Recovering from losing their Group C opener against Spain, Japan won their next two matches to set up a meeting with four-time champions United States on Saturday.
It hasn’t been an easy campaign with injuries affecting selection but improving conditions allowed Ikeda more flexibility, especially in Wednesday’s win that confirmed them as group runners-up.
“Even though we lost the first match, we managed to win against Brazil but the manner in which it was won made it very emotional and that made the next match difficult but we fought well.
“Things haven’t been easy, we had a lot of things happen with a few injuries but I’m happy to see us overcoming that and showcasing the team’s strength.
“Recovery is key for the next few days. At the Olympics, the best eight teams are all strong. When we face them, we will take a good look at what we can do and get in shape.”
Ikeda made five changes to the starting line-up for the match against Nigeria with goal involvement coming from three of those players – Riko Ueki assisting in two and Maika Hamano and Hikaru Kitagawa both getting on the scoresheet.
There was also another positive with Mina Tanaka ending her barren spell in the tournament with her goal in the first half, setting up the Nadeshiko nicely heading into the tantalising match against the United States.
