“We were unlucky to lose. However, we have to accept this defeat and move on. I would like to congratulate China PR for the victory," said Ikeda. “After the penalty shootout, I told the players I’m disappointed with the result. But we must learn from this defeat and come back stronger in the next edition.

“Every team has their own tactics and I wasn’t surprised to see Wang Shuang on the bench. I was considering players for defence and in attack, so every coach has their own preference in the game. 

“In a match as intense as this, timing is everything and I only used one substitute over 90 minutes because I wanted to maximise my substitutes if we needed them."

Japan dominated the game, with six shots on target from an overall 22 and Ikeda said his team should have scored more when they were in the ascendancy.

“We were not clinical enough in the first half. We should have scored more goals when we controlled the game where we had plenty of chances as we knew we had to control the flow of and the run of play."

“Of course in any match, players get tired but we were not badly affected in the second half. We came back to take the lead in the first half of extra time, but China were equally tough opponents.

“Everyone in the team has played a pivotal role to reach the semi-finals. I’m impressed and proud of what they have accomplished.”