Published 29.03.2015 18:00 GMT+2 | Author Lucas Aykroyd

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield quipped: “I don’t get no respect.” That won’t be said of Japan’s women’s team, which beat Germany 2-0 for its second straight win.

Sunday’s result is a stunning development. With five points, the newly promoted Japanese now top Group B. Japan will make the quarter-finals if Sweden loses to Germany, or if the Japanese get at least one point out of their last round-robin game against Switzerland.



Germany, pointless through two games, will play in a best-of-three relegation series



Yurie Adachi tallied the winner 5:27 into the first period, and Haruna Yoneyama added an empty-netter with 1:25 left for some insurance.



Japanese goaltender Nana Fujimoto posted her first shutout as shots favoured the Germans 25-16.



It was Japan’s first win ever over the Germans. They’d lost all four of their previous encounters with Germany at the IIHF World Women’s Championship, dating back to 1990.



The Germans beat Japan twice at the Olympics last year, 4-0 in round-robin play and 3-2 in the seventh-place game.



At this tournament, Japan has doubled its all-time win totals. It only had two previous wins in IIHF World Women’s Championship history, against China in 2008 and 2009.

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