At 18:20 on July 26, Japan and China faced off in the 3rd round of the 8th Women's East Asian Cup 2022 at the Kashima Football Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
[Japanese team]
In the first two rounds of the East Asian Cup, Japan narrowly beat South Korea 2-1 in the first round with goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Kazuhana Nagano, and then turned around and beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 in the second round with goals from Rei Chiba, Makoto Ueno, Takako Kiyoshi, and Yukika Sugasawa. Japan won both matches and only needs to draw with China in the final round to win the title. If they win the title, it will be the fourth championship in the history of the East Asian Cup for Japan, and will surpass North Korea as the team with the most championships. Previously, both Japan and North Korea won the title three times.
Compared to the 23-man roster for the Asian Cup, Japan has retained 14 members of its 25-man roster for this year's East Asian Cup. Kitagawa Hikari, Inoue Ayaka, Sugita Ami, Chiba Rei Kane, Miura Narumi, Hirao Chika, Ueno Makoto, Nakajima Shuno, Hayashi Kanae, Kiyoshi Kiyoshi, and Takahira Miyu are among the 11 who made the list, while nine of them, including Ikeda Sakikiko, Minami Moe-hwa, Kumagai Sashi, Miyake Shiori, Sumida Rin, Iwabuchi Jinnai, Tanaka Miminami, Endo Jun, and Hasegawa Wee, failed to make the list. According to the official news of the Japan Football Association (JFA), Kaede Hayashi and Mitsuki Kitagawa withdrew from the East Asian Cup due to injuries, and will therefore miss the final round of the tournament against China.
[Team China]
In the first two rounds of the East Asian Cup, China defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the first round thanks to a goal by Zhang Linyan and an oval goal by Su Xinyun, and drew with South Korea 1-1 in the second round thanks to a goal by Wang Linlin. The Chinese team won 1 and drew 1 in two matches, accumulating 4 points. If they win against Japan in the final round, they will win the East Asian Cup for the first time in history. A draw against Japan would result in a runner-up finish, which would tie the team's best record in the East Asian Cup. China has only been runner-up once in the history of the East Asian Cup, and that was in 2010, coincidentally when Japan was also the hosts. A loss to Japan would put the runner-up status in jeopardy, and could even drop them to third place.
Regarding the tactical arrangement, Shui Qingxia said, "The tactics are still under wraps, so you will naturally know by then." Wang Frost, Tang Jiali and Xiao Yuyi are expected to start together in this key matchup. Wang Frost and Tang Jiali did not start in the first two rounds, and Wang Frost played only 25 minutes against South Korea. Shui Qingxia said: "This game is also to let other players get exercise, Wang Frost and Tang Jiali's appearance is still from the needs of the whole team."
[Historical encounter]
Japan and China have met a total of 39 times in international A-level matches, with a record of 16 wins, 7 draws and 16 losses, with China scoring 53 goals and conceding 39.
[Projected debut]
Japan: 18-Momoko Tanaka; 3-Saori Takada, 4-Hana Takahashi, 12-Rukia Norimatsu, 2-Risa Shimizu; 10-Fumika Nagano, 16-Honoka Hayashi; 7-Hinako Miyazawa, 8-Mitsuko Utamoto, 17-Oni Narimiya; 19-Riko Ueki.
China: 1-Zhu Yu; 8-Yao Wei, 2-Wang Linlin, 3-Wang Xiaoxue, 14-Lou Jiahui; 13-Yang Lina, 16-Yao Lingwei; 20-Shao Yuyi, 18-Tang Jiali, 7-Wang Frost; 11-Wang Shanshan
