Match between Japan and Scotland ends in a draw, 1-1
Scotland finished their tournament at the second place in the group stage after the last match of the ESB Electric Ireland FIH Champions Challenge I, between Scotland and Japan, ended in a 1-1 draw. The cliff-hanging contest was played in Dublin, Ireland
on June 21, 2011.
It is vital to mention here that the Scottish women only required a draw to grab the top position in the group if the South African team was defeated in the last game. But the South African women drew the game and held the top position with one victory and
two draws. The Scotland team secured the 2nd place with same two draws and one victory, but with less conversion rate. On the other hand, the Japanese squad managed the third place with one loss, one draw and one win. The USA team is currently sitting
at the bottom with two defeats and one draw.
The Scottish squad delivered their best performance in the game, but they failed to make it decisive. They established their early dominance with the ball possession and tested the defence of opponent team in the early minutes. Though the Scottish women
created plenty of opportunities in the opening round, they failed on many occasions.
The back-to-back attacks from Scotland served them in the 13th minute of the game, when Nikki Kidd scored the first goal of the game and put opponent, Japan, under severe pressure. She managed to take the ball into the defensive circle of Japan
and tapped it into the goal. Sakiyo Asano, the custodian of the Japanese team, had no chance to stop the ball.
With one goal in hands, the Scottish players started more aggressive style of play and accomplished a series of attacks against either side. The defending line-up particularly Asano denied numerous efforts in the first half of play.
The Japanese squad not only tightened their defence, but also improved their striking power. Their brilliant efforts bore fruits in the 33rd minute of the match, when Shiho Otsuka scored a goal and had it all even. The first half of play concluded
with both teams locking horns at 1-1.
Following a tiny break between the two halves, the two squads started the game in a cautious way. No single player made a mistake throughout the 35 minutes. Both the women’s teams made plenty of penetrations into the each other defensive circles but to no
avail. It was an end-to-end play throughout the period and match concluded at 1-1 draw.
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