Japan U-17 continued their dominance in the ongoing AFC U-17 Asian Cup, putting an emphatic 8-4 victory over India’s Under-17 squad on Friday. The match, held at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Thailand, saw Japan take the lead as early as the 13th minute with a goal from midfielder Kawamura off of Ryunosuke Yada’s cutback. Striker Gaku Nawata then added a brace, showing both his predatory instincts and composure to put the Samurai Blue 3-0 ahead of their Indian opponents.
The second half saw Japan momentarily stopped in their tracks when India got on the scoresheet with a goal from Bishu Kaushik. However, that only served as an impetus for Japan, who quickly retaliated with two more goals from Kawamura and Yada respectively to make it 5-1 in their favour. India managed to pull three back through strikes by Aryaman Prakash, Rahul Sainiand Raja Pandey but were unable to thwart the Japanese onslaught, who scored three more through Kohei Kato, Ryota Morioka and Hidetoshi Miyazawa.
The win means that Japan have now won three consecutive titles in the tournament, a remarkable feat indicative of their strength as a footballing nation. India are yet to make any significant impact on the regional stage with this loss only highlighting the gap between them and top contenders such as Japan or South Korea.
Japan dominated the entire match from start to finish, proving their dominance in Asia once again. Their offensive prowess was matched perfectly by a solid defensive line-up which made sure they kept their lead throughout the game.
