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1. TECHNICAL REPORT

2. CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE AFC PRESIDENT TECHNICAL TRENDS STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT GOALSCORING ANALYSIS WINNING COACH TEAM TALK TALKING POINTS TEAM PROFILES TOURNAMENT RESULTS REFEREES AWARDS PLAYERS TO WATCH EXTRA-TIME COMMITTEES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 03 04 20 23 26 31 36 39 52 55 63 65 70 74 76

3. AFC PRESIDENT MESSAGE FROM THE Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa AFC President It gives me great pleasure to present to you one of the most important publications of the AFC’s competitions calendar – the Technical Report for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™. As we all are aware, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ is the pinnacle stage for the Continent’s women’s teams and players and the expanded 12-team edition in 2022 was by all accounts the greatest showcase of the rise of women’s football in Asia. My congratulations again to China PR on securing their record ninth title. In many ways, the values of resilience and perseverance displayed by the Steel Roses to stage one of the most remarkable comebacks ever witnessed in a Final exemplified the collective spirit of partnership observed by all our stakeholders to deliver the tournament under the most challenging of circumstances. Credit must also go to Korea Republic and Japan who will join FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 co-host Australia and special praise must be reserved for the Philippines and Vietnam, whose historic maiden qualification for the global women’s showpiece underlined the narrowing gap between our traditional powerhouses and emerging nations. I would also like to reiterate the gratitude of the Asian football family to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for showing great resolve amidst the challenges and for providing safe and secure conditions for our players and teams, the match officials, the AFC Administration, members of the media as well as our broadcast and commercial partners. The rising standards we witnessed further reinforce the need to examine new trends and I am sure you will agree that the AFC’s Technical Study Group has encapsulated the key technical highlights of the competition in this publication. We must thank them for their in-depth analysis and I am confident this report will be a compelling resource and reference point for tacticians across the Continent particularly as the AFC prepares to usher in a new era of women’s competitions with the impending launch of the AFC Women’s Champions League in 2024. In the pages that follow, the report also presents an overview of the AFC’s match officials, led by our biggest- ever cast of female officials, who were exemplary in the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee system for the first time from the Quarter-final stage, culminating with the appointment of the first-ever all- female team in the Final. At the same time, the record numbers in television viewership as well as those who engaged on our digital platforms is another clear sign that each edition of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ serves as the catalyst to herald new benchmarks of excellence and development. Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to the AFC Technical, Women’s Football, Competitions and Referees Committees for their dedication to continuously raise the standards of Asia’s flagship women’s national team competition and for their unwavering support towards women’s football development. I trust that you will find this Technical Report informative and insightful. MESSAGE MESSAGE MESSAGE MESSAGE MESSAGE 3 Dear friends,

5. 5 GROUP STAGE STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ expanded to 12 teams, the Quarter-final Stage was introduced with China PR, Chinese Taipei, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Korea Republic, Thailand and Vietnam advancing. China PR finished top of Group A with two wins to advance along with Chinese Taipei, who finished three points behind in second. The group was reduced to three teams following host India’s unfortunate withdrawal due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad, with their Matchday One result against debutants Islamic Republic of Iran - a 0-0 draw - declared null and void. Australia cruised to top spot in Group B with three wins, with the Philippines advancing as runners- up while two-time defending champions Japan were the Group C winners, with second-placed Korea Republic also going through. Thailand and Vietnam, the two best third-placed teams, completed the Quarter-final lineup.

6. 6 A perfect Group Stage campaign saw China PR emerge as Group A winners following two impressive displays during which they racked up 11 goals and conceded none. China PR, seeking a record-extending ninth AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ title, opened their campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over three-time champions Chinese Taipei. The India-IR Iran match that followed ended in a 0-0 draw, with the result subsequently voided following India’s COVID-19 forced withdrawal ahead of Matchday Two. That meant China PR would seal a Quarter-final berth with a win over IR Iran in their second tie and head coach Shui Qingxia’s players did so in style as they cruised to a 7-0 victory. A place in the Quarter-finals was at stake when Chinese Taipei and IR Iran met on Matchday Three at the D.Y. Patil Stadium and the East Asian side produced their best in a 5-0 win against the tournament debutants. Top spot meant a Quarter-final against Vietnam for China PR while Chinese Taipei advanced to a meeting with the Philippines. For IR Iran, their debut campaign was an experience which head coach Maryam Irandoost said would boost the development of her players and women’s football in the country. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT GROUP A

