Friday, June 22, 2012

Nadeshiko bounce back with win

GOTHENBURG SWEDEN — Women's world champions Japan rebounded from Monday's 4-1 loss to the United States with a morale-boosting 1-0 win away to Sweden in a warmup against their London Olympic Group F rivals on Wednesday.

Yuki Nagasato beat the offside trap to net for the second game in a row with the clincher shortly before the half-hour mark in Japan's last match before coach Norio Sasaki names his squad.

"Everything starts from here," said Sasaki, who made a number of changes to the side that lost to the United States in the three-team exhibition tournament and started Olympic Lyon striker Ami Otaki alongside Nagasato up front.

"Sweden were the tallest team in this tournament and we were the smallest and it was a good lesson for us," added Sasaki, whose team beat the Swedes in the semifinals en route to last year's World Cup triumph in Germany.


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