The 16-year-old defender was a key part of the Little Nadeshiko’s preparations for Thailand 2019, only to be ruled out of the tournament by an injury sustained just a week before their opening match.

Despite her absence, Hazekawa became a motivational figure for Japan, something that was evident after her teammates beat DPR Korea 2-1, with the Seiwa Gakuen High School student’s number five jersey taking pride of place on the podium as the trophy was awarded.

As the sun sets on another edition of the competition, the-AFC.com reflects of some of the moments which made Thailand 2019 a tournament to remember.

The Little Nadeshiko produced their best performance of the tournament to beat a previously irresistible DPR Korea 2-1 in the final at Chonburi Stadium, becoming the first nation to win the tournament four times and denying their East Asian rivals a third successive title.

Making Japan’s success even impressive was the fact that they achieved it having fallen a goal behind within the opening 10 minutes, with terrific goals from Suzu Amano and Manaka Hayashi overhauling Hong Song-ok’s opener.

Two goals in four first-half minutes from Suzu Amano and Manaka Hayashi helped Japan overturn an early Hong Song-ok penalty and end DPR Korea’s four-match winning run in the tournament.

The win makes Japan the first nation to win the competition four times, as head coach Michihsia Kano’s charges followed on from previous successes at the U-17 level in 2005, and U-16 triumphs in 2011 and 2013.

While Japan claimed the title, both nations will represent Asia at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2020.

Teammate Maika Hamano, meanwhile, won the Top Scorer award to cap a successful tournament for Japan, who lifted the trophy for the first time since 2013.

China PR displayed immense determination to bounce back from a first-minute deficit to beat Australia 2-1 on Saturday to finish third in the Championship for a fourth time.

Despite their respective teams' missing out on a place in the 2020 FIFA U-17 World Cup India, both coaches were extremely satisfied that the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019 gave the players valuable experience.

Second half goals from Shi Xiaomin and Zou Mengyao completed the China comeback after Australia had taken the lead with less than a minute played through Hana Lowry.