Japan shows no mercy with 11-0 Women's Asian Cup thumping

Japan's Hinata Miyazawa celebrates one of her three goals against India.
Japan's Hinata Miyazawa celebrates one of her three goals against India. JANELLE ST PIERRE / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

A ruthless Japan thrashed India 11-0 to reach the Women's Asian ⁠Cup quarter-finals thanks to hat-tricks from Hinata Miyazawa and Riko Ueki on Saturday while Taiwan held off ‌a late Vietnam push to secure a 1-0 victory, their first ‌win of the tournament.

Group C leaders Japan, champions ‌in 2014 and 2018, cut through India's hapless defence ‌with ease while the south Asian side failed to ‌have a single shot in the game that was played predominantly in India's half at Perth Rectangular Stadium.

Japan overwhelmed India ‌in the first half and were ⁠5-0 up at halftime ‌with a superb curling effort from Yuzuki Yamamoto in the ​fourth minute, a Yui Hasegawa goal, a brace from Miyazawa and a Kiko Seike penalty.

With a ​comfortable lead, Japan made three changes at halftime but they did not relent as substitute Riko Ueki ⁠scored twice in three ​minutes before completing an 18-minute hat-trick after Maya Hijikata also got on the scoresheet.

Miyazawa capped off the rout by completing her own hat-trick in the 81st minute, ‌sealing an 11-0 scoreline that highlighted the gulf in class between Asia's highest-ranked team in the world and their hapless opponents 59 rungs below them.

In the earlier Group C match in Perth, Taiwan's Su Yu-hsuan scored with a first-half header to give the three-times Asian champions the lead, with both sides otherwise struggling to find cohesion in attack before the break.

Vietnam, quarter-finalists ‌at the previous edition, had nine attempts on ​goal but none on target, while Taiwan stayed organised ‌at the back to preserve their advantage.

A late VAR review for a possible penalty for Vietnam did not yield a decision and Taiwan moved into second place in Group C on three points.