Japan powered their way to the 2018 title, making them the most successful team in the continental competition with three championships to their name.
The young Samurai Blue also have the most top four finishes - nine in total, previously having won the title in 1994 and 2006.
Japan started their campaign as one of the favourites, and advanced from the group stage easily, with their only blemish being the goalless draw with Tajikistan.
Part of Japan’s success must be attributed to head coach Yoshiro Moriyama’s ability to read his opponents well and by replacing players for quick impact.
This was apparent in their three wins in the knockout round. Against Oman, Shoji Tayoma came on to score a late winner. Jun Nishikawa changed the tempo and contributed to Japan’s 3-1 win over Australia and against Tajikistan, Nakano Ryuma provided the assist for Nishikawa’s goal.
Alongside Tayoma, who netted five goals in the tournament, Nishikawa was equally impressive as Japan’s playmaker, scooping the Most Valuable Player Award.
Teams who impressed: Australia, Indonesia, India, Tajikistan
Indonesia had a dream start to their campaign when they shocked IR Iran 2-0 on the opening day with twins Amiruddin Bagus Alfriki and Amiruddin Bagas Arriziqi finding the net. Fachry Husaini’s side then picked up draws against Vietnam (1-1) and India (0-0) to finish top of their group.
Although they stumbled 3-1 against Australia in the quarter-finals, the young Garuda have a crop of talented players in the likes of Sutan Diego Zico, Mochammad Supriadi, David Maulana, Andre Oktaviansyah and Brylian Negiehta Aldama.
India got off on a winning note after Vikram Partap’s late penalty sealed a 1-0 victory over Vietnam. India, like Indonesia went on to draw their next matches against IR Iran (0-0) and Indonesia (0-0) to finish second in their group.
The young Blue Tigers held their own against Korea Republic, but finally conceded their first goal in the tournament after Jeong Sang-bin’s 68th minute effort saw them missing out on a spot in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru.
Australia and Tajikistan bounced back in style following their opening day defeats to march into the semi-finals to earn their spot in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru.
Both teams showed fighting spirit and tremendous tenacity to win matches - with Tajikistan beating DPR Korea in the quarter-finals and Korea Republic in the semi-finals, both on penalties. Australia showed their grit, overcoming Indonesia 3-2 in the quarter-finals but fell against Japan in the semi-finals.
Despite their 1-0 defeat to Japan in the final, Tajikistan players did their country proud by qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup - capping a historic moment with players like Mukhriddin Khasanov, Islom Zairov and Rustam Soirov to watch out for.
Surprises: Korea Republic, IR Iran, Thailand’s unexpected exits
Korea Republic breezed through the group stage, defeating Australia (3-0), Afghanistan (7-0) and 2016 champions Iraq (2-0). The young Taeguk Warriors faced a resilient India in the quarter-finals but carved out a 1-0 win.
Their run, however, came to an end when they were defeated 7-6 on penalties following a 1-1 score at fulltime against Tajikistan in the semi-finals.
Islamic Republic of Iran came into the tournament with high expectations, but the 2008 champions only found the back of the net in their final group game against Vietnam, winning 5-0 - after losing their opener against Indonesia (2-0) and settling for a 0-0 draw against India.
Thailand, led by Suphanat Muenta, came close to beating Japan in their opener after taking an early lead but faded away as the match wore on to lose 5-2.
The War Elephants secured their first win of the tournament after defeating Malaysia 4-2 but failed to progress from Group A after stumbling 2-1 to Tajikistan.
West Asians
Out of the four teams - Oman, Yemen, Jordan and Iraq - only Oman advanced to the knockout stage after finishing second in their group behind DPR Korea.
Jordan came close to qualifying for the quarter-finals after picking up two draws but fell short in their last match against Yemen, who impressed in a 5-1 victory.
Iraq started their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over newcomers Afghanistan but couldn’t get their momentum going as they suffered losses against Australia (2-1) and Korea Republic to end their 2018 campaign third in their group.
Photos: AFC
