Japan have cemented their place as the tournament favourites with a thumping 7-0 win over the Philippines to set up a clash with East Asian rivals Korea Republic on Wednesday night.
The Philippines came prepared for a side with the highest goal tally at the tournament, putting up a brick wall from the first minute of the game, but it did little to limit Japan’s complete dominance of the game, equalling their 7-0 quarter-final success from 2022 when they beat fellow Southeast Asian nation, Thailand.
Left with no other choice, the side ranked No.1 in Asia regularly used the width and their long range capabilities to break the Filipinas’ line, who had around eight players always residing in and around the box. Ipswich Town’s Nina Meollo was under constant threat, but kept up her guard for a good portion of the first half.
Frustratingly, it was right before the start of first half stoppage time when Japan finally broke the deadlock, albeit not in an entirely elegant manner.
Following a ridiculous frenzy from the corner, Mina Tanaka’s header barely scraped past the line, despite the Filipinas defenders practically throwing their whole XI to stop the ball, sadly to no avail. That header would spark the fire back in Japan, as just two minutes later, Toko Koga scored from another header to double the lead before the first half whistle.
Whatever hope the Philippines had was completely diminished in the second half. Manchester City midfielder Aoba Fujino produced two incredible assists in two minutes for Remina Chiba and Manaka Matsukubo to make it four for Japan. Chiba’s strike was a low driven flying volley, following a stunning cross from far out left by Fujino for what has to be the assist of the tournament so far.
The barrage didn’t stop there, with Koga adding her second and Japan’s fifth with yet another header. The width continued to be used by Japan, as Momoka Tanikawa joined the scoresheet in the 86th minute with another low driven shot.
In the dying minutes, Risa Shimizu scored Japan’s fourth header of the match, bringing the final scoreline to 7-0, booking their spot for the semi-final and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Japan’s relentless attack must still be weary: Prior to this quarter final tie, Japan had produced 92 shots at this Women’s Asian Cup alone, and added 44 more against the Philippines. With those number of shots, it’s no surprise they’re the highest scoring team at the tournament with 26 goals, while also not conceding a single goal at the other end, being the only team to keep a perfect run of clean sheets thus far.
This is where Japan may need to be cautious, as now heading into the final four, they’re playing Korea Republic on March 18, the team with the second highest goal tally with 15. For the first time in this edition, their defence as well as their tenacious attack will face a real challenge, and they’ll need to prove that this dominating mentality isn’t just for show.
WHAT THEY SAID
Nils Nielsen – Japan coach: “They didn’t really challenge our defenders and we were in complete control.
“So 24 goals, I wasn’t even aware of that, but I knew we had scored a lot, and that’s nice. It’s always nice to score a lot of goals and for the players to show what they can do, but it’s not going to help us against Korea. I knew we scored a lot, but for the semi-final, (earlier goals) can’t help us.
“We will be ready to play South Korea. We have good relations with them, so it’s an interesting, fun match for the players.”
Mark Torcaso – Philippines coach: “Obviously it’s tough to take but you’re playing probably the best team in Asia … probably one of the top five teams in the world.
“Our girls showed a lot of determination in that first half. We had a lot of younger players out there in the first half, and they got some really good exposure and experience, so I’m really proud of that.
“But we’ve got another game to worry about to get to a World Cup, to play Uzbekistan, so we’ll just turn the page over and we’ll focus on the next one now.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
Despite having one day less rest, the easy nature of Japan’s win will mean that shouldn’t count for much when they face foes Korea Republic in Sydney on Wednesday evening.
The Philippines, meanwhile, travel to the Gold Coast to face Uzbekistan in a playoff to decide which nation will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
