Japan at the FIFA Women's World Cup
[1] They also were runners-up once [2] and is one of the only three Asian Football Confederation teams alongside Australia and China which finished on the top four of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Japanese national team had qualified for the first World Cup as the runners up of the 1991 Asian Championship.
Four wins in the preliminary round against Korea DPR, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
In the semi-final, penalty shoot-out was necessary to eliminate the Republic of China and qualify for the World Cup.
The final was then lost with 0: 5 against the China women's national football team, but the first World Cup participation was already there for sure.
In People's Republic of China, the first World Cup match on November 17, 1991, in Foshan was lost 1-0 to Brazil.
Four years later, the Japanese team finished second in Asian Games 1994 in Hiroshima for the second World Cup.
On June 7, 1995, but then succeeded the Japanese women in Karlstad against Brazil the first World Cup victory.
As the number of starting places was increased from 12 to 16, a fourth Asian team had the chance to qualify in the AFC / CONCACAF playoffs.
In China, as four years earlier, Argentina and Germany were the group opponents, as well as for the first time England, against which in the first game a 2: 2 was achieved.
As the fourth-placed Asian team this time had no way to qualify for intercontinental playoffs, the first women's World Cup final without the People's Republic of China took place.
Thus, Japan was already qualified before the last group match for the knockout round, so that the subsequent 0-2 defeat against England could be coped.
Although Azusa Iwashimizu received the Red Card in injury time, it stayed that way, so Penalties had to decide on the World Cup title.
[12] Homare Sawa was also awarded the Golden Ball for best player and Japan for the fairest team.
[24] There they met England, against which four years earlier in the preliminary round last time a World Cup match was lost and never won.
When shortly after the break, the United States gave the Japanese an own goal, came up briefly hope again, but already two minutes later fell to the 2: 5-final.
However, four minutes before the end of the game, Sam Kerr scored the 1-1 draw for Australia, and as they stayed 4-0 in South Korea's parallel with Vietnam, Japan were second in the Asian Cup semi-finals also reached the World Cup finals.
The Japanese started with a disappointing goalless draw against Argentina, the first time they could win a championship point.
As Argentina and Scotland drew in a draw, it was enough for the second group place, which they met in the second round of the European Championship Netherlands.
When the teams were already prepared for an extension, there was a penalty in the final minute for the Dutch women, they used to victory goal.
