Asian powerhouse Japanese women's football team and a fresh Olympic contender New Zealand are to open the 2008 Beijing Olympic football tournament?in Qinhuangdao?on Wednesday. Both are determined to take three points from their first opponent.
"We really threw everything at Japan," New Zealand head Coach John Herdman told Xinhua. "If we can win Japan, and take another draw against Norway or the US (in the group), we are qualified."
Uninspiring results from the 2007 World Cup - conceded 9 but scored none - and an easy way of qualifying for the Olympics made the Kiwis an underdog of the Games. However, the Football Ferns are now eager to prove their quality.
"It's a different team with a different spirit and belief," Herdman told a press conference on Monday.
"If Japan are so sure that they will take three points and if they only remember the New Zealand team they beat 6-0 (three years ago), then we will be very happy," he said.
The team has made a lot of progress since then. In the latest tune-up match against Canada, they scored a crucial goal that equalized the game 1-1.
Also in a recent warm-up against China, New Zealand took one score from Chinese side that ended a 10-year-goal-drought record between the two teams.
"We feel both (China and Japan) are playing in a similar way. Both are like short passing games," Herdman said. "I think we are in a very good place to take a result from japan."
Yet only mental preparation is not strong enough to break Japan. Dubbed "Nadeshiko Japan", the Japanese is longing for a metal.
"We may be small in size, but you should never underestimate our players," Japanese head coach Norio Sasaki said.
The striker Eriko Arakawa and midfielder Sawa Homare, long considered Japan's finest women footballers, may pose a deadly threat to Kiwis' defense line.
"Our aim is to get into the final," Sasaki said.
Japan and New Zealand will also play against the U.S. and Norway in Group G.
The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the finals directly, while the best two third finishers in the groups also qualify for next round.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)