Utsugi Rumi buried the winning goal in the final moments of the second 15-minute extra time to help Japan edge out China 2-1 in the semi-final match at the AFC Women's Asian Cup on May 22 at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.
Hawa Homare broke the deadlock with an angled header six minutes after the break but Li Dongna levelled the score just ten minutes from the full-time whistle with a penalty and forced two teams into a 30-minute extra time.
Iwashimizu Azusa nodded home the winning goal from the final corner of the extra time to see Japan advance to their fifth final, where they will face defending champions Australia, who overcame the Republic of Korea 2-1 after 90 minutes. Australia and Japan drew 2-2 in the group stage.
"As I imagined, it was a tough game. We wanted to win in 90 minutes but it went down to 120 minutes. Our players did a very good job today," Japan's coach, Sasaki Norio, said in the post-match press conference.
China's coach, Hao Wei, said he took responsibility for the defeat but praised his players for a good performance.
"It was a tough match today. As a coach, I take complete responsibility for the defeat. We had a little problem with defence with corner kicks but overall our players performed very well today," said Wei.-VNA
Hawa Homare broke the deadlock with an angled header six minutes after the break but Li Dongna levelled the score just ten minutes from the full-time whistle with a penalty and forced two teams into a 30-minute extra time.
Iwashimizu Azusa nodded home the winning goal from the final corner of the extra time to see Japan advance to their fifth final, where they will face defending champions Australia, who overcame the Republic of Korea 2-1 after 90 minutes. Australia and Japan drew 2-2 in the group stage.
"As I imagined, it was a tough game. We wanted to win in 90 minutes but it went down to 120 minutes. Our players did a very good job today," Japan's coach, Sasaki Norio, said in the post-match press conference.
China's coach, Hao Wei, said he took responsibility for the defeat but praised his players for a good performance.
"It was a tough match today. As a coach, I take complete responsibility for the defeat. We had a little problem with defence with corner kicks but overall our players performed very well today," said Wei.-VNA
