Defending champions Japan advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after beating Vietnam 3-0 in a Group C tie at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Monday.
The win took Japan to six points from two matches and together with Republic of Korea – who beat Myanmar 2-0 on Monday – are assured of a top two finish.
The two East Asian rivals will meet on Thursday to decide on the top spot, while Vietnam will aim to beat Myanmar to stand a chance of claiming the two-best third place in the knockout stages.
Japan defended the AFC Women’s Asian Cup titles they won in 2014 and 2018 and started on their own with a confident 5–0 win over Myanmar on match day, with head coach Futoshi Ikeda only captains Saki Kumagai, Risa Shimizu and Mina. Tanaka held on. Make a line
Japan took control from the start and found an opening in the fourth minute when Yui Narumiya received Rucka Norimatsu’s cross in the area, but failed to get her volley on target.
However, Nadeshiko’s persistence bore fruit in the 38th minute when Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Khim foiled Hana Takahashi’s attempt, with Narumiya converting from a close.
Japan doubled their lead in the second half in five minutes as Kumagai was the fastest to react after Tanaka’s header saw the ball deflect from the woodwork.
Nadeshiko found her third eight minutes later with Kumagai in the center of the action, as the captain redirected a corner kick to the center of the box to slot at home for an unmarked Narumiya.
Vietnam began to show signs of life in the final 20 minutes of the match, with Pham Hai Yen trying his luck from away in the 75th minute, but goalkeeper Momoko Tanaka easily tackled the attempt as Japan reached the knockout stage. .
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