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AFC U23 Asian Cup
The triumph made Japan the first team to successfully defend the crown and lift the trophy for a third time, with Oiwa having also steered them to glory two years ago.
#AFCU23 | Final: China PR 0-4 Japan
“Our players have shown tremendous growth and I’m very happy that we were able to win the championship. This shows our programmes are bearing fruit,” said Oiwa.
“The level of competition has become very high, so we approach each tournament knowing it will be very challenging.”
“The level of competition has become very high, so we approach each tournament knowing it will be very challenging.”
Touted as favourites despite fielding one of the youngest squads in the tournament, Japan hardly put a foot wrong at Saudi Arabia 2026 and showed their immense quality with a thoroughly dominating performance in the final.
Goals from Yuto Ozeki and Kosei Ogura in the opening 20 minutes set the tone, with Ryunosuke Sato and Ogura then finishing the job with their strikes after the break, with clinical finishing and disciplined defending highlighting the effectiveness of Oiwa’s coaching philosophy.
Goals from Yuto Ozeki and Kosei Ogura in the opening 20 minutes set the tone, with Ryunosuke Sato and Ogura then finishing the job with their strikes after the break, with clinical finishing and disciplined defending highlighting the effectiveness of Oiwa’s coaching philosophy.
“Taking an early lead and then scoring our second goal allowed us to control the match effectively. However, we stayed fully focused until the final whistle and never let our guard down.
“We played several tough matches and advanced step by step. I expect that future competitions will also feature many closely contested games, so we want to make sure we prepare thoroughly for these major tournaments."
The squad is being groomed for the 2028 Olympic Games and with the next AFC U23 Asian Cup the qualifying tournament, don’t count against Japan lifting the trophy yet again.
“We played several tough matches and advanced step by step. I expect that future competitions will also feature many closely contested games, so we want to make sure we prepare thoroughly for these major tournaments."
The squad is being groomed for the 2028 Olympic Games and with the next AFC U23 Asian Cup the qualifying tournament, don’t count against Japan lifting the trophy yet again.
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