The ‘young’ Japanese women’s soccer team defeated the ‘veteran’ Chinese women’s team. Japan has reached the Asian Games final and will face North Korea for gold.

Japan defeated China 4-3 in the women’s soccer semifinal at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday at the Linping Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China. Japan scored four goals in the first half to take a commanding lead. China came back with two goals in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.

In the other semifinal, North Korea defeated Uzbekistan 8-0 to advance to the final. The women’s soccer final will be played on June 6 at 9 p.m. ET.

China leads Japan 4-1 at halftime after a fantastic first half

China had beaten Mongolia (16-0), Uzbekistan (6-0), and Thailand (4-0) to reach the semifinals before meeting Japan. They scored a whopping 26 goals and kept no clean sheets in their last three games. Japan was also formidable. They had beaten Nepal 8-0, Vietnam 7-0, and the Philippines 8-1 in their previous three games before meeting China.

China lined up in a 5-4-1 formation against Japan. China took control of the game early on. They dominated possession and dug deep down the left flank. Japan, playing in a 3-5-2 formation, defended their own half of the field and blocked the Chinese attack first. After breaking up their passes, they launched a quick counterattack.

Japan scored the first goal (1-0) in the 12th minute. Japan broke down the right flank. Yamamoto made a brilliant individual run down the flank and slid a pass to Nagashima. Yamamoto created the perfect chance, and Nagashima finished it well.

China equalized (1-1) in the 20th minute. They used their height advantage on a corner kick. After Yang Lina’s shot hit the post, Wang Linlin rattled the Japanese net with a header.

With the momentum back in their favor, China continued to attack. They held their entire line high, adding more weight to their attacks. Japan blocked the Chinese attack and then counterattacked to find space in the back of the defense.

Japan got the breakthrough goal in the 31st minute. Tanikawa scored her second goal (2-1) with a right-footed shot on a counterattack. On a counterattack, he broke down the left flank and found the right corner of the goal with a precise shot.

Japan’s counterattack was very precise and sharp, and they scored their third goal on the counterattack just four minutes after the second goal. It was a fantastic goal that was the result of some great link-up play. Yamamoto slipped a pass into an empty space and Chiba ran onto it, finishing with a non-stop right foot. Japan made it 3-1 and took a two-goal lead. There were signs of panic from the Chinese players and bench.

With momentum on their side, Japan scored their fourth goal in the 43rd minute. A header from a corner kick was deflected back to Koga, who stumbled and slotted it home with his right foot. It was an incredible display of concentration by the Japanese players. Three minutes of first-half stoppage time were awarded. China pushed for an equalizer, but it didn’t come. Japan’s defensive balance remained unbroken. Japan went into halftime with a 4-1 lead. It was a first half where Japan’s counterattack worked well. China’s offense was lackluster, while Japan’s counterattacks were razor sharp. Goal scoring was excellent.

▶China’s second-half header from a corner makes it two goals to none

Japan took off Chiba and Shiokoshi at the start of the second half and brought on Osawa and Ueno as jokers. China did not make any immediate substitutions. China went on the offensive. They were desperate to overcome the three-goal deficit.

In the 10th minute of the second half, Zhang Rinyan scored her second goal with a header from a corner kick. It was 2-4. China scored their third goal on another corner in the 15th minute of the second half. Yang Lina’s header was exquisitely placed into the Japanese goal. It brought the score to 3-4. China staged an amazing comeback, using their height to score back-to-back goals.

China tightened the reins of their offense midway through the second half when they brought on Senmengyu Guyasha Liu Jiahui, and they also 카지노 brought up their entire lineup to be more aggressive. Japan played a body-throwing defense to protect their one-goal lead.

Japan defended their one-goal lead. Japan won 4-3. China gave it everything they had, but it wasn’t enough.

Japan will face North Korea for the gold medal three days later. North Korea had defeated Uzbekistan in the previous semifinal.