Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023: Japan beat Costa Rica in Dunedin

Japan's Aoba Fujino, centre, is congratulated by teammates after scoring her team's second goal against Costa Rica. Photo / AP

Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino scored two minutes apart in the first half to lead Japan to a 2-0 Fifa World Cup victory over Costa Rica that put the Japanese on the brink of advancing to the knockout stage.

Japan could advance out of Group C later today if Spain, ranked sixth in the world, beat 77th-ranked Zambia in Auckland.

The two teams kicked off in front of a sparse crowd of 6,992 in Dunedin, a huge differential from the record sales of over 1.5 million tickets for this year’s tournament. High fan turnout in Auckland and Sydney — there were 117,000 combined at opening night in those cities — have been partly offset by much smaller crowds in Dunedin, where attendance has dropped with each match from an initial high of 13,711.

Las Ticas kept the pressure high throughout the match, but the Japanese dominated with precision in ball handling and passes.

Mina Tanaka passed the ball to Naomoto, who dribbled past a Costa Rican defender before scoring on outstretched goalkeeper Daniela Solera in the 25th minute.

Shortly after, Fujino then snuck the ball in on an angle into the far left corner of the net. Costa Rican defenders Maria Paula Elizondo and Mariana Benavides failed to stop Fujino from scoring.

Costa Rican midfielder Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez, the star of the team, didn’t come into the game until midway through the second half. She missed her team’s last match against Spain due to an undisclosed injury.

Solera went down midway through the second half after taking a shoulder to the head, but she remained in the game.

The victory for Japan puts them on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stage for the fourth time in the nation’s history. Costa Rica were eliminated with the loss.

- AP