AFC Women's Asian Cup: Japan have improved, warns Shang

Coach Shang Ruihua believes Japan will provide a stern test as China look to keep alive their hopes of retaining their AFC Women’s Asian Cup when the two sides meet in the semi-final at Thong Nhat Stadium on Thursday.

China coach Shang Ruihua knows that the defending champions will face a tough challenge from a vastly improved Japan side.

China finished second in Group A to earn their place in the knock-out stage having won two of their three games but their two victories came against hosts Vietnam andThailand while they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Asiaheavyweights DPR Korea.

And Shang knows his side will have to be on their game when they take on the reigning East Asian women’s champions, who he believes have made considerable developments in recent years.

“Japan have improved a lot,” he said. “Their female team is similar to the men’s team in that they are good at passing and controlling play.

“The biggest improvement in the Japan team is their technical ability and organisation but I believe we are stronger and faster and I am sure it will be a great game.

“I believe we are going in the right direction for Chinese football. It is important we keep the spirit of the team high and I believe we can perform well at the Olympics.”

Japan coach Norio Sasaki, meanwhile, believes it will be a great boost for his side’s Olympic hopes if they can overcome the challenge of China and reach the final of the Asian Cup.

“This is good preparation for us for our Olympic campaign and hopefully we can continue to do well and reach the final,” he said.

“We have had two days off before the game so that has helped to improve the condition of the players.

“We have had to look after the players due to the weather and the humidity so we have been concentrating on getting ourselves ready rather than thinking about our opponents.

“But it is important we give 100 per cent. The semi-final will give our players more valuable experience and if we win the competition it will give us the responsibility of being Asian champions going into the Olympics.”