ALAJUELA: Japan striker Maika Hamano struck twice on penalties as the defending champions continued their dream run in the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup by defeating Ghana 2-0 on Sunday.

The one-sided contest remained majorly dominated by Japan as the defending champions and enjoyed possession of the ball for a staggering 69 percent of the time.

Despite Japan’s dominant show, Ghana’s defence did well to bar the former side from guiding the ball into the nets.

Japan came out with a more vigorous attack in the second half and tested Ghana’s defence a few times before earning a penalty in the 62nd minute as Hamano scored from the spot to make it 1-0 for Japan.

Hamano then guided the ball into the nets in the 72nd minute to take the game away from Ghana’s reach.

The score remained at 2-0 in favour of Japan throughout the second half and extra time despite the two teams continuing to engage in a heated battle till the final whistle.

Following this victory, Japan strengthened their hold on the top spot in Group D with six points, while Ghana lagged to the bottom with no points.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and will be simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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