In a repeat of their last two finals, Japan beat Australia 1-0 to win their third Women’s Asian Cup title in front of a record crowd in Sydney on Saturday night.
A stunning first-half goal from winger Maika Hamano was enough for Asia’s only Women’s World Cup champions, largely seen as favorites reaching their seventh tournament final, to secure their first major trophy since 2018.
But having come through the Asian Cup untested, the Matildas presented a much tougher challenge from the opening whistle, inspired by a rousing national anthem and the roar of 74,397 fans behind them.
In fact, the Matildas found themselves in Japan’s penalty area just a minute after Mary Fowler, playing a fluid midfield role, launched a pass across Japan’s midfield to find Caitlin Foord. With his back pressed against the torso of Japanese veteran Saki Kumagai, Foord let in a rushing Sam Kerr, who forced a surprise save from goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita.
Foord and Kerr were Australia’s most dangerous players all night, floating high and using their speed to overtake Japan’s centre-backs before attempting to cross each other.
The tireless Foord almost put the Matildas ahead in the 10th minute after Fowler stripped the ball from Kumagai and sent a deep cross into the penalty area, but the Arsenal winger seemed surprised by the opportunity and fired her shot past Yamashita.
Foord would rue the missed golden opportunity five minutes later when Japan, having absorbed most of Australia’s pressure in the early stages, found the only goal of the match.
With a trio of blue shirts turning the screw near the top corner of the Matildas penalty area, Hamano appeared behind Alanna Kennedy to receive a pass from midfield before turning a dime and turning the ball into Mackenzie Arnold’s far bottom corner.
It was a rare weakness in Australia’s otherwise stable defensive line in the first half. With just one change from the team that defeated China 2-1 to reach the final, Joe Montemurro opted for the speedy Winonah Heatley instead of Clare Hunt, and the Roma centre-back produced a series of crucial blocks, headers and clearances alongside Steph Catley.
The Matildas’ best chance came just after the half-hour mark, after some strong solo pressure from Foord left her standing right in front of Yamashita as the goalkeeper dodged a pass from behind. And yet, standing alone near the corner of the six-yard box, Foord’s panicked shot deflected wildly off target and rebounded for a shot.
The two historic Asian Cup rivals exchanged chances as the first half progressed, with Hinata Miyazawa’s cross-field pass into the box being intercepted by a Kyra Cooney-Cross header, before another sprint and cross from Kerr found Foord near the penalty spot, only for the attacker to pirouette and fire wide of the post after a slip by Toko Koga.
Both teams were relatively even going into the break, with Australia’s speed and physicality forcing errors and hesitation from a generally hyper-controlled Japanese team. The Matildas came out strongly in the second half, with Fowler evading two defenders before unleashing a delightful cross into the box, but neither Foord nor Kerr were able to connect before Japan broke clear.
Japan almost went up the other end to double their tally after a deep cross from standout Hikaru Kitagawa found Riko Ueki, but the forward headed wide of the post. Minutes later, the golden boot leader had another one-on-one opportunity, running onto a through ball from captain Yui Hasegawa, but her shot was cleanly deflected by Arnold.
Wanting to keep the forward line high, Montemurro opted to bring on Hayley Raso just after the hour in place of the battle-worn Katrina Gorry, with the inspired Fowler floating back into midfield. The Matildas continued to find channels down the left flank through Caitlin Foord, but her multiple crosses and square balls were well defended by a determined Japan.
Australia increased the pressure in the final 10 minutes, maintaining possession in and around Japan’s penalty area, but poor touches and misplaced passes meant they were never able to break through for their opponents. Double substitutions from both teams allowed Japan to strengthen their defence, while Montemurro opted to replenish their midfield with Emily van Egmond and Clare Wheeler replacing Fowler and Cooney-Cross.
Van Egmond had a stunning chance to equalize in the final five minutes after Carpenter’s run into the box saw the ball reach the veteran, but both shots were blocked by desperate, charging Japanese defenders.
A Carpenter cross in the 88th minute landed squarely on the head of Kennedy, thrown forward during the final gasping moments, but his header was saved by Yamashita, before a final Matildas corner in injury time, in which even Arnold raced from his box to attack, was bravely cleared by an outstanding Japanese defence.
