Japan hammer India 11-0 in AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

Well, that was a thrashing. Japan hammered 11 goals past India as the favourites for the title pulled out a statement performance and ensured their entry into the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. They scored five in one half and six in the next as they utterly dominated a hapless Indian side.
Manchester United superstar Hinata Miyazawa had a hattrick, as did second half substitute and forward Riko Ueki while Kiko Seike had a brace and Yuzuki Yamamoto, Yui Hasegawa, and Maya Hijikata had a goal each.
Japan had 35 shots to India’s 0 (16 of those 35 going on target), had 80% of the possession, had 613 passes to India’s 161 and ensured that 65% of the action was in India’s defensive third. For context, Japan’s defensive third saw 3.6% of the action. After having dominated Chinese Taipei in their opener but having only won 2-0, this felt like Japan announcing to the tournament that they weren’t here to play around.
Yamamoto’s first goal for the national team set the tone, when she cut in after receiving the ball on the overlap, brushed past Sanju Yadav, nutmegged Pyari Xaxa, and curled one into the top corner with her weaker left foot — in just the fourth minute. Hasegawa made it two when she was teed up by a Yamamoto cut in.
Miyazawa then got in on the act when first passed in two superb set-ups from Hasegawa and Mina Tanaka respectively. Kiko Seike then made it five from the spot in first half injury time.
Nils Nielsen then made three changes at the break, and two of them combined inside the first minute as Hijikata’s ball in from the left was deftly flicked in by Ueki. The West Ham United center forward then made it seven when her shot took a deflection and bobbled over the frazzled Indian keeper Panthoi Chanu.
Seike made it eight when she ran onto Hijikata’s sensational run and low cross to tap it in at the far post. Hijikata then got her own when she ghosted in to nod home another brilliant Yamamoto cross. Ueki then immediately got her hattrick when another piece of textbook poacher movement saw her nod home at the near post.
Miyazawa then made a superb off the ball run at the far post and got at the end of a powerful Ueki low cross across the face of the box as Japan made it 11 on the night. It could have been more, in fact, if not for some lackadaisical finishing towards the end.
The result means Japan have an unsurpassable six points in two games, with a goal difference of +13. Chinese Taipei are second on head-to-head from Vietnam (both three each), while India need some performance against Taipei to stand a chance of qualifying after their goal difference (-13 now) took such a beating.