Japan get off to winning start at World Cup

A superb Aya Miyama freekick got Japan's World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Group B rivals New Zealand here on Monday.

Yuki Nagasato put the Japanese ahead after six minutes, with Amber Hearn quickly equalising only for Miyama to dash New Zealand hopes of a first ever point in their third women's World Cup with a curling 68-minute freekick.

"Japan mesmerized us," admitted New Zealand coach John Herdman.

"Particularly in the last 20 minutes and the introduction of (Mana) Iwabuchi. Japan's form is fantastic this year. I think this team could go on and be a major threat in this tournament.

"They were pretty close at the Olympics and I think they've learned from that experience."

Japan coach Norio Sasaki believes however there is room for improvement as his side were pushed hard by the 24th-ranked New Zealand Ferns.

"Today we got three points but the girls did work hard and learned a lesson," he said.

"Rather than winning easy, today's exercise should be beneficial for the girls in winning a difficult match."

He paid tribute however to Miyama, stating: "She has been one of the supporting pillers of our team and did well today."

It was the second major international tournament where the two sides had met in the opening match after the 2008 Olympics where New Zealand held Japan 2-2.

The more experienced Japanese got off to a confident start with Nagasato opening after just six minutes when she lobbed a Shinobu Ohno cross past Jenny Bindon in the New Zealand goal.

But New Zealand kept pace with Hearn grabbing the equaliser after 12 minutes when she latched onto a Ria Percival corner to head past Ayumi Kaihori to the delight of the crowd at the Ruhrstadion in Bochum.

Despite the Asians making most of the running the Kiwi defence and Bindon proved solid as they held off wave after wave of attacks from the Japanese forwards who missed successive chances to pull ahead.

The Japanese pushed forward and should have scored their second goal in the 18th minute but Mizuho Sakaguchi failed to finish off a Yukari Kinga cross.

But it was a break from second half substitute Iwabuchi which proved the key as the striker's run was stopped on the edge of the box by a foul from New Zealand captain Rebecca Smith.

Miyama curled the resulting freekick over the wall into the New Zealand net.

Iwabuchi missed a chance to double Japan's advantage seven minutes from time as she fired into Bindon?s hands, as Hearn missed the chance to pull off a later equaliser when she hit a free kick over the bar in extra time.