Tokyo, Japan, February 28, 2024: Goals from Hana Takahashi and Aoba Fujino gave Japan a 2-1 victory over DPR Korea in Tokyo on Wednesday – and a place in the women’s football tournament of the Paris Olympic Games.
Victory means the Japanese, Olympic quarter-finalists on home soil in 2021 and winners of the silver medal in 2012, join Australia as one of Asia’s two representatives in Paris.
Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda set his sights on a first-ever gold medal. "There are only 12 teams in the Olympic tournament and we know they will all be strong sides," he said. "We want to get ready for the competition and we are aiming to be the best in the world and win gold. We will try to improve and get stronger."
Japan was eliminated in the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and also lost at the same stage at last year's World Cup. Ikeda said he has been trying to add more depth to Japan's squad, who are ranked eighth in the world. "When teams put us under strong pressure, we sometimes struggle to take the initiative and we need to get better at that," he said.
The first leg of this Japan-DPR Korea qualifier had been played in neutral Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last Saturday and ended 0-0.
In Tokyo, Japan took the lead through Takahashi in the 26th minute and Fujino doubled the advantage in the 76th minute. Kim Hye Yong’s 81st minute goal gave DPR Korea hope of a first appearance at the Olympics since 2012, but Japan hung on for a famous victory.