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.

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.

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.

Zico, Kazuyoshi Miura, Ruy Ramos and Marcus Tulio Tanaka are names that readily spring to mind when considering the footballing connections between Japan and Brazil, but Kano can be added to the list.

The 43-year-old is the head coach of an U-16 women’s national team which stands 90 minutes of football away from a Continental title, with a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup India 2020 already secured.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s tournament decider against DPR Korea, Kano told the-AFC.com about the impact of his time in Brazil, as well as his approach to guiding the next generation of Japanese stars.

Hamano may have started Wednesday’s semi-final against China PR on the bench, but she ended it with a place in the tournament decider against DPR Korea and the outright lead on the scoring charts after continuing her sparkling form with a fifth goal in four matches.

With successive braces against Bangladesh and Thailand, the 15-year-old forward could have been forgiven for assuming her place in head coach Michihisa Kano’s starting line-up was safe, but she watched the opening 68 minutes of the all-important knockout stage clash from the substitutes' bench.

As Japan, China PR, DPR Korea and Australia prepare for Wednesday’s semi-finals, the-AFC.com looks at six talented youngsters who have shone on the big stage in Chonburi.

Vietnam had their backs against the wall after suffering defeats to DPR Korea and Korea Republic in their earlier Group B matches but that didn’t stop them from bringing the challenge to China. 

In the end, Shao Ziqin’s 82nd minute header for China was all that separated the sides.