Gallery: Welcoming back our Asian Cup winners! | OneFootball

Gallery: Welcoming back our Asian Cup winners! | OneFootball

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·24 March 2026

Gallery: Welcoming back our Asian Cup winners!

Article image:Gallery: Welcoming back our Asian Cup winners!

Ayaka Yamashita, Yui Hasegawa and Aoba Fujino are back at the City Football Academy after their heroics with Japan at the Asian Cup.

The trio all played a crucial role in their nation’s triumph in Australia, helping Japan claim the trophy for a third time in their history.


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A 1-0 victory over the hosts in Sydney was enough to reclaim their crown from 2018, with all three City stars and Australia’s Mary Fowler featuring in the showpiece occasion.

Maika Hamano’s stunning strike settled the tie, with Hasegawa providing the assist for the game’s only goal in the first half.

But our Japanese trio’s contributions went far beyond just the final itself, with Yamashita winning the Best Goalkeeper award at the tournament.

Hasegawa and Fujino also provided a combined two goals and five assists across Nadeshiko’s six matches, with Fowler also adding three goal contributions for the Matildas.

And to celebrate Yamashita, Hasegawa and Fujino’s achievement, they were given a stunning bouquet of flowers on arrival back at the CFA.

Check out the best images via the gallery below...

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