Former Vietnam Women's U20 Coach and Japanese Team Win Asian Youth Championship

Former Vietnam Women's U20 Coach Akira Ijiri, currently the head coach of Japan Women's U20, guided the Japanese team to victory in the 2026 Women's U20 Asian Championship.

Under the guidance of Coach Akira Ijiri, Japan Women's U20 defeated North Korea 1-0 on April 18 evening to officially become the champion of the 2026 AFC Women's U20 Asian Championship.

Momoka Sano scored the sole goal, enabling Coach Akira Ijiri's squad to achieve their seventh championship title. Meanwhile, AFC commentary noted that North Korea Women's U20 would surely regret losing a match they largely dominated.

Starting slowly, North Korea regained rhythm at minute 12 when So Ryu Gyong's long-range shot was saved by goalkeeper Uruha Iwasaki; the ball reached Kang Ryu Mi, who passed back to Choe Rim Jong whose shot narrowly missed the post.

Japan Women's U20 goalkeeper Iwasaki made another save against a weak shot from Choe on the right flank eight minutes later. Iwasaki remained busy dealing with North Korea Women's U20's attacking moves.

Despite enduring continuous pressure, Japan Women's U20's defense held firm, entering halftime with a 0-0 draw.

Japan Women's U20 Defeats North Korea Women's U20 1-0

In the second half, North Korea Women's U20 immediately pushed forward aggressively. However, Japan Women's U20 created a turning point at minute 56. From Noa Fukushima's free kick, Momoka Sano stealthily advanced behind North Korea's defense, heading past goalkeeper Pak Ju Gyong, leaving the opponents helpless.

Boosted by the opening goal, Japan Women's U20 pressed higher but encountered resilient defense from their rivals. Conversely, North Korea strove to equalize but faced obstacles.

In the final minutes, North Korea Women's U20 launched a full-force attack, but Japan Women's U20 stood firm to preserve the score, officially dethroning the opponents and securing the championship trophy.

Coach Akira Ijiri began working in Vietnam from May 2019 onward, under the cooperation agreement between VFF and JFA.

During his six-year tenure in Vietnam, Coach Akira Ijiri made notable contributions to training and coaching youth women's teams from U16 to U20, significantly enhancing the professional level of next-generation players for women's football clubs and Vietnam's national women's teams. Under his leadership, youth women's teams progressed markedly and achieved many successes, including runner-up at the 2023 Southeast Asian Women's U19 Championship and qualifying for the 2024 AFC Women's U20 Asian Championship finals. This also marked Vietnam Women's U20's first entry into Asia's top-level football competition.