Japan edges event hosts Australia 1-0 in the Girls’s Asian Cup closing to assert third title in 4 editions.
Printed On 21 Mar 2026
Maika Hamano scored the one aim as a formidable Japan battled previous Australia to clinch a 3rd Girls’s Asian Cup title in entrance of a record-breaking 74,357 followers in Sydney.
The Tottenham star hit a shocking long-range strike within the seventeenth minute at Stadium Australia to interrupt Australian hearts and add to their continental crowns from 2014 and 2018.
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These finals had been additionally in opposition to Australia and ended 1-0.
The edge-of-the-seat decider culminated a landmark event with greater than 350,000 followers by means of the turnstiles, reinforcing the expansion in reputation of the ladies’s recreation.
This was about six instances as many because the earlier event file set in 2010 in China, with the ultimate setting a brand new attendance file for a single recreation in event historical past.
The Asian Cup doubled as qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil subsequent yr, with Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, North Korea and the Philippines all punching their tickets.
The Japanese workforce, stacked with English-based gamers, was invincible of their run to the ultimate, fluid throughout the park, and defending properly, steamrolling everybody in entrance of them.
Whereas Australia proved a a lot harder take a look at, nothing may cease them as they gathered 29 objectives and conceded only one by means of their six event video games to strengthen their standing as Asia’s primary workforce.
Japan named an unchanged lineup from their 4-1 semifinal thumping of South Korea.
Australia made one change to the workforce that beat defending champions China 2-1 within the final 4 with Wini Heatley most well-liked in central defence to Clare Hunt.
The hosts had been composed firstly, trying to dictate the sport, and Caitlin Foord ought to have scored on 11 minutes when Mary Fowler threaded a go by means of contained in the field.
However the unmarked Arsenal striker despatched her shot straight into the arms of Japan keeper Ayaka Yamashita to overlook a golden alternative.
It proved pricey with Japan breaking the impasse six minutes later when Tottenham midfielder Hamano collected the ball exterior the penalty space and unleashed a 25-yard rocket that discovered the highest nook.
Foord had one other probability when she pounced on a sloppy clearance from Yamashita, however failed to seek out the goal from a good angle, then scuffed one other broad simply earlier than the break.
Japan had been at all times a risk, and West Ham’s Riko Ueki went shut twice in as many minutes quickly after the restart.
With the sport on a knife-edge, Australia threw all the things that they had at Japan in a determined try to seek out an equaliser as the group noise reached fever pitch.
Alanna Kennedy virtually pulled off a late equaliser within the 88th minute, however regardless of intense strain, Japan had been rock strong and absorbed the risk to cling on for the win.
