Maika Hamano scored the only goal as Japan held off Australia for a third straight Women’s Asian Cup title on Saturday in front of a record 74,357 fans in Sydney.
The Tottenham star hit a long-range shot in the 17th minute at Stadium Australia to break Australian hearts and add to their continental titles from 2014 and 2018.
The finals were also against Australia, and also ended 1-0.
The top umpire concluded the historic tournament with more than 350,000 fans through the shift, reinforcing the growing popularity of the women’s game.
This was six times more than the previous tournament record set in 2010 in China, with the final setting a new attendance record for a single game in the tournament’s history.
The Asian Cup doubled with qualification for the World Cup in Brazil next year, with Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, North Korea and the Philippines all qualifying.