7. 7 GROUP B Featuring four ASEAN sides, 2010 champions Australia were the standout side as Tony Gustavsson’s Matildas cruised to three wins - finding the back of the net 24 times and conceding only once. Australia, seeking to win the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ title after losing the 2014 and 2018 finals to Japan, showed their intent on Matchday One as Sam Kerr scored five times in an 18-0 win over Indonesia. Kerr’s five goals took her international haul to 54 and made her Australia’s all- time leading scorer - male or female - as the Matildas sent out a warning to their rivals. The Philippines, meanwhile, boosted their Quarter-final hopes with an impressive 1-0 win over Thailand - their first victory over their ASEAN rivals in 13 meetings. Led by former Australia head coach Alen Stajcic, Philippines faced an even tougher challenge on Matchday Two when they went up against the Matildas at the Mumbai Football Arena. The tie eventually ended 4-0 in favour of the Australians but Philippines walked off the pitch with their heads held high after having held their opponents to a goalless first half. With their Quarter-final spot already booked following their two earlier wins, Australia fielded a changed lineup for their final tie against Thailand, but still registered a 2-1 win with Kerr scoring her seventh goal of the tournament. Philippines continued their impressive run, defeating Indonesia 6-0 to confirm the second spot while there was also cheer for Thailand as they advanced as one of the two best third- placed teams. Australia’s Quarter-final opponents would be Korea Republic with the Philippines drawn to meet Chinese Taipei and Thailand to face off against defending champions Japan. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

8. 8 GROUP C Featuring two-time defending champions Japan and a Korea Republic side aiming to win the title for the first time, Vietnam and Myanmar had it all to do in a tough Group C. Japan, under new head coach Futoshi Ikeda, hit the ground running as they raced to an impressive 5-0 win over Myanmar on Matchday One. Korea Republic also got off to a winning start, defeating a COVID-19 weakened Vietnam 3-0. The opening wins meant both would seal their Quarter-final places with victories on Matchday Two, which they duly achieved as Japan defeated Vietnam 3-0 and Korea Republic beat Myanmar 2-0. That meant their Matchday Three encounter would determine the Group C winners, with the runners- up to face Australia in the Quarter- finals, while there was still all to play for in the Vietnam-Myanmar game as a third-place finish could see them advance to the Knockout Stage. Japan dominated against Korea Republic with Riko Ueki giving them the lead with only seconds on the clock, but a revitalised Korea Republic upped their tempo in the second half and Seo Jiyoun’s equaliser following a goal-mouth scramble five minutes from time earned Colin Bell’s side a point. Myanmar twice led only for Vietnam to claw their way back for a 2-2 draw, a result which ultimately saw Mai Duc Chung’s side book a Quarter-final berth as one of the two best third- placed sides. Vietnam’s reward was a last eight showdown with China PR while Group C winners Japan would face Thailand with Korea Republic facing Australia. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

9. 9 China PR, Korea Republic, Japan and Philippines booked their places in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ Semi-finals and confirmed their spots in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/ New Zealand 2023 with stunning Quarter-final wins. Australia’s shock exit at the hands of Korea Republic meant Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam advanced to a round robin playoff to determine Asia’s fifth representative at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/ New Zealand 2023. QUARTER- FINALS 9 STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

10. 10 CHINESE TAIPEI 1 - 1 PHILIPPINES (Philippines won 4-3 on penalties) The Philippines qualified for their first ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ Semi-finals, defeating Chinese Taipei 4-3 on penalties after their Quarter-final tie ended 1-1 after extra time. On a historic night which saw goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel maketwosavesandscoreoneintheshootout,thePhilippines not only booked an appearance in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ Semi-finals but also a berth in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. After an even first half which saw both sides miss opportunities, the Philippines finally cracked the Chinese Taipei defence open in the 48th minute when Quinley Quezada redirected Katrina Guillou’s header past ‘keeper Cheng Ssu-Yu from close range. Chinese Taipei remained persistent and their determination was rewarded in the 82nd minute when Zhuo Li-Ping stunningly found the top right corner of the net from some 25 yards out for the equaliser to force the match into another 30 minutes. Both teams were visibly tired in extra time, with Chinese Taipei substitute Lin Hsin-Hui coming the closest in the 112th minute. McDaniel’s heroics eventually saw the Philippines prevail 4-3 on penalties to book a semi-final against Korea Republic and seal a berth in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

