Japan’s women hockey team showcased a dominant performance against Thailand, winning with a staggering 14-0 scoreline in the Pool B match of the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Women’s Hockey Competition. The crushing defeat leaves Thailand at the bottom of their pool, while Japan moves on with a powerful statement to the other teams in the competition.
From the first whistle, Japan demonstrated their superior skills and strategy, putting Thailand under immense pressure. TORIYAMA Mai drew first blood for Japan, netting a field goal within the first 6 minutes of the game. Japan’s aggressive play saw them scoring at regular intervals, with SUZUKI Miyu and OIKAWA Shihori finding the back of the net from a penalty corner and penalty stroke, respectively, by the end of the first quarter.
As Thailand struggled to match the pace and skill of their opponents, Japan continued to hammer the goal with a blend of field goals and set-piece mastery. KOBAYASHI Aimi and KOBAYAKAWA Shiho starred in Japan’s goal-fest, tallying multiple goals and stretching Japan’s lead far beyond reach. By the end of the second quarter, Japan had amassed a 7-0 lead with FUJIBAYASHI Chiko also chipping in with a goal from a penalty corner.
Japan’s unyielding pressure continued into the third quarter as they netted three more goals, two by KOBAYAKAWA Shiho and one by KOBAYASHI Aimi, marking her second of the match. The narrative remained unchanged in the final quarter, as OMOTO Sakurako, HASEGAWA Miyu, and NAGAI Yuri further piled on the misery for Thailand, wrapping up the scoring spree at 14-0.
Thailand, despite their efforts, failed to record a single shot on target, being completely overwhelmed by Japan’s technical and tactical prowess. On the other hand, Japan’s clinical finishing was reflected in the merciless scoreline, and their 10 penalty corners highlight their attacking intent throughout the match.
Japan’s Head Coach, MENEZES Jude, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance while acknowledging the opportunities the match provided to fine-tune their strategies moving forward in the tournament. Thailand’s Coach, BAE Young Wook, on the other hand, urged his team to learn from the loss and focus on improving their gameplay for the upcoming matches.
With such a dominant performance, Japan has surely sent a wave of warning to other teams in the competition. The blend of aggression, skill, and clinical finishing displayed by Japan reiterates their strong ambition for gold in Hangzhou 2022. As for Thailand, it’s back to the drawing board as they seek to recover and put up a stronger challenge in their following fixtures.
