Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature 36 min Kumagai’s blind back almost beats keeper Yamashita, who starts to move to her left to angle for an alternative pass. In the end he had plenty of time to turn back and save everyone’s blushes. 34 min A powerful long-range strike from Miyazawa goes a few yards over the bar. The ears were covered. 32 mins Corner is half cleared to Toone, whose left-footed shot from 15 yards goes wide of the far post. 31 min: Nice save by Yamashita! Once again, England gain possession in the final third. Mead forces Minami into a mistake, with Toone collecting the ball 25 yards from goal. He pushes it to Mead, whose low first-time shot is half-stopped by the diving Yamashita and dribbles just wide of the far post. This is a very good stance, although its misplaced position made it harder to parry than it should have been. Updated at 19:36 GMT 29 min England win the ball back high up the pitch – both teams pressed superbly – and Rousseau shoots from distance. 26 minutes: Russo hits the post! England should be ahead. Kelly, looking full of confidence, uses the overlapping Charles don’t and then curls a wicked cross to Russo on the six-yard line. He stoops to hit a header that hits the outside of the post and goes behind. For someone as good in the air as Russo, this was a big opportunity. Updated at 19:32 GMT 25 mins Stanway slips Minami well on the edge of the area and a shot is well blocked. 24 min Edo wins another corner for Japan on the left. Hasegawa takes another short but then curls her cross to Sugita, who was unmarked beyond the far post. 22 mins Kelly cuts in from the left and curls in a lovely cross that just eludes Russo in midfield. 19 mins Japan are having a good spell, passing the ball with purpose and pace. Hasegawa beats Kelly to a loose ball on the edge of the area and fires a fine left-footed shot towards the near post. Earps gets down to her left to make a comfortable save. 18 mins Karen Carney, commentating on ITV, points out that the pitch isn’t the best – slow and a bit uneven. I realize this makes it sound like a four-day pitch in Ahmedabad. 17 mins Earps comes in for Hasegawa’s corner, misses and is relieved to see an England player send the ball to safety. 17 min Hasegawa takes a corner, comes back and drives the cross past the far post. Mead gets in front of Minami and turns him back for another corner. 16 mins Hasegawa plays a very dangerous through ball to Charles to Shimizu but Charles recovers well and concedes a corner with a tackle. Updated at 19:19 GMT 13 mins So much for Japan’s dominance of possession: England have had 75 per cent so far. 11 mins Charles finds Kelly in space on the left. Her early cross is only halfway cleared by Kuwagai and Toone flicks a shot wide of the far post. Half a chance. 10 mins Walsh loses the ball to Sugita in a dangerous area. Edo collects and crosses to Iwabuchi, but Morgan gets in front of her to head clear. 8 mins Daly’s imaginative long shot is blocked. then Walsh, as imaginative as ever, tries a needle pass to Mead which is cut down. Mead was offside anyway. 7 mins Bright is robbed by Iwabuchi, who moves down the left and drags a low cross towards Sugita (I think). Bright returns to intercept. 4 mins Mead charges upfield and plays a through ball to Kelly which is well intercepted by Miyake. England started well. Updated at 19.07 GMT 2 mins Russo lays the ball back to Toone, 25 yards out. He takes a touch and fires a fine effort into the top right corner. Yamashita moves quickly across her line to make a comfortable save. Updated at 19.06 GMT 1 minute Peep peep! England, in their stylish, bright crimson (sic) change strip, will start from right to left as we watch. Japan is in blue. There’s a false start when Ella Toone takes the kick and then remembers that players are supposed to take a knee. Let’s try it again. Updated at 19.03 GMT Today is Remembrance Day, so players on both sides gather around the center circle to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the conflict. England and Japan players pay their respects as they observe 2 minutes silence for Remembrance Day. Photo: Naomi Baker/The FA/Getty Images Updated at 19:22 GMT Ten minutes to start. England will be pleased that it is a relatively cool, blustery night in Murcia, because the general expectation is that Japan will have plenty of the ball. Updated at 19.01 GMT Pre-match reading

Team news

Esme Morgan and Niamh Charles will play in defense for England, without Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood. Beth Mead earns her 50th cap and Arsenal team-mate Mana Iwabuchi starts for Japan. England (possible 4-1-4-1) Earps; Daly, Bright, Morgan, Charles; Walsh? Mead, Stanway, Toone, Kelly; Rousseau.Substitutes: James, Robuck, Zelem, Gouben-Moy, Le Tissier, Paris, Park, Salmon, Robinson, McIver, George. Japan (possible 3-4-3) Yamashita, Miyake, Kumagai, Minami, Shimizu, Sugita, Nagano, Endo, Hasegawa, Iwabuchi, Miyazawa. , Ohba, Fujino Referee Zuzana Valentova (Slovakia). Updated at 19:17 GMT

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the international friendly between England and Japan in Murcia. That and the game against Norway on Tuesday are the last of a year that may never get better. Their record in 2022 is beyond spectacular: 18 matches, 15 wins, no defeats, 67 goals and a 60cm trophy. England’s glorious European Championship victory is a thing of the past for Sarina Wiegman, who is looking to add a World Cup to her already formidable CV. England didn’t get the easy pick in their warm-up – they beat world champions USA last month before drawing with the Czech Republic, and now face one of Asia’s best. Japan is ranked 11th in the world and England fourth. With a number of key players missing, it is another opportunity for Wiegman to assess England’s depth. These two have played each other at the last four World Cups, although the draw for next year’s tournament means they can only meet again in the final. England won in the group stages in 2011 and 2019, there was a frantic draw in 2007 – and a memorable semi-final in 2015 when Laura Bassett’s injury-time own goal put Japan through to the final. The stakes are much lower tonight, but there are a lot worse ways to spend a Friday night. Start 7 p.m. GMT, 8 p.m. CET, 4 a.m. JST