11. 11 AUSTRALIA 0 - 1 KOREA REPUBLIC Ji Soyun’s late long-range stunner took Korea Republic into the Semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Australia. The Chelsea midfielder thumped her effort home from 25 yards two minutes from time to give the Koreans victory after Cho So Hyun had missed a penalty in a match Australia largely dominated. Sam Kerr had the pick of Australia’s chances, with her first sight of goal coming as early as the seventh minute, but the Chelsea star rifled her effort over the bar. Kerr then saw her header in the 20th minute denied by the woodwork while Korea Republic squandered a great opportunity to take the lead when Cho So Hyun sent her right foot spot-kick high over Lydia Williams’ crossbar in the 40th minute. Choe Yuri then forced Williams into a fine save six minutes after the restart while the goalkeeper was on hand again four minutes later to deny Cho So Hyun’s header. Kerr’s struggles in front of goal continued with 15 minutes remaining when she dragged her effort wide of the goal after substitute Cortnee Vine’s pace down the right flank had put her in position to provide her teammate with a gilt- edged opportunity. Then, with two minutes remaining, Ji hit the winner. Picking up possession 30 yards from goal, she strode forward before unleashing a right foot drive into the top corner that Williams could only admire as Korea Republic advanced into a Semi- final meeting with the Philippines. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

12. 12 CHINA PR 3 - 1 VIETNAM China PR came from behind to defeat Vietnam 3-1 to stay on course for a record-extending ninth AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ title. Wang Shuang, Wang Shanshan and Tang Jiali all starred for Shui Qingxia’s side as they set up a Semi-final clash with defending champions Japan. China PR came into the tie having won their group games without conceding a goal, while Vietnam were vying to chart history by progressing into the Semi-finals and sealing FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification for the first time. Despite China PR dictating the tempo, Vietnam took the lead in the 11th minute with Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung intercepting Yang Lina’s poor clearance from just above the box before striking the ball past goalkeeper Zhu Yu into the bottom left corner. China PR quickly regrouped and were back on level terms in the 25th minute, with Wang Shuang scoring off a rebound after Wang Shanshan forced a fine save from Vietnam custodian Tran Thi Kim Thanh. China PR were a different side in the second half with Wang Shanshan giving them the lead in the 52nd minute when the captain finished off Wang Shuang’s cross by drilling her effort from inside the box. Tang Jiali then caught the Vietnam defence napping a minute later when she found space inside the danger area before unleashing a low drive to etch her name on the scoresheet. Vietnam were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute following Li Mengwen’s handball, but Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy smashed her effort against the bar as China PR held firm to keep their title dreams alive. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

13. 13 Yuika Sugasawa scored four goals as two-time defending champions Japan defeated Thailand 7-0 to book a Semi-final contest against China PR. With Thailand missing several key players in their squad, Japan started as favourites and Futoshi Ikeda’s side took an immediate grip on the match. Mana Iwabuchi, after two attempts in the early stages, had a great chance to put Japan ahead in the 14th minute after Wilaiporn Boothduang fouled Rin Sumida in the penalty box. Goalkeeper Waraporn Boonsing, however, judged correctly to deny Iwabuchi’s spot-kick with the rebound cleared. There was, however, little the goalkeeper could do to deny Japan their opener in the 27th minute when Sugasawa’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box proved too powerful for the custodian to stop. Thailand continued to bravely deny their opponents but were hit again in first half stoppage time, with Hinata Miyazawa scoring from close range following a goalmouth melee. Any hope Thailand had of a possible comeback was dashed three minutes into the second half with Rin Sumida scoring Japan’s third with a right footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner. With Thailand visibly tiring, Japan maintained a high tempo and their constant pressure saw them earn another spot- kick in the 64th minute with Phonphirun Philawan penalised for bringing Sugasawa down, and the striker converted from the spot with a well-placed shot into the bottom right corner. With Thailand’s resistance broken, it rained goals for Japan in the remaining minutes with Riko Ueki scoring their fifth in the 75th from the right side of the penalty box. Sugasawa completed her hat-trick five minutes later with an effort from just outside the box and added her fourth with a header in the 80th minute as Japan stayed on course for a hat-trick of AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ titles. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT JAPAN 7 - 0 THAILAND

