Japan win gold at the Asian Games women's football

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Japan's women's football team defeated China 1-0 to claim gold in the Asian Games women's football on Friday.

China's star players Wang Shanshan, Gu Yasha and Wang Shuang showed their great individual capabilities to threaten Japan, but failed to score during the first half.

China got a good chance to score in the 52nd minute when Wang Shuang took the ball from the left and passed to Wang Shanshan, who got a one-on-one with Japan's keeper, but took too long and was crowded out by the Japanese defenders before she could shoot.

The two teams scrambled in the midfield for a period of time and Japan began to control the tempo with skillful technique from around the hour mark. China recaptured the advantage from the 73rd minute with a serious shot from Gu Yasha and Wang Shanshan.

However, In the final minute of regulation, Yuika Sugasawa of Japan caught a cross from the right and headed it in, helping her side to a dramatic victory in the final.

Yuika Sugasawa of Japan celebrates after scoring their decisive goal in 90th minute./VCG Photo

Looking back to the teams' journey at the Jakarta Asian Games, China won all three group stage games with a combined total of 25 goals. After that, the team beat Thailand and Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, reaching the final for the first time since 1998.

Japan defeated the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea in the quarterfinals and semifinals to get into the final.

The first women's tournament was held at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. China topped the Asian Games from the very beginning, winning three consecutive tournaments in 1990, 1994 and 1998. In 1994, China defeated Japan 2-0 to win the title.

In the following years, DPRK women's football team dominated with three championships at the Asian Games in 2002, 2006 and 2014. Japan downed DPRK 1-0 in the 2004 tournament final.