June 15, 2015
SPORTS
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 9
Defending champion Japan advancing to WWC knockout round
Continued from page 8
Group A with a single point.
Thailand’s first-ever World Cup got off to a rough start
in Group B, suffering a 0-4 loss to Norway. In its second
match, however, the team overcame an early one-goal
deficit to Côte d’Ivoire to earn a 3-2 win. Thailand is
currently in third place with three points. It faces
powerhouse Germany, which has four points and a +10
goal differential, on Monday, June 15.
Group D features 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup
runner-up Australia as well as Nigeria, Sweden, and the
United States. Australia faced the U.S. in its opening
match, which the Matildas lost 1-3. The team battled
Nigeria in their second game and prevailed, scoring two
unanswered goals. The squad next takes on Sweden, on
Tuesday, June 16, looking to add to its three points.
Korea Republic is competing with Brazil, Spain, and
Costa Rica in Group E. In the first match, the Taeguk
Ladies lost 0-2 to Brazil. Over the weekend, the team
settled for a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica after allowing the
equalizing goal in the 89th minute. On Wednesday, June
17, South Korea meets Spain, who are in a similar,
must-win situation, having earned only one point each in
two games played.
Rounding out the 24 teams are Colombia, England,
France, and Mexico, which comprise Group F. Colombia
leads the group with four points, but England and France
are just one point behind heading into the last round of
group play.
When the group stage of the tournament concludes, the
top two teams in each of the six groups automatically
advance to the knockout round. Four additional teams,
based on total points and goal differential, will also
New Godzilla
video game
steers clear of
nuclear references
Continued from page 4
“It will be the first
Japanese Godzilla after
3.11,” he said, using the
widely used term for the
Fukushima disaster.
Decommissioning
the
Fukushima reactors is
expected to take about half
a century, and scientists
are only starting to exam-
ine what state the melted
cores might be in.
He doesn’t blame people
wanting to avoid contro-
versy in a game, which
could crimp sales, but he
marvels at the courage of
the first Godzilla film that
wasn’t afraid to take a
stand on nuclear weapons,
barely a decade after the
end of World War II and the
atomic bombings of Hiro-
shima and Nagasaki.
“The appeal of Godzilla
can’t be easily explained in
words. It’s not just about
being scary and strong. It’s
also about its ambience, its
shape, its beauty, like
being in awe of a samurai
castle,” Izawa said.
Fujita is confident the
game will be a hit with
fans.
“This is a game, made by
people who love Godzilla, in
which the love for Godzilla
has gone wild. I know
people who love Godzilla
will feel that love,” he said.
Give blood.
To schedule a blood donation
call 1-800-G IVE-LIFE
or visit HelpSaveALife.org.
SUPERFANS. Team Japan is in Group C with Cameroon, Ecuador, and Switzerland. The Nadeshiko have experienced great fan support already in
the tournament, with nearly 26,000 attending the Switzerland match held at BC Place. Japan plays Ecuador on Tuesday, June 16 before heading to the
Round of 16 knockout stage. (AR Photos/Jan Landis)
make it to the Round of 16, with games held June 20 to 23.
Following two rest days, quarterfinal matches take
place June 26 and 27. The four teams left standing then
move to the semifinals, which are held June 30 in
Montreal and July 1 in Edmonton.
The squads that lose in the semifinal will play for third
place on Saturday, July 4 in Edmonton. The winners of the
two semifinal matches travel to BC Place to play the
championship match on Sunday, July 5.
Soccer fans are out in numbers supporting the teams.
When Japan faced Switzerland at BC Place, nearly 26,000
were in the crowd. At Winnipeg Stadium, where the U.S.
played Australia and Sweden, attendance was 31,148 and
32,716, respectively. The sellout crowd of 53,058 at
Commonwealth Stadium for the opening match between
Canada and China PR was the largest for a national team
sporting event in Canada. During Canada’s draw against
New Zealand, 35,544 die-hard fans endured a heavy
downpour and a 30-minute weather delay just after
kickoff.
To learn more, or to view the full schedule of matches,
visit <www.fifa.com/womensworldcup>.