14. 14 Having seen their hopes of earning automatic qualification dashed by Quarter-final defeats, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam had one final chance to earn a direct ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023 - via the round robin playoff. Vietnam, almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak that had severely weakened their squad at the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™, met Thailand in the first match of the playoff. Unfortunately, it was a severely weakened Thailand side with Vietnam ultimately registering a 2-0 win thanks to first half goals from captain Huynh Nhu and Thai Thi Thao. That meant Thailand faced a make-or-break clash against Chinese Taipei two days later but despite a valiant effort, the Southeast Asian side fell 3-0 as their hopes of qualifying automatically for a third FIFA Women’s World Cup were dashed. The 3-0 win meant Chinese Taipei only needed to avoid defeat against Vietnam to book a return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in 31 years and the showdown at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai was a thriller. Chuong Thi Kieu gave Vietnam a dream start with a seventh minute lead but Su Yu-Hsuan, who had scored twice in the 3-0 win over Thailand - drew Chinese Taipei level in the 50th minute. Vietnam, however, upped their tempo and Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy scored their winner in the 56th minute to book their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals for the first time in history. For Chinese Taipei and Thailand, there is still hope of qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/New Zealand as they advanced to the Inter-Confederation Playoffs scheduled for February 2023. PLAY- OFFS STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

15. 15 China PR and Korea Republic confirmed their places in the Final after contrasting performances which saw the Steel Roses sensationally overcome two-time defending champions Japan on penalties and Korea Republic register a comfortable 2-0 win over the Philippines. China PR’s nail-biting victory kept them on track for a record-extending ninth AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ title while Korea Republic qualified for their first ever Final. SEMI- FINALS STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT 15

16. 16 SEMI-FINALS KOREA REPUBLIC 2 - 0 PHILIPPINES Korea Republic’s first ever appearance in the Final was sealed early, with Cho So Hyun and Son Hwa Yeon scoring in the first half. Seeking to create history, Korea Republic wasted no time in applying heavy pressure from the get-go and opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute when Player of the Match Cho headed in Kim Hyeri’s corner kick past Philippines goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel. The Philippines were undeterred by the early setback and Sofia Harrison’s attempt from distance six minutes later showed they meant business. The Taeguk Ladies, however, continued to hold the lion’s share of possession and came close through Son’s efforts in the 15th and 19th minutes, but goalkeeper McDaniel’s safe hands kept the Philippines in the game. Despite having to play on the counter-attack, Philippines had their moments with Katrina Guillou giving the Koreans a scare in the 24th minute when her long-range strike missed by mere inches. Korea Republic, however, looked dangerous every time they surged forward and doubled their lead in the 34th minute when an unmarked Son tapped in Choo Hyojoo’s cross. Chances were harder to come by for both sides in a tight second half as Korea Republic advanced to their first Final. For the Philippines, there was also cheer despite the defeat with the Southeast Asians having confirmed an inaugural appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

17. 17 China PR defeated Japan 4-3 on penalties in a stunning semi-final to advance. In an epic match which ended 2-2 after extra time, goalkeeper Zhu Yu and captain Wang Shanshan played starring roles as China PR moved within one match of winning a record-extending ninth AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ title. It was a well deserved victory as China PR came from behind twice, with Wang Shanshan netting their second equaliser in the final minute of extra time. Zhu Yu then saved two of Japan’s penalties with skipper Wang Shanshan scoring the fifth spot-kick to take her team into the Final. Japan, seeking a third consecutive title, made their intentions clear in the first minute with Hinata Miyazawa testing Zhu Yu from distance, while Riko Ueki missed a golden opportunity to put the defending champions ahead three minutes later from inside the box. Japan continued to press and China PR’s defence was finally breached in the 26th minute when Miyazawa burst down the left flank and sent a perfect cross to Ueki, who scored with a glancing header. China PR drew level just a minute into the restart, with Xiao Yuyi muscling her way past a marker before sending a delightful ball to Wu Chengshu to finish. Japan dominated for the remainder of the second half but missed opportunities meant extra-time, which again saw the defending champions struggling to put their chances away. Japan’s persistence finally paid off in the 103rd minute, with Ueki beating the China PR offside trap to finish off Yui Hasegawa’s free-kick with a diving header. It was, however, not the winning goal Japan had hoped for as a resilient China PR forced the game into a penalty shootout with skipper Wang Shanshan scoring a dramatic 119th minute equaliser. Goalkeeper Zhu Yu then saved the first and fifth penalties and Wang Shanshan, fittingly, scored the winner from the spot as China PR advanced to their first Final since 2008. CHINA PR 2 - 2 JAPAN STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS (China PR won 4-3 on penalties)

