Koga and Hamano through to Asian Cup knockout stages
Sat 07 March 2026, 13:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Toko Koga and Maika Hamano helped Japan through to the knockout stages of the Women’s Asian with a thumping 11-0 victory over India on Saturday afternoon.
Our young defender, who didn’t feature in the opening game of the competition, started in what was her first appearance in the prestigious tournament while Maika was a second-half substitute in the emphatic performance in Perth.
Having tasted victory in their opening game on Group C – a 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei – they secured their place in the quarter-finals and join Clare Hunt Australia in the last eight of competition after hosts Australia reached that stage earlier this week.
Toko played the full 90 minutes for her nation, ending the game at right-back, while Maika was 66th-minute substitute.
Next up for Japan is a clash against Vietnam at HBF Park in Perth on Tuesday morning (10 March, 9am kick-off) in their final group game.
