Japan probably thought they were on a collision course with Brazil when the World Cup started, but the South American champions got knocked off by the tournament’s nastiest, scrappiest side: Australia. On Saturday, the defending champs will take on the Aussies, a team they know well.
Australia vs. Japan, Women’s World Cup 2015: Time, TV schedule and live stream
Asia’s top teams continue their rivalry in the World Cup quarterfinals.
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Australia and Japan were drawn in the same group at the most recent Asian Cup and drew 2-2 in the group stage, helping both to advance. They met again in the knockout stage, which Japan won 1-0 to become champions of Asia.
Despite being drawn into the tournament’s toughest group, Australia survived, then upset Brazil by doing the same things that they did to their previous three opponents -- counter-attacking with some serious pace. Japan are well-organized and don’t give the ball away easily, but if they do commit turnovers, they’ll have a tough time stopping the Matildas’ extremely quick attack.
Key player: Saki Kumagai
Great center back play might be the signature theme of this tournament when it's all said and done, and not many have been as good as Kumagai. Japan's star defender was one of their best young players in their 2011 Women's World Cup triumph, but she's one of their best players -- period -- now. She's a leader at the back, just as important in starting attacks as she is in breaking up play.
Key matchup: Tempo
Match date/time: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
Venue: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Canada
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. -- English), Telemundo (U.S. -- Spanish), CTV, RDS (Canada), BBC3, Eurosport (U.K.), SBS One (Australia), NHK (Japan).
Online: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S. -- English), NBC Deportes en vivo extra (U.S. -- Spanish), TSN (Canada), BBC player, Eurosport player (U.K.), SBS (Australia), NHK (Japan)
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