Scoring her first international goal against Nigeria, Japan striker Maika Hamano expresses her delight, following a 3-1 victory that earned the Asian champions a spot in the quarterfinals.
Hamano found the net in the 22nd minute, putting Japan in the lead after a setup by Riko Ueki.
“I’m extremely happy, but it was a goal the team allowed me to score,” she mentioned in a statement on FIFA.com. “It served as inspiration, but my focus during the game was solely on winning.”
Japan’s next challenge in the quarterfinals will be against the United States of America on Saturday.