GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Tsunami disaster motivates the Japanese ahead of women's World Cup final

Record ID: 465081

  • Title: GERMANY: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Tsunami disaster motivates the Japanese ahead of women's World Cup final
  • Date: 17th July 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF JAPAN TEAM POSING WITH NATIONAL FLAG MEDIA VARIOUS OF TRAINING
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA3NI4EJETAI73F8CPRZF65N16Z
  • Story Text: Japan's women's World Cup soccer coach on Saturday (July 16) said the team would focus on strong defence to win the 2011 Woman's World Cup Sunday (July 17).
    Japan are in their first final and face the tournament favourites United States.
    Coach Norio Sasaki said his tactics would be based on strong defence.
    Known as Nadeshiko -- beautiful flower in Japanese -- the women's national team has been the underdogs throughout this year's tournament.
    They are unlikely to relinquish this role in Sunday's final in Frankfurt, with a star-studded and battle tested U.S. squad -- which took home the cup in 1991 and 1999 -- standing in their way.
    Star player and the team's captain, Homare Sawa said they were not nervous about the big game but would enjoy every bit of their last game on the big stage.
    "We came here to go for the top and now the soccer gods have offered us a big chance and a big stage for doing that and even playing against America and we are enjoying this very much. We don't feel any pressure it is simply a big stage and a big big chance for us," Sawa said in Frankfurt.
    And if the players of Nadeshiko Japan should lose to the US for a fourth consecutive time on Sunday, they will do so knowing they have already lightened the hearts of a nation still suffering the effects of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March.
    "Japan has been in a very problematic situation with this catastrophe so we all have experienced this and we all have got a lot of support worldwide and now it is up to us to give hope and strength to everybody back home. All the time everybody in the team has known what is going on in Japan and this was a motivation all the time," Sasaki said.
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