Aya Miyama’s penalty lifts Japan past Switzerland, 1-0
Switzerland’s Lara Dickenmann, center, takes a shot as Switzerland’s Ramona Bachmann, right, and Japan’s Homare Sawa, left, chases during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 on Monday.
Aya Miyama scored on a penalty kick in the 29th minute as defending Women’s World Cup champion Japan opened with a 1-0 win over newcomer Switzerland in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night.
Miyama’s penalty, on a low shot to the left side of the goal, came after Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann was given a yellow card following a collision with Japan’s Kozue Ando inside the box. Yuki Ogimi set up the run by Ando with a chip over the Switzerland defense.
Ramona Bachmann, who had several quality runs on goal in the second half for Switzerland, had an open shot in the box in the final minute of stoppage time — pushing the ball just over the goal.
Japan plays Cameroon on Friday, while Switzerland faces Ecuador.
