Match Report
9 points and 3 places separated them: Japan W 1st with 9, Costa Rica W 4th with 0. On recent form Costa Rica W sat only 29th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 4th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Japan W 3.67 scored and 0 conceded per game, Costa Rica W 0.33 and 2.67, with the league averaging 1.31.
Defeat had followed defeat for Costa Rica W — four in succession. Over the last five, Japan W had taken 12 of 15 points to Costa Rica W's 1.
Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza in Dunedin, capacity 30,748, hosted the game. On the scoreboard, Japan W led 2-0 at the break, and no goals arrived after the restart: 2-0 the final score.