18. 18 China PR were crowned AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ champions for a record-extending ninth time thanks to an amazing 3-2 win over Korea Republic at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. Head coach Shui Qingxia’s side produced a brilliant fightback, scoring three times in the final quarter of the game after trailing 2-0 at half-time. China PR’s stunning success provided a fitting climax to a hugely successful tournament which had also provided a myriad of momentous moments to further underline the growth of women’s football throughout Asia. For most who had been following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™, China PR and Korea Republic contesting the Final was something they would not have expected. THE FINAL STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT CHINA PR 3 - 2 KOREA REPUBLIC

19. 19 Both, however, deserved their places after having seen off the challenges of heavy favourites Japan and Australia en route to their showdown in the tournament decider. China PR had shown tremendous grit and resilience to defeat Japan on penalties in the Semi-final - having come from behind twice to force penalties - while Korea Republic showed they are worthy of being ranked as one of the Continent’s biggest teams following their 1-0 defeat of Australia in the Quarter-finals. It was a Final too close to call as China PR were featuring in the decider for the first time since 2008 while Korea Republic’s previous best had been the Semi-finals. China PR, unbeaten in seven previous meetings with Korea Republic, started the game brightly and had the first look at goal within seconds when Wu Chengshu played the ball to Tang Jiali just above the area, but the midfielder’s effort was easily dealt with by Korea Republic goalkeeper Kim Jung Mi. China PR continued to press with Zhang Xin trying from 35 yards out while Wang Shuang saw her effort in the 10th minute saved by Kim. Korea Republic began to see more of the ball as the half progressed and were rewarded with their first look at goal in the 27th minute, with Lee Geummin breaking into the box before sending a cross to Choe Yuri to score what was the 100th goal of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™. With Korea Republic in the ascendancy, China PR survived a scare at the half-hour mark, goalkeeper Zhu Yu pulling off a point-blank save to deny Lim Seonjoo’s header off a free-kick. China PR, however, suffered more woe in the closing stages of the first half when a VAR review saw Korea Republic awarded a penalty for Yao Lingwei’s handball, with Ji Soyun converting from the spot. China PR head coach Shui - a five-time AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ winner as a player - sent on Xiao Yuyi and Zhang Rui at the start of the second half to force their way back into the game but Korea Republic gave them little room to operate in the early stages. China PR, however, received a lifeline in the 68th minute when they were awarded a penalty for Lee Youngju’s handball, with Tang Jiali netting from the spot to spark what would end as a magnificent comeback. Boosted by the goal, China PR began to dictate play and drew level four minutes later thanks to some poor defending by Korea Republic. Tang Jiali did well to beat two defenders before sending a delightful cross into the six-yard-box for an unmarked Zhang Linyan to nod home the equaliser. Korea Republic could have then won it at the death but goalkeeper Zhu Yu pulled off a one-handed save before defender Wang Xiaoxue blocked Son Hwayeon’s effort. Having escaped, China PR broke Korea Republic’s hearts in added time with substitute Xiao Yuyi stunningly finishing off Wang Shanshan’s pass as a hugely unexpected but gratefully accepted record-extending ninth title was won. More joy was to follow as skipper Wang Shanshan was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Zhu Yu picked up the Best Goalkeeper Award, with both having played integral roles in China PR’s return to the top of Asian football. STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

