The EAFF E-1 Women’s Championship enters its final matchday with current champions Japan and China poised for an ultimate winner-takes-all showdown.
The fixture serves as a re-run of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup semi-final, which China narrowly won via a penalty shootout. The two adversaries are both expected to field full-strength squads in a match that promises entertainment value.
Nadeshiko Japan rose to the top of the table as they swept aside Chinese Taipei in an emphatic 4-1 victory at Kashima Soccer Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Despite stumbling out of the blocks, the Steel Roses did well to claw their way back into the game against South Korea, claiming a 1-1 draw and preserving their hopes of a first-ever EAFF E-1 title.
Host nation Japan top the table with six points and a win or draw on final day will be enough to keep the trophy in their possession. China, meanwhile, must take all three points if they are to leapfrog their way into a first place finish.
Fresher Faces Take Center Stage at EAFF E-1 Championships
As has been the case in previous years, the EAFF E-1 Championships are generally seen as an opportunity to introduce less prominent players to the national team. The tournament usually falls outside of the FIFA international match calendar, with players based in Europe or North America left out of proceedings.
This is evident in Japan’s approach as manager Futoshi Ikeda made a total of nine changes from Matchday One to Matchday Two. Rising stars such as Remina Chiba (pictured), Fuka Nagano and Hana Takahashi have risen to the occasion thus far.
China have been much less experiemntal, making just three changes between games. Seemingly, they have tested various formations, with players switching in and out of different positions during games.
At times, the Asian champions have seemed a little disjointed and void of cohesion. However, manager Shui Qingxia has proven to be more than capable of making influential changes when things are not going as planned for the Steel Roses.
Their comebacks against South Korea in the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup final and again on Saturday evening serve as prime examples of this.
The final matchday EAFF E-1 fixture between Japan and China kicks off at 19:20 local time on Tuesday 26 July at the Kashima Soccer Stadium.
Predicted Lineups
Japan (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Yamashita.A
Defenders: Takarada.S, Takahashi.H, Norimatsu.R, Shimizu.R
Midfielders: Nagano.F, Hayashi.H, Miyazawa.H, Sugita.A, Narumiya.Y
Forwards: Ueki.R
China PR (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Zhu.Y
Defenders: Wan Jiayao, Wang.L, Wang.X, Li.M
Midfielders: Wang.S, Zhang.X, Yang.L
Forwards: Zhang.L, Wang.S, Chengshu.W
Photo: twitter/jfa_nadeshiko
Listen to the latest episode of The Asian Game podcast as we go In Conversation With… Jay Haddow
