Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) faced the Philippines Women’s National Team in the quarter-finals of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Shizuoka on Friday 25 September, securing a 4-0 victory.

Japan made four changes to the starting line-up from their final group stage match and lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. OHBA Shu started in goal, with HAMADA Megu, ITO Juri, SENO Yuki and KUWAHARA Ai forming the back four from right to left. UENO Mami played at the base of midfield, with TAKARADA Saori and SHIOKOSHI Yuzuho ahead of her, while NARUMIYA Yui, KAMIYA Chiina and SAKAKIBARA Kotono formed the front three from right to left.

Japan went on the attack from the opening whistle and took the lead in the second minute. Narumiya’s effort from distance was saved by the Philippines goalkeeper, earning Japan a corner from the left. Shiokoshi delivered the resulting corner and, after Seno’s header was blocked, Takarada pounced on the loose ball to open the scoring.

Japan struck again from a corner in the 26th minute, with Ueno meeting another delivery from Shiokoshi with a first-time finish. Ten minutes later, Takarada scored her second of the match and sixth goal of the tournament to make it 3-0.

Just before half-time, Kamiya rose high to head home Japan’s fourth. The goal, which made her the first player in the history of the Japan Women’s National Team to score in each of her first four senior international appearances, was greeted with loud applause from the stands.

Japan made five changes at the start of the second half, with IKUTA Nanase leading the line and TSUJISAWA Ai and YUMURA Hikaru supporting her from behind.

The Philippines looked to threaten with long balls, but Japan adjusted their defensive line well, with Ito and GOTO Wakaba at the heart of the defence. Japan continued to attack and rotate positions and, although there were no further goals in the second half, they finished with 22 shots over the 90 minutes and saw out a 4-0 victory.

Japan remain the only team yet to concede a goal at the tournament and are now through to the semi-finals, putting themselves within reach of a medal.

Nadeshiko Japan will next face the Korea Republic Women’s National Team in the semi-finals at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Tuesday 29 September, with a place in the final at stake.

Coach and Players' Comments

KANO Michihisa, Head Coach
We knew the first match of the knockout stage would be particularly difficult, so I’m very pleased that the players came together and got the win. We wanted to break them down more effectively in the second half, but as in our previous match, there were small inaccuracies in our passing and moments when our timing wasn’t quite right, which stopped us from finding our rhythm. We wanted to make better use of the space and create openings through combinations, but our attacking play became a little too predictable at times, with too much reliance on crosses from wide areas. We need to work on that and develop a better shared understanding of how we want to break teams down. Winning is what matters in the knockout stage. We’ll prepare for the next match while working on those areas so that we can improve going into the semi-final against Korea Republic.

MF #17 TAKARADA Saori (Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies)
For the first goal, the ball fell to me in a good position and all I had to do was put it away, so I was a little lucky. For the second, my first shot was blocked, but the ball came back to me at a good height for a volley. I just went for it and managed to find a good part of the goal. We go into every match looking at where we can hurt the opposition, and today we were able to take advantage of their weaknesses at set pieces and score three goals that way. I think that was a big positive for us. Even when it’s difficult to score from open play, a set piece can completely change the momentum of a match, so that’s something we can take confidence from today. From the semi-finals onwards, we’ll be facing teams that defend more solidly and put us under greater pressure. We need to make sure we’re all on the same page about how we’re going to break them down.

FW #11 KAMIYA Chiina (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina)
The Philippines defended in a compact block, so it was more difficult for us to create chances than it had been in the group stage. But being able to score, particularly from set pieces, was a positive for the team. At the same time, we need to come up with more ways to break teams down and improve the quality of our play, because the matches are only going to get tougher from here. Megu gave me a great ball towards the end of the first half, so I was happy to score. As a forward, I always want to score goals, and I’ve been putting extra pressure on myself to deliver at this tournament, so getting results gives me confidence. But I’d already had several chances before I scored, and from the semi-finals onwards, it’s going to be even more important to make sure I put those chances away.

20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026

Tournament Period: Monday 14 September – Friday 2 October 2026
Tournament information