Women’s Football Tokyo 2020: Team GB face hosts Japan as Hege Riise’s side look to build on their winning start

Team GB will hope to continue their winning streak as they face Japan in their second game of Group E. – By Chloe Reynolds 

Ellen White’s double saw Great Britain beat Chile 2-0 in their first game at the Olympics. The last time they were at the games, almost nine years ago, Team GB lost out to Canada in the knockout stages.  

Despite the lack of games for GB in the lead up to the competition, after a friendly against Zambia being called off due to the coronavirus pandemic, the team played a friendly against New Zealand in the week before the tournament, winning  3-0 with White on the score sheet.  

Team GB Head Coach, Hege Riise, was appointed interim manager of the England National Team in January 2021 and was announced as Team GB manager in March 2021 as England suffered one win and two defeats under Riise. 

Japan, on the other hand, are looking for their first win of the competition after a 1-1 draw against Canada in their opening game. After coming second in the 2012 Olympics, the hosts will have something to prove. They are very experienced in tournament football, having won the 2011 Women’s World Cup. 

Asako Takakura has been Japan’s Head Coach since 2016, the first female to be in that position. She is also a six-time AFC Women’s Coach of the Year award winner.  

After recent performances, White is a player Japan need to watch out for. The 32-year-old has 95 appearances and 39 goals for England as well as six appearances and four goals for Great Britain.  

They should also have their eye on Caroline Weir, who has been a standout player for Manchester City in this season’s Women’s Super League. As well as a sensational left foot, Weir was the first female player to score at the Etihad Stadium in a Manchester Derby in 2019 as her goal was nominated for the FIFA Puskas award. 

Japan are an evolving side packed with young talent. 21-year-old Saori Takarada, scored five goals in the under-20 Women’s World Cup, winning the silver ball and the bronze boot in the process. Takarada signed for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL in 2021 and is set to make her debut when she returns from the Olympics.  

Both teams will look to win the encounter with Japan’s desire of recording their first win during this year’s Olympics a driving force for the hosts, but the sheer firepower and quality of Team GB should see them over the line.

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