Japan remain on top of Asian football. In the final in Sydney, in front of over 74,000 spectators, the Nadeshiko beat Australia 1-0, winning their third Asian Cup title in the last four editions, following those in 2014 and 2018. The match was decided by a marvellous long-range goal from Maika Hamano, who is owned by Chelsea but on loan to Tottenham until the end of the season. Six matches, six wins, 29 goals scored and just one conceded: Japan’s dominance was clear from the first match to the last. Kumagai and her teammates remain among the favourites for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
“We had our chances and they had a couple of theirs too; it was a hard-fought match,” said Australia’s manager, Joe Montemurro. “We were up against the sixth-ranked team in the world. Congratulations to the girls on their performance. It just wasn’t our night.”