England 2 Japan 0: England reach Cup quarter-finals

Japan had impressed in their opening two matches but were outclassed by England, who scored a second through substitute Rachel Yankey midway through the second half to secure the points.

Captain Faye White and midfielder Fara Williams were both rested by England manager Hope Powell, whose side started well. White had a good chance to open the scoring inside 10 minutes but her close-range effort was blocked.

England went ahead after 15 minutes when Karen Carney picked out White with an inch-perfect through-ball and the Arsenal striker made no mistake in lobbing Ayumi Kaihori in the Japan goal from just outside the box.

England nearly doubled their lead when Jess Clarke’s cross was met acrobatically by White but this time Kaihori tipped her effort over the bar.

The Japanese began to impose themselves on the game after the interval but still failed to create any clear-cut openings although Yuki Nagasato got on the end of a long free-kick only to prod wide from six yards.

England then punished their opponents’ inability to score in the 66th minute when half-time substitute Yankey, the most experienced international player in the current squad, was played in by Rachel Unitt and doubled the lead with a smart finish from a narrow angle.