BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 12 -- Japan captain Rinka Yokoyama has praised the selflessness of her teammates as they bid for gold in the Youth Olympics girls futsal tournament.

The Asian team defeated the Dominican Republic 6-2 on Thursday and can finish top of Group D if they overcome Portugal in their last group match on Saturday.

Such a result would almost certainly spare Japan the prospect of a semifinal clash against Spain, who look certain to claim top spot in Group C.

"My team's strength is ball recovery and teamwork," Yokoyama said. "We value what we can do together much more than what we do on an individual level.

"We know that the game against Portugal is going to be difficult, so we are going to prepare for it mentally. We are very happy with what we have achieved so far."

Japan earned a Youth Olympics berth with a silver medal at the senior Asian women's futsal championship. The country also clinched third place in futsal at the Asian U-16 championships last year.

【体坛英语资讯：Japan aiming to topple European rivals in Youth Olympics futsal】相关文章：

★ 体坛英语资讯：Ferrari denies crisis after Aussie flop

★ 体坛英语资讯：Alonso crashes out of Japanese GP

★ 体坛英语资讯：Female Yao a head above the rest

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Miley Cyrus tops highest-earning-teens list

★ 体坛英语资讯：New faces fill in for absent stars in qualifier

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Depp persuaded to become star by pal Cage

★ 体坛英语资讯：Barcelonas title hopes take a hit with injuries

★ 体坛英语资讯：Boston 110, LA Lakers 91

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Craig trains for next Bond film

★ 体坛英语资讯：Zheng Jie knocks out top-seeded Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon