Japan were at their scintillating best as they cruised 4-0 past China in the AFC U23 Asian Cup final at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A brace from Kosei Ogura and strikes from Yuto Ozeki and Ryunosuke Sato meant Japan became the first team to defend the title and lift the coveted trophy for a third time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was heartbreak for China, who were looking to cap their amazing run at Saudi Arabia 2026 with the title but found Japan simply too hot on the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Head coach Antonio Puche made four changes to China PR\u2019s starting line-up with Xiang Yuwang \u2013 who marked his tournament debut with a goal in the semi-final win over Vietnam \u2013 retaining his place, while Japan captain Go Oiwa reinstated Ozeki, Yumeki Yokoyama, Shusuke Furuya and Brian Nwadik into the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The match, which kicked off following a spectacular closing ceremony, saw Japan immediately applying pressure, with Nwadik forcing China goalkeeper Li Hao into making a save with his strike from close range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China slowly began to see more of the ball but wasted a chance in the seventh minute when Xu Bin sent a cross into the box for Xiang Yuwang, but the forward mistimed his header with the ball falling right into the gloves of Japan keeper Rui Araki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was Japan, however, who looked the more threatening and their sustained pressure paid off in the 12th minute when Ozeki converted Furuya\u2019s cutback, with his powerful drive deflecting off Peng Xiao and looping over a fully-stretched Li Hao, with the China PR custodian being beaten for the first time in the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately for Li Hao, he had to pick the ball out of his net for a second time eight minutes later when China PR failed to deal with Sato\u2019s cross, with Ogura pouncing on the loose ball and striking it into the bottom left corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japan started the second period with a spring in their step with Ozeki and Kaito Koizumi threatening before China conceded a penalty just before the half-hour mark following Liu Haofan\u2019s handball, with Sato converting to take his overall tally to four goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China refused to give up with Bao Shengxin and Hu Hetao threatening before they had Xiang Yuwang\u2019s effort ruled out for offside in the 68th minute, while Wang Yudong squandered another chance, sending his effort over the bar moments later.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In doing so, China left the door open in the 76th minute when Yokoyama\u2019s cross into the box fell to Furuya, whose miscued attempt was cleared only as far as Ogura, whose shot from distance took a slight deflection before settling in the bottom right corner of the net as Japan put the final to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryunosuke Sato was named the MVP. The midfielder was influential throughout the tournament, featuring in all six matches as Japan became not only the first team to win back-to-back titles but also extend their record of triumphs to three.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sato netted once in the final to take his overall tally to four, having also made two assists at Saudi Arabia 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 20-year-old, who plays his club football for FC Tokyo, opened his campaign with a brace against Syria as Japan walked away with a 5-0 win. He netted the second goal in the 2-0 triumph against Qatar as Japan topped Group B with a perfect record of nine points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although he did not score in the quarter-final against Jordan, Sato converted his spot-kick as Japan won the penalty shootout 4-2 following a 1-1 draw after extra time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His corner led to Japan\u2019s goal in the 1-0 victory against Korea Republic in the semi-final with Sato then netting his side’s third from the penalty spot in the 4-0 triumph against China PR in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vietnam\u2019s Nguyen Dinh Bac scooped the Top Scorer award after a sterling campaign for the Southeast Asian side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team captain netted four goals and two assists as Vietnam finished third following their penalty shootout win against Korea Republic on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What made Binh Dac\u2019s performance at Saudi Arabia 2026 even more impressive was the fact that the forward only started two of Vietnam\u2019s six matches, with his minutes having to be managed due to injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cong An Ha Noi FC forward kicked off his campaign by scoring Vietnam’s opener in the 2-0 win against Jordan and netting the only goal of the game in the 1-0 defeat of Saudi Arabia as his side finished top of Group A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 22-year-old came off the bench to net Vietnam\u2019s second in the 3-2 extra-time win against United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Vietnam\u2019s title dreams were ended by China in the semi-finals, Dinh Bac played a major role in the win against Korea in the third-place playoff, scoring his side\u2019s second with a sublime free-kick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Dinh Bac could play no part in the shootout due to a red card he received towards the end of regulation time, the forward certainly lit up Saudi Arabia 2026 with his sparkling performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japan’s Rui Araki was named the Best Goalkeeper after playing a pivotal role in his side lifting the trophy for a record-extending third time on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gamba Osaka custodian, who had three clean sheets enroute to the final, produced a sparkling display to keep China PR at bay in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 19-year-old was barely tested in the two group stage matches against Syria and United Arab Emirates as Japan booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rested for their final group stage match against Qatar, Araki was back between the posts for the quarter-final against Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although he was beaten for the first time in the tournament by Ali Al Azaizeh, Araki showed his coolness in the penalty shootout by saving two of Jordan\u2019s spot-kicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His calmness and commanding presence played a key role in the 1-0 semi-final victory against Korea Republic, easily saving the two shots on target their East Asian rivals had while Araki was a picture of calmness in the final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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