Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: We continue the buildup to the 2017 AFC U-16 Championship, which kicks off in Chonburi, Thailand on Sunday by profiling another player who used the Championship as a stepping stone to make a name for herself on the global stage, just like China PR's Ma Xiaoxu did.
At the 2007 edition, Japan suffered a 3-0 loss to a DPR Korea side who would become FIFA Women’s U-17 World Champions the following year, but the tournament marked the starting point of four magical years for one Japanese teenager.
At just 13 years old during the tournament, Mana Iwabuchi was Japan’s youngest player, but her talent was obvious to all in attendance.
Iwabuchi started all four matches for Japan, and was particularly influential in the semi-final against China PR, where she scored the crucial second goal in a 3-1 win at the Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia.
She couldn’t repeat the dose in the final – held the day before her 14th birthday - where DPR Korea secured a comprehensive 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Jon Myong-hwa, but bigger and better things lay ahead for the youngster.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/mana_iwabuchi2_jpg.html
