2023 Women's World Cup: Day 7 - Pounce

On day 7 of the Women's World Cup, Japan qualified for the next round after beating Coasta Rica 2-0. The first goal was scored by Naomoto, who 'pounced' on a mistake by Coto. The Guardian match report describes her 'pouncing on a slip', which means taking advantage of a mistake. The verb ‘to pounce’ describes the action of a cat attacking its prey – like a tiger jumping on a deer. In football, if a striker pounces on the ball, he or she reacts quickly to a loose ball.

"Left winger Hikaru Naomoto struck first in the 25th minute, pouncing on a slip from Maria Paula Coto and storming into the area before stroking the ball into the net past the dive of goalkeeper Daniela Solera."