“The first time that I played for the national team was only four years ago, in June 2021,” she told the-AFC.com. “As this is my first AFC Asian Cup, I was a little nervous in the first match at the start, but I slowly gained confidence throughout the group stage and I just want to help us become champions.”

Growing up in Chiba Prefecture, Matsumoto started playing football at a young age and through high school, where she was part of the JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U18 team.

But she decided to take a break after high school, feeling that she had accomplished what she wanted in football. Influenced by her chef father, she went to vocational school to obtain a chef’s licence and subsequently worked at a hotel in Tokyo.

By chance, when Matsumoto was 20, a friend invited her to join the practice of a local futsal team - and just like that, she rediscovered her love for kicking a ball again.

Starting out with amateur outfit Jujo FC, her talent was quickly noticed and she joined top-flight side Saitama Saicolo in 2019. A year later Matsumoto was recruited by Bardral Urayasu Las Bonitas, where she won four league titles in a row, chipping in with over 30 goals to date.

While the streak ended with second place in the 2024/25 campaign, Matsumoto still finished the season with a trophy in the form of her third Japan Women’s Futsal Championship - the domestic cup - triumph.

With the national team, the late bloomer has cemented herself as a key figure playing as an ala with both her goalscoring and playmaking ability, tallying two assists in Hohhot so far.

Matsumoto acknowledged that Japan, runners-up at each of the previous two editions, need to improve if they are to win their first title, although she has set her sights even higher - to win the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup Philippines 2025.

“The performances are not bad but we can be better,” she said. “We accept this result (against Thailand) and we will reset our focus for the quarter-final against Vietnam.

“I have confidence in the abilities of myself and our team, and we want to qualify for the World Cup and become world champion. My focus now is on getting to the World Cup and performing well there.”

Her futsal exploits have also inspired Matsumoto to give back to the community. Holding an office job up until June last year, she is currently a freelance sports trainer at a gym, which allows for flexibility in her schedule to juggle work and training with an initiative of her own volition that she began in December 2024.

“I started to organise futsal events and clinics for young children,” she said. “I hope to raise awareness of futsal in Japan and help in its development.”