town of Leganés, in their only friendly match before the start of the European Championship in Switzerland next week, where they struggled a bit due to the lack of rhythm after the competitive break.
Spain once again started its engine and gained confidence before heading to the continental tournament with a victory that showed they need a bit more time to perform at their best. They did it against a tough opponent like the ‘Nadeshiko,’ ranked fifth in the world, whom they controlled quite well despite still lacking rhythm and had to come from behind with goals, again from Claudia Pina, Vicky López, and Athenea del Castillo, with a more patient style of play than their usual brilliance and with the necessary rotation of minutes.
Montse Tomé, with the last-minute absence of Aitana Bonmatí due to illness, opted for a starting eleven with eight potential starters (Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Laia Aleixandri, Olga Carmona, Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Mariona Caldentey, and Alba Redondo) for the EURO debut next Thursday, trying to dominate from the start against a well-organized Japan that always looks for quick combinations behind the Spanish defense.
In search of spaces, Spain relied on the mobility of their midfielders and tried to create danger with Batlle’s drive on the right, but they struggled to generate chances because each player was almost always closely marked by a Japanese player, limiting their ability to think, and the long passes lacked the usual precision.
The heat didn’t help the reigning world champions, who only threatened in the first half-hour with a slightly off-target shot from Alexia Putellas from a corner kick and a break by Vicky López, whose cross couldn’t find a finisher with Alba Redondo well positioned. The ‘Nadeshiko’ couldn’t really get going, but they scored first after an error in Aleixadri’s ball distribution, which Tanaka punished after a good turn inside the box.
CLAUDIA PINA EQUALIZES, VICKY LÓPEZ TAKES THE LEAD, AND ATHENA DEL CASTILLO SEALS THE WIN
The goal didn’t change the pace too much, but the ‘Roja’ didn’t need to accelerate much to finally create some danger, especially through Claudia Pina, who gave an early warning with a sharp shot after a diagonal run, and a weak and central shot from Redondo after a great pass from Alexia Putellas. However, this increased pressure paid off with the 1-1 equalizer, scored by Pina, who continued her good form and sent the ball into the net from a good pass by the tireless Batlle to finish off a quick and well-coordinated move also involving Caldentey and Putellas.
The second half started with Esther González and Jana Fernández as new additions to refresh the team, with Pina having a clear chance, but this time she couldn’t find the net, meeting strong defense. The young Vicky López also came close to scoring the 2-1 shortly after, but her shot from outside the box went just wide.
Spain, patient, with good pressure after losing the ball, and seemingly not pushing too hard, pinned Japan back, making it difficult for them to advance and defend against the Spanish attacks, with Alexia Putellas also missing the target with a shot after receiving a good ball inside the box. In the end, a serious mistake by Tanikawa in playing out from the back was punished by Vicky López with finesse to make it 2-1.
The hydration break slowed down the Spanish team a bit, and they had a scare from their opponents, but Cata Coll stood firm against a close-range shot from Tanaka. Japan finally pushed forward, opening up more space for the Spanish players, who could have sealed the win with a counterattack from Esther González and a free-kick that hit the crossbar from Mariona Caldentey. It was Athenea del Castillo who sealed the victory with a great goal in the final minutes. Spain will head to Switzerland on Sunday to start their EURO campaign against Portugal on Thursday 3.
TECHNICAL DETAILS.
–RESULT: SPAIN, 3 – JAPAN, 1 (1-1 at halftime).
–LINEUPS.
SPAIN: Coll; Batlle (Fernández, min.46), Aleixandri, Méndez, Carmona (Ouahabi, min.77); López (Del Castillo, min.67), Guijarro, Putellas (Zubieta, min.85); Caldentey, Redondo (González, min.46), and Pina (Paralluelo, min.77).
JAPAN: Yamashita; Moriya, Kumagai (Minami, min.62), Koga, Kitagawa (Takarada, min.20); Matsukubo, Miura (Nagano, min.46), Miyazawa (Tanikawa, min.62); Hamano (Momiki, min.62), Tanaka, and Fujino (Sugita, min.46).
–GOALS.
0-1, minute 30. Tanaka.
1-1, minute 44. Pina.
2-1, minute 66. López.
3-1, minute 88. Del Castillo.
–REFEREE: Milica Milovanovic (SER).
–STADIUM: Butarque.
.
FUENTE