Heading in the Right Direction

NOVEMBER 23, 20 CHINA DAILY PAGE 6 SOCCER Women’s Heading in the right direction coach vows JAPANESE TACTICS RESULT IN FIRST GOLD MEDAL AS DPRK RUNS OUT OF STEAM to stay on By QIU QUANLIN CHINA DAILY By TANG ZHE CHINA DAILY GUANGZHOU — The coach of the Japanese women’s soc- GUANGZHOU — Though cer team said brains beat brawn rumors persist that the Chi- as his side won the gold medal nese Football Association against defending champion, the (CFA) will replace all three Democratic People’s Republic of national Korea (DPRK), at coaches, Li Tianhe Stadium on Xiaopeng, Monday. head coach Japan’s Iwashi- of China’s mizu Azusa’s SOCCER women’s soc- SOCCER header in the 74th cer team, has expressed his minute ended the DPRK’s hopes of determination to stay on. winning a third consecutive gold “I won’t leave the team rash- medal at the Asian Games. ly, because this is a promising “China and the DPRK players squad,” Li said aft er China lost are physically stronger. Th at’s why 2-0 to Korea in the bronze we had to play with very careful medal match. “If there is no tactics on the fi eld,” coach Sasaki hope, I will leave voluntarily.” Norio said aft er the 1-0 triumph. The 35-year-old coach, “Besides China, the DPRK and who was appointed in early Korea, we will also face physically August, missed his target of stronger teams from Europe and at least achieving a medal the United States in the future,” in the Asian Games, but he said. insisted that the three-month “Having that in mind, we need tenure was too short for him to intensify our preparations for to give the team a dramatic the Olympic qualifiers and the makeover. World Cup.” “My team and I are both Aya Miyama, Japan’s captain, very young; we played well in also said a strong mental approach the recent matches, but also helped her side to victory. paid the price,” said Li. “Four years ago, we lost to the “In the past three months, DPRK in the Asian Games fi nal. our team made changes in Now we are here, we are four years attacking from the back to older, and we have better mental- midfield. To enhance the ity. Luck is also involved,” Miyama attacking rhythm from the said. center going forward, we need Meanwhile, the DPRK’s head at least half a year.” coach, Kim Kwang-min, put his China fell behind in the fi rst team’s loss down to a lack of fit- minute of the game, which ness. drove the match in the oppo- “Th e fi nal match (of a tourna- site direction of Li’s plan. ment) is usually the most diffi cult. “I focused a lot on attacking, The main reason we lost this so I only thought about our match was that we lacked energy,” opponent’s counterattack and Kim said. didn’t expect them to control “Most of our players are young the game so well,” Li said. and they didn’t have enough expe- “Because of the wrong tactic, rience to deal with such an impor- we gave up a goal at the very tant game and they were not in the beginning and I’m responsible best physical form,” Kim said. for that silly mistake.” “Th ey have never gone through Li admitted his team was not a match like this. However, I think strong enough and didn’t play losing this match is a good experi- YANG SHIZHONG / CHINA DAILY the best, but he said there’s also ence for the players.” big room for improvement. Sawa Homare of Japan (right) and Jon Myong-jwa of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ﬁ ght for the According to the coach, the ball in the ﬁ nal of the women’s soccer competition on Monday. “When you’re climbing a DPRK’s leader, Kim Jong-il, was hill, it’s very common that disappointed aft er being informed great eff orts rewarded,” Kim said. diff erence between China, Japan, Asia’s best,” he said. sometimes you have to stop, of the result. Before the Guangzhou Asian the DPRK and Korea, the semifi - Sasaki also said there was plenty sometimes you have to slip, “Th e leader of the DPRK loves Games, Japan had finished with nalists at these games, Sasaki said of room for his team to improve before finally climbing up to all women’s sports. He takes good a medal at every women’s soc- little separated the sides. leading into qualifying matches the top,” said Li. care of my players and looks at my cer tournament at the Asiad, but “Each of the four teams had the for the London Olympic Games “We have gifted players players as if they are his daughters. never gold. potential to win the gold at this in 2012 and next year’s Women’s and I have to prove they are I’m sorry that he couldn’t see their In reply to a question about the tournament … they clearly are World Cup in Germany. capable.”.

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