With the spots in the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Olympic Qualifying tournament secured by virtue of reaching the knockout stage, the remaining eight teams set about reaching their goal of winning the Women’s Asian Cup (WAC), winning regional bragging rights, and securing their place in the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Who advanced and who is going to the play in games?
Quarter Final Matchups
(Note: Matches are listed in order of occurrence, not the number designator assigned by AFC)
Quarterfinal 4 - Australia 2 - North Korea 1
The hosts faced Group B runners-up and FIFA’s 9th ranked team in Perth to start off the quarterfinal round. The Matildas wasted very little time, taking the lead in the 9th minute behind the work of Sam Kerr and Alanna Kennedy. Kerr, the Australian captain, stole the ball from North Korea’s An Kuk Hyang along the sideline in the Eastern Azaleas defensive half and drove toward the goal. Her cross into the box was deflected to Kennedy, who put a left-footed shot past North Korean goalkeeper Yu Son-Gum from the top of the box. Over the course of the first half, North Korea created opportunities to tie the match, with the best coming in extra time when a Hong Song-Ok shot beat Matilda’s goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold but deflected off the post.
Shortly after the start of the second half, Sam Kerr picked off a North Korean back pass and then went streaking into the box before unleashing a laser that gave Yu no chance for a save Nearly twenty minutes later North Korea cut the Australian lead in half when a sliding Chae Un-Yong put a Hong Song-Ok pass past Arnold from inside the 6 yard box. The Eastern Azaleas dominated possession, out attempted the Matildas 25 to 4, with 10 shots being on frame to just two for Australia. Ultimately, this dominance was not enough and the match finished 2 to 1 in favor of the hosts. With the win, Australia is into the semifinals and the 2027 World Cup. North Korea will move to the play in round.
Quarterfinal 2 – China 2 vs Chinese Taipei 0
The quarterfinals second match featured the defending champions, China facing off against Chinese Taipei. Late in the first half, China thought they had claimed a lead when Wang Shuang headed a Zhang Xin cross past goalkeeper Cheng Ssu-yu. The goal was called back for an offsides in the buildup. Despite being out possessed and out shot, Chinese Taipei managed to hold China scoreless and force extra time.
Extra time, however, was not kind to Chinese Taipei. Just four minutes into the extra thirty, Shao Ziqin beat Cheng on a shot through traffic to give China the lead. China looked to double their lead in the second half of extra time, when Chinese Taipei’s Pan Yen-Hsin fouled Xin in the box, conceding a penalty. Cheng saved Wurigumula Wurigumula’s attempt giving Chinese Taipei hope a comeback. Those hopes were dashed just four minutes later when Chen Ying-hui deflected a Jin Kun into the net for an own goal. With the win, China advances to the semifinals and directly qualifies for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. Chinese Taipei will go to the play in round for a chance to qualify for the World Cup.
Quarterfinal 1 – South Korea 6 vs Uzbekistan 0
The Taegeuk Ladies controlled the match from the first whistle. Son Hwa-Yeon put the 2022 runners-up ahead in the 9th minute goal. Yoo-Jin Ko added a second goal for South Korea 11 minutes later, beating Uzbek goalkeeper Maftuna Jonimqulova from well beyond the 18-yard.
The score remained 2-0 into the second half when South Korea began pouring on the goals. In the 57th minute Jonimqulova punched a South Korean corner directly to Soo-Jeong Park, who put it in the back of the net. Ji So-Yun, Lee Eun-Young, and Jang Sel-Gi each added a goal for the Taegeuk Ladies in the 6-0 rout.
Quarterfinal 3 – Japan 7 vs Philippines 0
To say Japan was dominant in the group stage would be an understatement. Nadeshiko Japan didn’t concede a goal in any of their first three games while scoring 17 themselves. The Philippines secured their spot in the quarterfinal thanks in part to Japan’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam. The Philippines withstood pressure from Japan for most of the first half. Right before the halftime, the Utah Royals’ Mina Tanaka headed in a ball that had been bouncing around inside the Philippines 18-yard box to open up scoring. Japan grabbed a second goal before the halftime whistle blew off a Toko Koga header.
The second half saw Japan continue add goals. In the 65th minute, Aoba Fujino lobbed a long ball into the Philippine box that found a sliding Remina Chiba inside the 6. Chiba directed the ball past Philippine goalkeeper Nina Meollo to extend the Japanese to three. Just two minutes later, Manaka Matsukubo picked up the ball in the Philippine penalty area and put one over Meollo, for her first goal of the tournament. Toko Koga completed her brace with a second headed goal in the 76th minute. Momoko Tanikawa and Riko Ueki added goals to complete the 7-0 demolition of the Philippines. Across four games, 13 different players have scored for Nadeshiko Japan, with Ueki leading the way with five goals.
Play In Round
All four losing quarterfinals teams will play one additional match. The match winners will claim the last two AFC direct qualification spots for next year’s World Cup. The two losing teams still have a chance to grab a spot in the tournament. They will head to the Inter-continental playoff against teams from other confederations.
Matches
· Philippines vs Uzbekistan in Gold Coast at 9 PM CDT on 18 March
· Chinese Taipei vs North Korea in Gold Coast at 3 AM CDT on 19 March
Semifinals
The semifinal round is loaded with talent. The top three teams from the previous AFC WAC (China, South Korea, and Japan) all made it to the semifinals. The hosts, Australia, have a roster full of players that ply their trade in the top leagues around the world and are captained by one of the biggest names in the sport, Sam Kerr. All four teams directly qualified for the World Cup by making it to this round.
Matches
· Australia vs China in Perth at 5 AM CDT on 17 March
· Japan vs South Korea in Sydney at 4 AM CDT on 18 March
All matches are streaming live on OneFootball.
