Japan cruised past Korea Republic 4-1 in the second semi-final of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 at Stadium Australia, Sydney on Wednesday, March 18.
It was a relentless attacking display from Japan in the opening 30 minutes, in which they threatened to run away with the game. Yui Hasegawa missed a glorious chance as early as the eighth minute, when the ball fell to her following a rebound but she failed to hit the target.
However, they didn’t have to wait long for the opener as the tournament’s leading scorer, Riko Ueki struck in the 15th minute. Soon after, Japan doubled the lead.
Maika Hamano displayed why she is such a highly regarded prospect, wriggling past two defenders before driving her shot high into the net in what was a brilliant individual goal in the 25th minute.
Aoba Fujino thought she scored the third, only for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to intervene and chalk the goal out due to a handball in the buildup.
There was some momentary respite for the Koreans at the start of the second half as the tempo of the game finally slowed a bit, although Ueki did clip the top of the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Nils Nielsen rang the changes in the 68th minute as both goalscorers Ueki and Hamano were replaced by Manaka Matsukubo and Momoko Tanikawa. Seven minutes later, Japan finally put the game beyond Korea Republic’s reach.
Kim Min-jung came to collect Tanikawa’s well-directed corner only to miss the ball and see the veteran Saki Kumagai head home her fourth international goal.
Korea Republic, though, refused to give up and, in the 78th minute, found a lifeline through Kang Chae-rim’s strike, but any lingering hopes they had were soon extinguished.
Super sub Remina Chiba’s well-taken left-footed strike across the face of goal made it 4-1, sealing Japan’s passage to Saturday’s final.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Japan’s defence is breachable: Up until the 77th minute of Japan’s clash with Korea Republic, the Nadeshiko had remarkably scored 27 goals without reply in this edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Midfielder Kang Chae-rim, who had come on as a halftime substitute, produced a brilliant half-turn followed by a low finish into the bottom corner beyond Ayaka Yamashita as Japan finally conceded their first goal. Sadly, it wasn’t enough as Korea Republic’s wait to lift their maiden continental title is set to continue.
Will it be third time lucky for the Matildas?: For the third time in four AFC Women’s Asian Cup editions, it will be Japan against Australia in the title decider. It will be a repeat of the 2014 and 2018 finals with the Nadeshiko emerging victorious on both occasions — 1-0 wins in Vietnam and Jordan respectively, for their only two AFC Women’s Asian Cup titles.
On the other hand, there has been talk of the Matildas not yet being at their absolute best, but they will certainly have to showcase their A-game if they want to get past Japan. The players know that it is very rare in a footballer’s career to get two opportunities to win major tournaments on home soil, and after losing in the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Australia will leave no stone unturned in their bid for a fairytale ending to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
WHAT THEY SAID
Nils Nielsen – Japan coach: “We deserved the win as we were the better team today. I have great respect for Korea Republic but we overpowered them in this match.”
On the final against hosts Australia: “I have great admiration for Alana Kennedy, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter. Manchester City’s Mary Fowler is my favourite Australian player. I also have great respect for Joe (Montemurro), and it will be nice to face his team in front of a great crowd.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
The iconic Stadium Australia in Sydney will host the final of the 21st edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. It will be Japan vs Australia — a fitting finale to what has been a record-breaking tournament.
Japan vs Australia
Saturday, March 21 at 8:00pm
Stadium Australia, Sydney
