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| AFC Women’s Asian Cup |
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| Rampant Japan crush Chinese Taipei |
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| Japan bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Korea Republic with an emphatic 11-0 win over Chinese Taipei. |
HO CHI MINH CITY - Japan kept alive their hopes of a place in the semi-finals of the AFC Women's Asian Cup after easing to an emphatic 11-0 victory over Chinese Taipei at Thong Nat Stadium on Saturday.
Norio Sasaki's side dominated throughout with an impressive display against the three-time Asian champions that ensures they can still progress to the knock-out stage when they meet Australia in their final Group B game on Monday
Japan forged the first opportunity in the second minute when Kozue Ando found space on the right side of the box but her driven effort failed to trouble goalkeeper Tsai Ming-jung.
Chinese Taipei created a good chance seven minutes later when a nice ball over the defence enabled Tan Wen-lin to charge down on goal but her shot went wide.
But Japan took the lead in the 20th minute when Aya Sameshima's ball into the area just missed the head of a Japanese forward and landed into the back of the net with keeper Tsai wrong-footed.
Japan soon added a second nine minutes later when a persistent Michi Goto charged down an attempted clearance on the edge of the Chinese Taipei area, picked up the loose ball and then crossed for Rumi Utsugi to rifle home from close range.
The post denied Japan adding a third just after the half hour mark when Goto's cross evaded a defender but Ando's shot hit the bottom of the upright before she sent her follow up over the bar.
Ando headed narrowly wide just after the restart but was not to be denied in the 51st minute when she expertly fired home a sublime free-kick from 25 yards.
The victory was made certain just four minutes later when Eriko Arakawa shook off the attention of defender Lee Hsueh-hua inside the box before slotting beyond the goalkeeper.
Substitute Karina Maruyama somehow failed to add a fifth when she was put through on goal as the forward shot wide of the post with just the goalkeeper to beat.
And further goals duly arrived when first Utsugi drilled a low effort into the back of the net in the 64th minute and despite Chinese Taipei's tormented goalkeeper Tsai being replaced immediately after, Maruyama quickly added a sixth for Japan.
The rout continued with another goal in the 76th minute when Ustugi crossed for Shinobu Ohno in the box and the forward's pass eventually fell to Goto, who swept home from close range.
Two goals in a minute from Tomoe Kato and Goto compounded Chinese Taipei's misery further before Maruyama's header and a Yuki Nagasto strike rounded off the emphatic win.
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