Japan 7-0 Philippines
by Ella McShane (15/3/26)
Above: Japan (blue uniform) certainly had plenty to celebrate during their big win over then Philippines. Photo: Kris Goman for Impetus Football.
Japan has waltzed into the semi finals of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup with a comprehensive 7-0 win over the Philippines. Tōko Kōga scored a brace in the win, and was joined on the scoresheet by team mates Mina Tanaka, Remina Chiba, Manaka Matsukubo, Momoko Tanikawa and Riko Ueki.
Japan asserted their dominance from the inaugural whistle, cornering play into their favoured end of the pitch. Japan’s relentless attack was closely followed by a deep defensive block by the Phillipines that generated plenty of dynamic one versus ones and goalkeeping heroics by Nina Meollo in the first half.
An early scare did come for the Phillipines, with forward Mallie Ramirez forced off in the eighth minute for a non contact knee issue, and was replaced by Chandler McDaniel.
Japan did not miss a beat re-initiating trademark play though, making sharp cuts into the box and plenty of dangerous warning shots. This included Yui Hasegawa made a splitting run down the wing that resulted in a corner. Unfortunate for Japan, Hasegawa’s call for a goal was answered by a screaming punch from the Philippines’ shot stopper.
Japan’s relentless attack was yet again met by the heroics of Meollo at the twenty two minute mark when a direct header was promptly neutralised by a textbook block.
Just before the half-time whistle Japan was awarded yet another corner, which resulted in a nail biting back and forth in the box. Eventually Japan’s goal sneak Tanaka finally broke the gritty deadlock, just getting the ball over the line.
The heat intensified in the box mere minutes later when another Japan corner was converted by a powerful header from Koga, taking the scoreline to an impressive 2-0 for half time.
Meollo’s heroics continued throughout the second half when she denied a dangerous on target volley from Chiba, parrying it out of danger with her leg.
Chiba responded promptly though, when a flying cross from Aoba Fujino from the left wing was met with a strike destined for the back-post. Chiba shot from just outside the goal area and pocketed Japan’s third goal of the afternoon.
A mere two minutes after, Matsukubo assumed the same position in the goal area and the strike raised the scoreline yet again.
Kōga converted another corner, after expertly anticipating a direct cross from Tanaka, Kōga seamlessly guided the ball into the net.
Coming into the final ten minutes of stoppage time, the Philippines regained a defensive presence for a short while but that was abruptly interrupted by a direct cross from Tanikawa from just outside the goal area that found the net.
Japan rounded off the afternoon by substituting on one of the tournaments leading goal scorers in Ueki, who then wrote her name on the scoresheet minutes later with a header of her own.
Teams: JAPAN (4-4-2): Hirao (GK), Hasegawa (C), Shimizu, Minami, Kōga, Miyasawa, Seike, Tanaka, Fujino, Hayashi, Moriya. Substitutions: Yamashita, Kumagai, Takahashi, Ueki, Nagano, Kitagawa, Yamamoto, Hamano, Tanikawa, Matsukubo, Okuma, Narumiya, Chiba, Hijikata.
Scorers: Tanaka 45+2’, Kōga 45+3’, 76’, Chiba 65’, Matsukubo 67’, Tanikawa 86’, Ueki 90’.
PHILIPPINES (5-4-1): Meollo (GK), Long (C), Cesar, Cowart, Sawicki, Hawkinson, Curran, Pasion, Marley, Pino, Ramirez. Substitutions: Bradley, Beard, Carpio, Castañeda, DeFazio, Eggesvik, Frilles, Guillou, Guy, C. McDaniel, O. McDaniel, McSwigan, Oca, Villapando, Wunsch.
Referee: Dong Fangyu (China).
Attendance: 13,321.
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