Vietnam U20 loses 0-4 to Japan U20, ending World Cup qualification hopes

Vietnam Women's U20 team stopped at the Asian U20 quarter-finals after a 0-4 defeat to Japan Women's U20 - a team demonstrating comprehensive superiority in skill and competitive mentality.

Immediately after the kick-off whistle, Japan quickly imposed their game with superior ball control. In the 18th minute, Itamura opened the scoring with a sharp shot into the top corner of the goal. Prior to that, the cherry blossom team had also created several dangerous chances, forcing goalkeeper Le Thi Thu to work hard.

Despite great defensive effort, Vietnam Women's U20 faced many difficulties in ball development. In the 45th minute, Tago doubled the lead after a clean breakaway and finish. Not stopping there, Fukushima headed in to make it 3-0, closing the first half with a significant advantage for Japan.

In the second half, the game situation did not change much as Japan continued to completely control the play. In the 61st minute, Itamura completed her brace with a technical long-range shot, sealing the 4-0 victory. Meanwhile, Vietnam Women's U20 had almost no notable opportunities, mainly focusing on defending and resisting relentless attacks.

Despite the heavy defeat, the students showed a fighting spirit that persisted until the final minutes. However, the match clearly reflected the gap in level between Vietnam Women's U20 and one of the continent's top teams.

Against an opponent like Japan, which has won the Asian championship multiple times, stopping at the quarter-finals is not a surprising result. This will be an important lesson for Vietnam Women's U20 to continue improving and accumulating experience for the future.

80': VIETNAM STRIVES

Vietnam U20 strives hard to find combination opportunities. However, the white-shirted girls face considerable difficulties against the Japanese players.

61': 4-0 FOR JAPAN

Itamura finishes with a skillful long-range shot, giving Le Thi Thu no chance to save. The score is 4-0 for Japan.

52': JAPAN U20 DOMINATES

The game situation early in the second half does not change much. Japan U20 still completely holds the ball and continuously creates dangerous finishing situations towards Vietnam U20's goal. It's very difficult for the white-shirted team.

46': CONSECUTIVE GOALS

Fukushima heads in a dangerous shot to push Japan U20 ahead 3-0 before the first half ends.

45': 2-0 FOR JAPAN

Receiving a favorable through pass from a teammate, Tago unleashes a rather gentle but sufficiently powerful finish to put the ball into the net.

38': LE THI THU PLAYS FOCUSED

Vietnam U20's goalkeeper has been working hard since the start of the match. Up to this point, she is performing her duties well.

24': DIFFICULTIES

Vietnam U20 even has no chance to hold the ball against the overly strong continental opponent. Meanwhile, Japan is still attacking Le Thi Thu's goal with full force.

18': GOAL! 1-0 FOR JAPAN

After an attacking combination, Itamura receives the ball and shoots into the top corner of the goal to open the scoring for Japan Women's U20.

15': DANGER

Japan has a notable combination play. From a long pass, Itamura receives the ball in an open position. After one touch, she heads the ball but Le Thi Thu has rushed out to successfully block it. Vietnam U20 is still defending solidly.

11': NOT SUCCESSFUL

From a quick counterattack, Thanh Hieu speeds towards Japan's goal but ultimately cannot overcome the opponent's defender.

4': JAPAN DOMINATES

Right from the first minutes of play, the girls of the Japanese women's team continuously press towards Vietnam U20's goal. Nevertheless, Le Thi Thu is still showing solidity.

1': The match begins

Starting lineup for Vietnam Women's U20

Vietnam U20 vs Japan U20: What time and where to watch live?

• Time: 16:00 on April 11
• Location: Thammasat Stadium, Thailand
• Competition: Women's U20 Asian Cup 2026 Quarter-finals
• Live on: TV360

To facilitate viewers' follow-up, we will update detailed developments and the match result between Vietnam U20 and Japan U20 through this article.

Expected lineup for Vietnam U20 vs Japan U20

• Vietnam Women's U20: Le Thi Thu, Hong Minh, Thuy Linh, Nguyen Thi Thuong, Hong Yeu, Thu Trang, Le Thi Trang, Y Za Luong, Khanh Vy, Thanh Hieu, Hoang Cuc
• Japan Women's U20: Iwasaki, Aoki, Aso, Higuchi, Matsunaga, Furuta, Itamura, Tago, Honda, Sato, Fukushima

Analysis of Vietnam U20 vs Japan U20: An extreme challenge

Coach Okiyama's team experienced an emotional group stage journey before securing a spot in the 2026 Women's U20 Asian Cup quarter-finals. After seemingly losing hope following two consecutive defeats to China and Thailand, opportunity returned when the team defeated Bangladesh 1-0 in the final match. Along with unpredictable situations in other groups, the red-shirted team squeezed through a narrow gap to enter the quarter-finals as the best-performing third-place team.

In the group stage, Vietnam U20 conceded 7 goals and scored only 2 goals, both credited to Thuy Linh. This indicates that both the defensive and offensive capabilities of Vietnam U20 are not truly strong.

In the quarter-finals, the challenge for Coach Okiyama's team is heightened further as the opponent is Japan Women's U20 - one of the most prominent championship contenders this year. In Group C, the team from the cherry blossom country won all three matches against Australia, India, and Chinese Taipei to advance as group leader.

The strength of the Japanese women's team lies in high technical skill, along with sharp opportunity-seeking and finishing ability, especially from shooters like Noa Fukushima or Miki Kimura - each has scored 3 goals.

Considering all aspects, Vietnam U20 seems not to be a match for Japan Women's U20. Nevertheless, Coach Okiyama's team still sets the highest determination for the upcoming match.

Notable statistics before the Vietnam U20 vs Japan U20 match

• Vietnam U20 lost 2, won 1 in the last 3 matches
• Japan U20 won all 3 recent matches