Japan beat Uzbekistan to reach semi-finals

In a lively contest at the Huamark Indoor Stadium, both sides began brightly as they were evenly matched  in terms of possession and attempts on goal.

Uzbekistan welcomed back Laylo Tilovova as their custodian after she missed the group stage match against Islamic Republic of Iran, and she quickly proved her worth by pulling off several superb saves against Anna Amishiro and Ryo Egawa in the opening minutes.

Nilufar Kudratova came closest to opening the scoring for the Central Asians in the 14th minute when she received a pass to set up a one-on-one against Japanese goalkeeper Ayaka Yamamoto just outside the box, who reacted swiftly to block the shot with her torso.

Japan’s persistence paid off from a set-piece a minute later, when Mio Fujita’s kick-in found Amishiro unmarked, who dribbled past the Uzbek defence before hitting home with a right foot shot to break the deadlock.