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There were few more impressive nations in the opening round of group stage matches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup than Japan. The Asian nation could effectively secure their passage through to the next round on Wednesday with a victory over Costa Rica.

 

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Japan may be one of the nations that could upset the odds at the Women’s World Cup this summer, as the Asian nation chases a second tournament success. They previously won the tournament in 2011, before reaching the final in 2015. Japan was excellent in their opening match of the tournament this year, as they landed a stunning 5-0 win over Zambia on Saturday morning. 

Hinata Miyazawa scored twice in that success, while further efforts were registered by Mina Tanaka, Jun Endo, and Riko Ueki. It was the manner of their success that was most encouraging, as they looked well-drilled, and created a huge number of chances throughout the match. That could be a worrying factor for Costa Rica this week.

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Costa Rica are playing at just their second Women’s World Cup this year, and they are still chasing a first win at the tournament. They have lost two of their four matches at the competition, and are yet to keep a clean sheet. It appears unlikely that they have the required quality to progress from this group, evident from their 3-0 loss against Spain on matchday one. 

Costa Rica looked to play on the counter-attack in their opening match against Spain, as the recorded just 19.9% of the possession. That was a record low in a match at the Women’s World Cup, and they completed a tournament-low of just 74 passes. 

Japan vs Costa Rica Head to Head

This will be a first meeting between Japan and Costa Rica at the World Cup. Japan has a poor record against sides from the region at the tournament, as they have won just once in their previous seven matches against teams from the CONCACAF region.

 

Japan vs Costa Rica Prediction

Japan’s record against CONCACAF opposition is hard to dismiss. However, they were excellent in their opening match, and I fully expect them to continue their excellent progression on Wednesday. I could see Japan recording a 4-0 win over Costa Rica.

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