After suffering defeat in its first game of 2024 Olympic competition against European superpowers Spain, Japan was in desperate need of a positive result. Things didn't get much easier for Nadeshiko in its second contest of the tournament, a duel against Marta and Brazil.
With the Japanese down 1-0 in stoppage time, a second defeat seemed likely. That's when Nadeshiko struck, finding an equalizer courtesy of captain Saki Kumagai from the penalty spot.
The game appeared destined to end in a draw, a fair but underwhelming result given the firepower present on both teams.
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Someone forgot to tell Japanese youngster Momoko Tanikawa, however. The Bayern Munich product let loose on a venomous strike from distance to shatter Brazilian hearts and move Japan one step closer to the knockout stages.
All in a day's work for the 19-year-old prodigy.
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Momoko Tanikawa goal
After a stray pass off of a Brazilian foot left Tanikawa with the whole of the field at her disposal as the clock ticked toward the 96th minute on Sunday, she had ample options around her, with wingers flanking her and a pair of attackers occupying defenders in front of her.
Tanikawa trusted her technique, however. As she approached the ball, she began to whip her leg, becoming more trebuchet than footballer. She was immediately vindicated for her decision. Tanikawa's effort erupted off of her foot, swirling back-and-forth through the evening sky. It soon settled into the top corner, prompting a corridor of noise to erupt across the Parc des Princes concourses. Goalkeeper Lorena didn't even bother to attempt a dive.
The score — Tanikawa's first as a member of the senior national team — was wondrous. Tanikawa's celebration was even better; she was swept away in a chorus of cheers, her teammates piling onto her as she strutted toward the sideline.
Tanikawa isn't the first Japanese standout to bag a late goal in international competition. We're only 13 years removed from Homare Sawa's late equalizer in Nadeshiko's first Women's World Cup triumph back in 2011.
Few goals have the aesthetic appeal that Tanikawa's does, however. Couple that with the circumstances by which it occurred, and you likely have one of the greatest strikes in Olympic history on your hands.
Who is Momoko Tanikawa?
Tanikawa is a 19-year-old midfielder who has spent the 2024 season at Swedish side FC Rosengard, on loan from German titans Bayern Munich.
Tanikawa is widely considered one of Japan's brightest prospects, finishing as the joint top scorer at the 2022 U-17 World Cup. She's the second-youngest player on Japan's Olympic team, only bested by 18-year-old defender Toko Koga.
After a glimmering spell with JFA Academy, the Japan Football Association’s youth program, Tanikawa agreed to join Bayern in January. She was immediately loaned out to Rosengard, where she has proceeded to net 10 goals in nine games in Damallsvenskan, Sweden's top-flight domestic league.
"She’s one of the best young players in women’s football, and it’ll be our job to accompany her on her journey and to help her develop," Bayern Munich manager Alexander Straus said upon her signing, per the team's official website . "She’ll take her first steps in European football over the coming months in Scandinavia, and then we’re excited for when she strengthens our team in the summer.”
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