Japan Advances to U-17 Women’s Asian Cup Final
AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup
16 May 2024, 5.08 PM
Japan successfully beat South Korea with a landslide score of 3-0 in the semifinals of the U-17 Women’s Asian Cup, Thursday (16/5) at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali.
Japan’s Amiru Tsuji made his first attempts on goal in the first, third and fourth minutes, but all his attempts from outside the penalty area were easily saved by goalkeeper Woo Sumin.
South Korea’s Casey Phair led his team’s attack on the opposite flank, finding space to penetrate on the right but falling short at the end.
Japan’s continuous pressure paid off in the 40th minute when Rizika Nezu’s curling shot from inside the penalty box went into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Goalkeeper Fukuda Mao was forced to make a diving save from South Korea’s Won Ju-eun in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but the score remained in Japan’s favor until halftime.
Japan continued to pile on the pressure, with goalkeeper Sumin making two consecutive saves from Furata Asoka’s long-range effort and one inside the box from captain Shinjo Miharu in the 59th minute.
Phair almost equalized in the 65th minute when he came face to face with goalkeeper Mao outside the box, but his first shot at goal was blocked by a defender and the second shot by Mao who was in behind.
Japan got their second goal in the 68th minute when Shinjo controlled the ball in the box and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.
They put the game to bed in the 88th minute when Shinjo scored his second goal from close range.
The coach of the Japanese women’s U-17 team, Sadayoshi Shirai, said that his players were increasingly confident, and thought that one of the South Korean players made it a little difficult for his team’s game to develop quickly. “Our four unbeaten matches have made the players more confident, especially since this is a difficult match,” he said. “South Korea is a fast and aggressive team, especially the number 19 (Casey Phair), who is fast and powerful and makes our game much more difficult.”
Although he was pleased with the results, Shirai said improvements were still needed in several areas.
“I still want them to do more and improve, especially in attack and the way they move the ball forward. “They also have to combine better before entering the attack line and midfield,” he said.
On the other hand, the head coach of the South Korean team Kim Eun-jung admitted that his team lost to a better team.
“We stressed to the players how we would react to the opponent, but our defense faced some difficulties and there were some mistakes that led to Japan’s second goal. “But we will accept this defeat, and will prepare ourselves as best as possible for the next match,” he explained.
The winners of the 2009 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship will qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup if they win the third-place play-off on Sunday.
Japan’s performance in the final also qualified them for the 2024 U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic as one of the top three teams in the tournament.
The four-time AFC U-16 Women’s Championship winner will meet the winner of the semi-final between North Korea and China. The final will take place on Sunday (19/5) at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali.
