Nadeshiko Emblem. Courtesy from this site.
Julia Zigiotti Olme of United. Courtesy from this site.
[International Friendly Matches for Nadeshiko and their Player Selection]
Nadeshiko’s Friendlies against Italy (October 24, Como) and Norway (October 28, La Linea, Spain), both of which performed well at this summer’s Euro 2025, are scheduled.
Norway advanced to the quarterfinals, while Italy made it to the semifinals. Norway lost 1-2 to Italy in the quarterfinal, and Italy lost 1-2 to eventual champions England in the semifinal, but both teams performed exceptionally well in Euro 2025. Norway won three straight games in the group stage, while Italy won two games despite losing to the finalist Spain. Italy scored the opening goal in the semifinal against England and nearly won, but they were tied in added time of the second half and lost on a penalty kick in the 119th minute. Although Italy were outnumbered by England in terms of shots, they were praised for their impressive performance.
These two friendly matches in Europe will be ideal opportunities for Nadeshiko Japan to strengthen their team.
Among the Nadeshiko players called up for these matches, Risa Shimizu and Jun Endo are worth to see. Both have just returned to their respective league matches after serious injuries. Manager Nielsen likely thinks their call-ups are as an opportunity to see their personalities. I believe Jun Endo should be deployed as a left inside midfielder, as she plays for her current team, rather than as a side back. Because of European locations of those friendlies, the player selections were primarily made up in European leagues. From the WE League, Yuzuki Yamamoto and Hana Takahashi were also selected, whose selections are reasonable, while I believe Kobe’s Yui Narumiya was also a strong candidate. I expect more WE League players will be selected for the match against Canada in Nagasaki on November 29th.
From my personal perspective, the key points to look out for include the pair of two center backs, the pair of the two defensive midfielders, the positioning of the attacking players, and where Yuzuki Yamamoto and Shinomi Koyama will play on the pitch.
2025/10/24: Later, Yuzuki Yamamoto and Hikaru Kitagawa were replaced by Yuka Momiki and Uno Shiragaki, respectively, because of their condition problems. While Momiki’s ability is well known, it is quite interesting to see how Shiragaki plays with Nadeshiko team mates.
[Women’s Champions League (WCL) Matchday 2]
Nine midweek matches were held last week. Five teams have won two straight matches: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Lyon and United. Lyon and Wolfsburg will face off at Matchday 3.
On Wednesday
Match 1: Vålerenga 1-2 Wolfsburg
Match 2: OL Lyonnais 3-0 St. Pölten
Match 3: OH Leuven 2-1 Twente
Match 4: Roma 0-4 Barcelona
Match 5: Chelsea 4-0 Paris FC
On Thursday
Match 6: Atléti 0-1 United
Match 7: Benfica 0-2 Arsenal
Match 8: Paris SG 1–2 Real Madrid
Match 9: Bayern München 2-1 Juventus
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