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Japan beat Italy in World Cup sendoff

Japan beat Italy 1-0 on Thursday in their final warm-up game before jetting off to Canada to defend their women's World Cup title.

Published: 28 May 2015 15:10 CEST
Japan beat Italy in World Cup sendoff
Japan's midfielder Aya Miyama (C) kicks the ball past Italy's defender Elena Linari (L) and defender Elisa Bartoli (R). Photo: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP

German-based striker Yuki Ogimi scored the winner seven minutes into the second half in mountainous Nagano as the home side finally broke through after a frustrating start.

It was the Wolfsburg player's 53rd goal in 117 games for her country.

“We know it won't be easy to retain the World Cup but that's our ultimate aim,” Japan coach Norio Sasaki told reporters.

“It will be a tough ask but we will give everything to lift the trophy again.”

Japan, who will be favourites to top a group also involving Switzerland, Cameroon and Ecuador, produced an astonishing upset to win the World Cup four years ago, beating the mighty United States in the final.

Sasaki's side added last year's Asian Cup title after settling for silver at the 2012 London Olympics, where the Americans took revenge for their defeat in Frankfurt. The World Cup kicks off on June 6th.

SEE ALSO: Italian football chief sacked for 'lesbian' slur

Photo by Ezequiel Becerra/AFP

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

Published: 4 March 2024 13:41 CET
VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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