Nadeshiko Japan beat Norway 4-1 on Sunday in an international friendly. Kumi Yokoyama opened the scoring in the 16th minute at Tottori Bird Stadium to give Japan an early lead and spark a solid victory on home soil. Mana Iwabuchi followed up 11 minutes later, dribbling ...
Mana Iwabuchi, Yui Hasegawa lead Japan women past North Korea in Asian Games quarterfinals
Japan advanced to the semifinals in the Asian Games women's soccer tournament on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over defending champion North Korea. Both sides fought aggressively from the beginning until the final whistle at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, but it was Japan's Mana Iwabuchi who ...
Mana Iwabuchi, Nahomi Kawasumi among Nadeshiko Japan's 23 call-ups for Tournament of Nations
The Japan Football Association on Friday named a 23-woman squad for the upcoming Tournament of Nations, with veteran forward Nahomi Kawasumi and Asian Cup MVP Mana Iwabuchi among the selections. In April, Iwabuchi spearheaded Nadeshiko Japan's successful defense of the Women's Asian Cup in Jordan. ...
Japan women defeat Denmark at Algarve Cup to finish second in Group C
Ninth-ranked Japan finished second in its group in the Algarve Cup pool stage with a 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday. For Nadeshiko Japan, the victory sets up a clash against world No. 5 Canada in the playoff for fifth place at the 12-team invitational ...
Japan's Mana Iwabuchi delivers winning goal in 83rd minute against South Korea
Mana Iwabuchi hit a late winner as the Japan women's team edged South Korea 3-2 in their opening game of the E-1 Football Championship on Friday night. Japan was twice pegged back after leading through goals from Mina Tanaka and substitute Emi Nakajima at a ...
Mana Iwabuchi's brace lifted Nadeshiko Japan to a 2-0 away win in a friendly against Jordan on Friday. Iwabuchi scored twice in the first half with Nadeshiko attacking aggressively from the start. Japan got on the board in the 27th minute when Iwabuchi scored with her ...
Japan forward Mana Iwabuchi terminated her contract with Bayern Munich and will return to Japan to concentrate on recovering from injuries, she wrote on her blog on Saturday. The 24-year-old, who was with Nadeshiko Japan for their 2011 World Cup championship, their runners-up finish in ...
Nadeshiko stalwarts Miyama, Iwabuchi to miss Sweden friendly
Nadeshiko Japan coach Asako Takakura overlooked regular captain Aya Miyama for selection as she named her squad on Wednesday for an upcoming friendly away to Sweden. Miyama, the three-time Asian Player of the Year, missed Japan's first two matches under Takakura against world champion the ...
Nadeshiko Japan hits another bump on road to Rio
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics are slipping through Nadeshiko Japan's fingers as the former world champions drew 1-1 with South Korea in an Asian final qualifier on Wednesday. Mana Iwabuchi broke the deadlock in the dying minutes with a lucky goal for Japan, but Jung ...
Gritty Japan gathering steam ahead of semifinal against England
Japan is still waiting to ignite at the Women's World Cup, but the slow burn that has carried the team all the way to the semifinals may yet be enough to take it further. Japan faces England in Edmonton on Wednesday with a place in ...
