At 18:20 on July 26, the 3rd round of the 8th Women's East Asian Cup, Japan vs. China matchup was passionately staged at the Kashima Soccer Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture.
[Japanese team]
In the first two rounds of the East Asian Cup, Japan narrowly beat South Korea 2-1 with goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Kazuhana Nagano, and then in the second round, came back to beat Chinese Taipei 4-1 with goals from Reina Chiba, Makoto Ueno, Takako Kiyoshi, and Yukika Sugasawa. With two wins, Japan only needs a draw in the final round against China to win the title. If they win, it will be Japan's fourth title in the history of the East Asian Cup and will overtake North Korea as the team with the most wins. Previously, both Japan and North Korea have won the title three times.
Compared to the 23-man roster for the Asian Cup, Japan has retained 14 of its 25-man roster for this year's East Asian Cup, with Kitagawa Hikari, Inoue Ayaka, and Sugita Ami among the 11 selected, while Ikeda Saki Noriko and Minami Moe-hwa failed to make the cut among the other nine. According to the Japan Football Association, Kaede Hayashi and Mitsu Kitagawa withdrew from the East Asian Cup due to injuries and will also miss the final round match against China.
[Team China]
In the first two rounds of the tournament, China beat Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the first round with a goal by Zhang Linyan and an oval goal by Su Xinyun, and drew 1-1 with South Korea in the second round with a goal by Wang Linlin. With one win and one draw, China accumulated four points. In the final round of the tournament against Japan, China will win the East Asian Cup for the first time in their history if they win. A draw would result in a second place finish, which is China's best record. If they lose to Japan, they could be in danger of finishing third. That was in 2010, when, coincidentally, Japan was also the hosts.
Regarding the tactical arrangement, Shui Qingxia said, "It's still in the planning stage, so you will naturally know when the time comes." Wang Frost, Tang Jiali and Xiao Yuyi are expected to start together in this key matchup. Wang Frost and Tang Jiali did not start in the first two rounds of the tournament, and Wang Frost only played 25 minutes against South Korea. Shui Qingxia said: "This game is also for the exercise of other players, Wang Frost and Tang Jiali's use is still from the needs of the whole team."
[Historical encounter]
Japan and China have met 39 times in international A-level matches, with 16 wins, 7 draws and 16 losses against each other, with China scoring 53 goals and conceding 39.
[Projected debut]
Japan: 18-Momoko Tanaka; 3-Saori Takada, 4-Hana Takahashi, 12-Rukia Norimatsu, 2-Risa Shimizu; 10-Fumika Nagano, 16-Honoka Hayashi; 7-Hinako Miyazawa, 8-Mitsuko Utamoto, 17-Oni Narimiya; 19-Riko Ueki.
China: 1-Zhu Yu; 8-Yao Wei, 2-Wang Linlin, 3-Wang Xiaoxue, 14-Lou Jiahui; 13-Yang Lina, 16-Yao Lingwei; 20-Shao Yuyi, 18-Tang Jiali, 7-Wang Frost; 11-Wang Shanshan
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