Homare Sawa, a former member of the Japanese women's soccer team, told the players of Nadeshiko Japan, who will play against North Korea in the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics later this month, saying, ``I will put everything I have done so far into thinking about what lies ahead.'' I want you to fight without thinking about it,'' he said.
Nadeshiko Japan, the Japanese women's soccer team, will compete in the final Asian qualifying round against North Korea later this month, with a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Before this match, Sawa, who has been a key player for Nadeshiko Japan for a long time and contributed to Germany's victory in the 2011 World Cup, responded to an online interview with the press.
In 2004, Sawa defeated North Korea in the Asian qualifiers to qualify for the Athens Olympics, qualifying for the Olympics, and this match brought attention to women's soccer, which had little recognition at the time.
Sawa, who played despite an injury to her right foot and gave a play that inspired the team, said, ``At that time, everyone was fighting under the pressure that if they couldn't go to the Olympics, women's soccer would lose more attention.As a result, I think we won the match and changed the history of women's soccer," she said.
He then addressed his juniors who will be competing against North Korea for a spot in the Olympics, saying, ``I think by winning and achieving results, the number of Nadeshiko Japan fans will increase.It's also an opportunity for as many people as possible to get to know Nadeshiko Japan. I want you to put everything you have done into the fight without thinking about the future.''
The final qualifying round will be held in a home-and-away format, with the first match scheduled for the 24th and the second match scheduled for the 28th. If the total score in the two matches is higher, the team will qualify for the Olympics.