Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ho Chi Minh City: Japan won their first ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup title after a goal from Azusa Iwashimizu gave them a historic 1-0 win over defending champions Australia in the tournament’s final on Sunday evening at Thong Nhat Stadium.
Having come close on numerous occasions with four runners-ups and three third-place finishes, Japan finally ended the 37 years of drought since they first entered the competition in 1977.
And, in doing so, Japan also became the first side to simultaneously hold both the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which they famously won in 2011, and Asia’s premier women’s continental championship.
Having scored a last-gasp winner in the final seconds of extra-time in the Nadeshiko’s 2-1 win against China in the semi-final, Iwashimizu got her second vital goal in consecutive games to give Japan the lead on the 27th minute from a well-worked set piece.
An enthralling climax to the competition saw numerous chances at both ends as Samantha Kerr and Lisa De Vanna went close for Australia, who also had a goal from Kerr ruled out, while Japan’s second-half substitute Yuika Sugasawa hit the woodwork at the other end.
But despite the open and engaging nature of the contest, there were no further goals and Japan coach Norio Sasaki saw his side end Japan’s jinx to lift the title and cement their status as Asia’s number one side.
Despite having played over 120 minutes of football in their marathon semi-final against China, Sasaki named an unchanged starting line-up while the defending champions replaced forward Caitlin Foord with the experienced Kerr, a member of the starting 11 against DPR Korea in the final of Australia’s victorious 2010 campaign.
And the Matildas almost opened the scoring in the very first minute as Yuri Kawamura sliced her attempted clearance and Kerr pounced, only to lift her shot over Miho Fukumoto.
Australia were then presented with another golden opportunity just eight minutes later as Homare Sawa’s uncharacteristically loose pass back to Fukumoto was picked up by Kerr but she could only drive her shot into the side-netting.
After the initial flurry, Japan began to play their way back into the game and Megumi Takase went close to opening the scoring in spectacular fashion as her overhead kick from Aya Miyama’s free-kick required an alert save from Lydia Williams.
And Japan made the pressure pay by taking a crucial lead on 27 minutes as a well-worked short-corner routine saw Miyama play the ball to Rumi Utsugi and the midfielder whipped in a cross to the back-post that Iwashimizu headed past Williams via the underside of the crossbar.
Although the momentum in the match was now in favour of Japan as their metronomic passing game began to click into gear, Australia were still a threat on the break and shortly before the interval Kerr found plenty of space on the left-hand side to work her way into the penalty area but her dangerous low cross evaded her team-mates and defenders alike.
The second-half continued to prove a tight affair, although Michelle Heyman was inches away from turning in a cross at close-range after 10 minutes of play in the second period.
And two minutes before the hour-mark Heyman was again ruing the small margins that separate joy from despair as she came a whisker away from turning in Emily Van Egmond’s pass into the penalty area.
Australia coach Alen Stajcic then threw on forward Caitlin Foord, a scorer against Japan in their group stage meeting, but it was Japan who next went close as substitute Sugasawa rattled the crossbar with a venomous strike from close-range on 65 minutes.
The match began to open up in enthralling fashion as first Kerr had the ball in the net only to see her goal ruled out for off-side and then De Vanna beat Fukumoto but saw her angled shot cleared off the line.
Australia continued to push hard for an equaliser and De Vanna’s hanging cross was palmed away from within a swarm of players by Fukumoto, but it only went as far as Teigan Allen who saw two attempts on goal charged down in quick succession by some desperate last-ditch defending from Japan.
But Sasaki’s side were able to weather the final ebbs of the Australian storm and see out the final minutes of the game to record a monumental victory that gave them the title they had sought for so many years.