Dominant Japan advances to Women's Asian Cup knockout stage

SYDNEY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Two-time champion Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup after thrashing India 11-0 in its second group stage match on Saturday night.

Riko Ueki and Hinata Miyazawa each scored hat-tricks and Kiko Seike scored twice as Japan recorded the biggest win of the tournament so far at the Perth Rectangular Stadium in Western Australia to guarantee progression to the quarterfinals.

Japan controlled the match from the start, scoring three times in the first 20 minutes, including a superb strike from Yuzuki Yamamoto in the fourth minute as she fired a shot into the top left corner.

Ueki scored her first goal, and Japan's sixth, within two minutes of being substituted on at half-time and completed her hat-trick in the 65th minute with a header.

The win leaves Japan clear in first place of Group C ahead of Chinese Taipei and Vietnam by three points and with a significant goal difference advantage.

Japan plays Vietnam in the final round of Group C on Tuesday night, while India plays Chinese Taipei. ■