On July 25 at 23:00, the first round of Group C in the women’s football tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics kicks off with a match between the Spanish and Japanese teams. This marks their first meeting since last year’s Women’s World Cup.
The Spanish women’s team is one of the fastest-improving sides in recent years, bolstered by the strength of FC Barcelona’s women’s team. Their performance has surged dramatically, culminating in reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 Women’s European Championship, where they lost to England. However, at last year’s Women’s World Cup, Spain marched through the competition, defeating England 1-0 in the final to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time.
Following their impressive World Cup campaign, the Spanish women’s team rose to the top of the FIFA rankings, enjoying a meteoric rise. The Japanese women’s team, on the other hand, won the Women’s World Cup back in 2011 but has seen a significant drop in performance in recent tournaments. At last year’s World Cup, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals without advancing further.
Since the start of 2024, the Spanish women’s team has continued its strong form, winning seven out of eight matches, including resounding victories over the Netherlands and France. They also achieved a 7-0 victory over Belgium, with their only loss being a surprising 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic in a Women’s European Championship qualifier in mid-July. Over their last ten games, the Spanish team has won eight and lost two, achieving an 80% win rate. During this period, they scored a total of 31 goals (an average of 3.1 per game) while conceding just nine, keeping five clean sheets, demonstrating solid performances at both ends of the pitch.
The Japanese women’s team has played six games this year, winning three, drawing one, and losing two, including a narrow 2-1 friendly loss to the United States and a 1-1 draw against the surging Colombia. In their last ten games, Japan has won five, drawn two, and lost three, with a win rate of 50%, scoring 20 goals and conceding 10. It is clear that their form does not match that of the Spanish team.
Interestingly, despite Spain’s dominance in five meetings against Japan, winning three, drawing one, and losing one, they suffered a shocking 0-4 defeat in the group stage of last year’s Women’s World Cup. After nearly a year, Spain will be eager to exact revenge.
It’s worth noting that the rules for women’s football at the Olympics differ from those for men’s football, as there is no U23 age limit. Therefore, the level of competition is comparable to the World Cup, with each team fielding their strongest squad in pursuit of the gold medal. Undoubtedly, the Spanish women’s team hopes to capitalize on their World Cup triumph and secure Olympic gold. Whether they can achieve victory in their opening match remains to be seen.
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