It was the Americans who broke the deadlock when Kennedy Fuller’s corner kick was headed into the net by Ainsley McCammon in the 35th minute.

There was a golden opportunity for USA to make it two midway through the second half, but Alex Buck couldn’t find a way past goalkeeper Uruha Iwasaki.

Japan took advantage and equalised when a USA giveaway allowed Natsumi Tago to strike home in the 74th minute.

Less than a minute later, USA were back in front when Buck made amends for her earlier miss by outracing the Japan defence to round Iwasaki and slot home.

The East Asian side were unfazed and evened the scoreline again on a sensational right-footed effort from Konoha Nakamura, who expertly curled a shot into the top right corner in the 83rd minute.