Australia, Japan meet in final of internationally charged Women’s Asian Cup

A Women’s Asian Cup soccer tournament that started with little fanfare three weeks ago but eventually received worldwide attention due to the appearance of an Iranian team affected by the Middle East war ends on Saturday when Australia plays Japan in the final.

For most of the tournament, the Iranian team, which left the Middle East before the United States and Israel invaded their home country, held the international focus. Seven members of the team initially were granted asylum by the Australian government, but all but two have since returned home. On Saturday at Sydney, two-time champion Japan and Australia will meet in the final for the third time in four Women’s Asian Cups. Japan beat Australia in back-to-back finals in 2014 and 2018.  Japan beat South Korea 4-1 in Sydney in the semifinal on Wednesday, a night after Sam Kerr’s Australia edged defending champion China 2-1 in Perth.

Japan coach Nils Nielsen, a Greenland-born Dane who led Denmark to a runner-up finish at the Women’s Euros in 2017, said his team may turn it up a notch in the final.

“Please don’t tell Australia, but we have played better than we did today - but we were good today and I was happy with them,” Nielsen said after the semifinal win.

“Because it is not easy, you sort of get into a rhythm, and it wasn’t that rhythm. We needed to find more, we needed to find a gear more, and we did.” Nielsen spent part of his post-match interview on Wednesday praising several of the Australian players, including Kerr — “wow, she’s still going strong and is one of the world’s best strikers.” Australia head coach Joe Montemurro echoed Nielsen’s comments.

“Her presence, her aura, in the squad is immense,” Montemurro said of Kerr.

Kerr has scored four goals so far this tournament, with her winning goal against China perhaps the best. After being played into the box, Kerr rounded the goalkeeper but only had a slight angle to work with, and threaded the needle for the goal. “I just watched it while back in the ice bath — not really sure how I got it in, honestly,” Kerr said. Kerr was just 16 years old and scored in the final when the Matildas captured the Asian Cup in 2010 with a win over North Korea on penalties. She reflected on that big moment in Australian soccer history. “I had no idea what I was in for,” Kerr said. “I think that worked in my favour. I went out there and just played and just had fun and didn’t realise how big a deal it was.  “And it was probably only until three Asian Cups later that we hadn’t won anything that I was, Oh, that was actually a big moment.”

Kerr, now 32, will have another shot at a big moment on Saturday night in Sydney.