Forwards shine as Spain and Japan advance to the final

This time it was two strikers, Yuzuki Yamamoto of Japan and Salma Paralluelo of Spain, that left their mark and got their teams one step closer to winning the tournament. The last two matches of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2022 will be played on Sunday, August 28th in San José.

Spain 2-1 Netherlands

Player of the Match: (11) Salma Paralluelo (ESP)

It was down to the last four on matchday nine at Estadio Nacional, with the two coveted places in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup final up for grabs. First up, Spain secured their place in Sunday's showdown courtesy of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.

A first-half brace from Inma Gabarro weighted the tie in Spain's favour but it was the performance of forward Salma Paralluelo that secured the Technical Study Group's award for player of the match.

According to Anja Mittag, "She showed great physicality when she had the ball and I really liked how she used her body and strength to keep defenders away from the ball. She was so involved in Spain's attacking play and was extremely dangerous in counter-attacking situations because of her open body shape when she received the ball, but also with the quality of her first touch."

"She wanted to have the ball and was always moving to create angles to receive the ball and then had strength in the duels to keep it. Her decision-making was also good, knowing when to bring other players into the attack and when to take the situation on herself. She was a threat all match and had some good chances. The only thing she didn't do was score, but she did a lot of important work for her team," she added.

Mónica Vergara also observed the game.

"Salma Paralluelo was extremely explosive in her attacking movements. Her ability to change direction quickly and her fast accelerations make her a very good 1v1 player. She creates her own opportunities and but also assists her team-mates which shows she is a strong team player," commented Vergara.

"She also had a great willingness to work hard for team when they had to defend. She knew her defensive role and performed it very well. Tonight, she gave an impressive performance," she concluded.

Brazil 1-2 Japan 

Player of the Match: (9) Yuzuki Yamamoto (JPN)

In the second of the evening's semi-finals, defending FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup champions Japan booked their place in Sunday's final following a 2-1 win over Brazil in a fascinating tactical battle. 

Yamamoto opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, but Brazil midfielder Cris cancelled the goal out ten minutes after half-time. With just six minutes of normal time remaining, Yamamoto provided the assist for Maika Hamano's match-winning strike.

On a night where a number of players from both teams put in extremely impressive performances, it was Japan's number nine Yuzuki Yamamoto who earned the player of the match award from our Technical Study Group. 

Anja Mittag observed this match and had great praise for the forward's contribution to Japan's victory.

"She has been consistently good in this tournament but tonight she really shone with her great goal and crucial assist. The way she can come out of tight areas is so good and she is very smart player. Her forward partnership with Maika Hamona is so strong. They can read other's minds and work extremely well together, especially in their movements to disrupt the opponent's defence and get space between the lines," Mittag explained.

"She drops into the space between the opposition's defensive and midfield lines, but she can also get in behind the last line. She's also very technical and has the capacity to solve 1v1 situations in her favour because she's strong in duels and has great feet. She has excellent close control of the ball but has the vision to spot clever passing opportunities and her passing technique is so accurate. And she knows where the goal is so will shoot as soon as she sees an opportunity," she concluded.

Mónica Vergara was also impressed with Yamamoto's performance.

"She is an intelligent, tactical forward that has a natural ability to receive the ball between the lines and performs spectacular movements in behind. She understands the game very well and her body orientation always allows her to have a wide vision of where the spaces are, as well as the location of her team-mates and rivals. She is a very good finisher and also assists her team-mates," noted Vergara.

"Throughout the entire game, she assists her team defensively, putting pressure on the opposition centre-backs and pressuring midfielders from behind. This was a great display from her," she concluded.