AFC's reaction to Vietnam women's team being eliminated from Asian Cup

The match against Japan concluded Vietnam women's team's journey, accompanied by notable observations from the Asian Football Confederation.

According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Japan women's team demonstrated superior strength to secure a 4-0 victory over Vietnam women's team in Group C of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. AFC noted that the team from the land of the rising sun "easily secured top spot in Group C" with a perfect 9 points after the group stage. Meanwhile, this defeat caused Vietnam women's team to officially miss the chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.

AFC stated that Japan quickly created pressure right after the opening whistle. Just seconds into the match, Riko Ueki had an opportunity to open the scoring but narrowly missed the post. Under continuous pressure, Vietnam women's team actively retreated their formation with a crowded defensive system. However, their defensive efforts only allowed the red-shirted team to hold firm until the 21st minute before the first goal appeared.

In this situation, Ueki jumped high to head the ball from Yui Hasegawa's cross, sending the ball into the high corner of the goal. AFC described this as a goal resulting from "Japan's persistent pressure," after numerous consecutive attacking situations. Despite conceding, goalkeeper Khong Thi Hang had an impressive first half by repeatedly blocking dangerous shots, helping Vietnam women's team trail only 0-1 after the initial 45 minutes.

Entering the second half, Japan continued to maintain a high attacking intensity. Just six minutes after the break, Maika Hamano - a substitute player doubled the lead after a quick combination. AFC assessed that the East Asian team "maintained strong intensity after the break," causing Vietnam's defense to face many difficulties in resisting.

Continuous pressure caused Vietnam's formation to gradually lose stamina. In the 64th minute, Aoba Fujino increased the score to 3-0 after a well-organized attacking combination. Just three minutes later, Kiko Seike sealed the 4-0 victory. AFC evaluated this goal as "closing Japan's convincing victory," thereby helping the twice-champion team advance to the next round, while Vietnam women's team had to stop right at the group stage.

Despite having to stop early, the journey at the 2026 Women's Asian Cup still provided many lessons for Vietnam women's team when facing one of the top continental teams like Japan women's team. According to AFC's assessment, this convincing victory helps Japan affirm its championship contender status, while Vietnam women's team concluded the tournament with valuable experience for future objectives.