Japan Beats France in Women?s Soccer to Clinch Medal and Rematch With U.S.

LONDON ? The Japanese players who had left the game, guided by the ones who had not played in it, tiptoed toward the edge of the field just to feel a part of it.

When the final whistle blew, they were all off and running.

Dominant for the first 60 minutes, nervous for 20 and then desperate for the last 10, Japan bravely held off France, 2-1, on Monday at Wembley to clinch its first medal in Olympic women?s soccer. Whether it will be gold or silver will be determined Thursday against the United States, which rallied to stun Canada, 4-3, in extra time, in Monday?s second semifinal.

The final is a rematch of last summer?s World Cup final, which Japan won, 3-1, on penalty kicks.

?We?re aware that no team has won the World Cup and the Olympics back to back, so it?s a huge challenge for us,? defender Azusa Iwashimizu said. ?We?ve passed one hurdle and have another to go.?

Japan almost did not make it. France has distinct advantages in size and height but failed to exploit either until late in the second half. For much of the first half, France, which beat Japan in a friendly two weeks ago, seemed perplexed by an attack so fluid and active that it was sometimes hard to discern Japan?s formation.

Japan?s overlapping runs and cutback passes created danger on the wings and led France to commit unnecessary fouls that set up two goals. They came on two forgettable mistakes by France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, who let a 50-yard free kick slip through her gloves in the 32nd minute and then was caught in no-man?s land on another long free kick four minutes into the second half.

France?s confusion continued after halftime. When its captain, Sandrine Soubeyrand, left for a substitute in the 56th minute, she handed her armband to Gaetane Thiney. Less than a minute later, Thiney, too, was called off, so she passed the yellow band to Eugenie Le Sommer, who had replaced her. It eventually made its way to midfielder Elise Bussaglia.

Once that was settled, the substitutions seemed to stir France. Le Sommer made it 2-1 on a sharp volley in the 76th minute, and two minutes later she split two defenders and drew a penalty kick. But Bussaglia pushed the kick wide.

Two diving saves by Miho Fukumoto in the final minutes, including one on France?s final touch of the game, preserved Japan?s win.

The United States and Japan first played in 1986, and it took Japan 26 games over 25 years ? until last year?s World Cup final ? to walk off the field a winner. (The Americans list the game as a tie in their record books.) Thursday?s match will be the fourth between the teams since March, and that familiarity has filled Japan with confidence.

?We don?t feel pressure,? Sakaguchi said. ?We feel motivation.?

Ken Belson contributed reporting.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/sports/olympics/japan-beats-france-in-womens-soccer-to-clinch-medal-and-rematch-with-us.html

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