Zou Mengyao opened the scoring with just under 30 minutes remaining, before a Shao Ziqin penalty kick sealed a winning start for Chan Yuen Ting’s side.

Korea Republic, the 2017 runners-up, remain in contention for the latter stages of the competition, but their defeat leaves little room for error in their remaining group stage matches against Vietnam and DPR Korea.

DPR Korea are seeking a fourth Continental title and based on their form against Vietnam, the East Asians will be a tough team to beat in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019.

The Live Monitor is being used for the first time in AFC competitions and the Group A teams - Australia, Bangladesh, Japan and hosts Thailand - experienced its benefits first hand in Chonburi, Thailand on Sunday.

Both sides had their chances to win the tie, but neither managed to hold their nerve in front of goal in a hard-fought tournament opener at IPE Chonburi Stadium.

Goalkeeper Miranda Templeman starred for Australia, who became the first side to avoid defeat against Japan in the opening game of the competition since DPR Korea in 2007.

With Japan and Australia having played to a goalless draw in the tournament opener earlier on Sunday, the win took Thailand to the top of the Group A standings at the end of Matchday One in Group A.

While World Cups, club titles and major individual awards would follow, many of Asia’s women’s football icons began their careers on the same stage which greets a new generation of players in Chonburi in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship Thailand 2019.

As the Continent waits to see which promising youngsters will emerge in Thailand, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship's graduates.

With the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup returning to Asia in India next year, the stakes for this 2019 edition have been raised even higher as nations contest for the top two spots to join the world’s top 16 teams in the subcontinent in September 2020.