2014 Women's Asian Cup Finals: Japan defeats China 2-1 to reach the final.

Defeating China with a goal in the 120th minute, Japan deservedly advanced to the final after their first semi-final match on the afternoon of May 22nd at Thong Nhat Stadium.

Japan was the first team to qualify for the final. Photo: Duc Cuong

With a more balanced squad and greater composure, Japan completely dominated the game against China. However, it wasn't until a moment of brilliance from veteran Sawa at the start of the second half that the reigning world champions broke the deadlock. From a corner kick in the 51st minute, Sawa, the 2011 World Player of the Year, executed a spectacular diving header to open the scoring for Japan.

Although their play wasn't particularly sharp, China were fortunate to equalize in the 80th minute. Following a penalty kick awarded after a Japanese defender handled the ball in the penalty area, Zeng Ying scored, sending the match into extra time.

The 30 minutes of extra time also heavily favored the reigning world champions. And just when it seemed the match would go to a penalty shootout, in a corner kick in the 120th minute, Azusa headed the ball accurately into the net to score the winning goal, securing a 2-1 victory and sending Japan into the final.

This was a well-deserved victory for Japan. Their opponent will be the winner of the match between Australia and South Korea when the two teams meet at 8:45 PM tonight, May 22nd.

According to Bongdaplus