21. 21 Seeing Shui Qingxia with the AFC Women’s Asian CupTM trophy was to travel back in time - to the era between 1986 and 1997 when she lifted the trophy five times as a midfielder in the China PR team that won seven successive finals without conceding a goal. Barely three months after returning to the national team as head coach, Shui demonstrated that she has not lost her golden touch. Although China PR are the most successful nation in the competition’s history, victory in India ended a 16-year wait for the Steel Roses to blossom again. For Shui, one of the keys to success was to blow dust off the national identity. “There are areas for the Chinese women’s team to improve,” she told the- AFC.com before the tournament kicked off, “and the most important, in my opinion, is that I hope we can play to our own characteristics in future matches.” She acknowledged that, as was the case with other contestants, the pandemic had disturbed preparations for the final tournament. “We did not have the opportunity to play warm-up games against strong teams,” she commented, “but I was able to observe players in the league which went ahead as scheduled and ensured regular training.” Shui concedes that women’s football in Asia might lag behind the top European teams in terms of fitness and athletic conditioning. But she focused on mental rather than physical strength. “When I was a player,” she recalled, “we didn’t bother too much about mental aspects. It was about improving ourselves physically. But young players nowadays are more sensitive and need more encouragement.” “My players restored the Steel Roses’ spirit and never gave up on the pitch,” she said after the Final. “We might lose games, but we will never lose in an easy way. That’s my football philosophy.” Her team responded by refusing to lose, rewarding her with three comeback victories in the Knockout Stage. “Before the shoot-out against Japan in the Semi- final, “I told my players to relax and stay confident,” she revealed. “And at half-time in the Final when we were 2-0 down to Korea Republic, I asked them if SHUI MAKES STEEL ROSES SHINE WINNING COACH WINNING COACH WINNING COACH WINNING 21

22. 22 they wanted to end the game doing nothing or fighting for everyone who was watching our match back home. They all said they would go all out and, in that moment, I knew we could turn the game around.” The 3-2 victory confirmed Shui’s status as a serial winner, having won a string of league titles and a hat-trick of Best Coach awards in club football at Shanghai before heading for India as one of three female coaches at the final tournament – and winning it, just as Asako Takakura had done at the AFC Women’s Asian CupTM in 2018; Jill Ellis had done with the USA at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019; and Sarina Wiegman had done with the Netherlands at EURO 2017. Shui shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think coaching is about gender,” she said. “It’s about quality. We female coaches should have the confidence that we can do a good job. The AFC has done a lot for female coach education in recent years, but Member Associations should be encouraged to give more opportunities to female coaches.” Shui, making a spectacular start in what she describes as a ‘glorious and challenging job’, regards being a role model as an important part of the coach’s job. “Winning the title means a lot to me and the whole China PR team,” she said after the Final. “The victory gives us direction for new goals. Everyone in the team will be motivated. There will be obstacles along the way, but we will do our best for the future development of women’s football in China PR.” WINNING COACH WINNING COACH WINNING COACH WINNING

24. 24 During the 12-team event in India, medical protocols were often barriers to communication. But, amid the exceptional circumstances generated by the pandemic, the coaches’ voices could still be heard. These are a few of their observations on the tournament and the status of women’s football in Asia. “Women’s football has developed fast in Asia and all over the World. I didn’t realise that the tournament would be that hard. Despite winning the long-awaited championship, I urge all the players and fans to calm down. The trophy will definitely help players restore confidence and improve their abilities, but there’s still a long way to go for the Chinese team to reboot and become the top tier team in the world again.” Shui Qingxia (China PR) “I’m really happy that Korea Republic reached the final for the first time. The girls worked tremendously hard, the whole tournament and before it. Getting to the Final is such a big achievement for us all. I know what the players are capable of and I have said all along that we are capable of beating any team. But certain criteria still need to be fulfilled.” Colin Bell (Korea Republic) “To win two games in the tournament for the first time and qualify for the World Cup gave us so many special moments that added to the belief and confidence among the players. To take this group, who are so dedicated, so determined, with so much discipline, so much heart, so much spirit, considering what they’ve had to overcome to this point, I don’t think I’ve ever had to coach a group who’s had so many hurdles to overcome just in our preparation let alone in a tournament. And to get to this level, and to fight, compete until the last kick of a Semi-final is a truly remarkable effort.” Alen Stajcic (Philippines) TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM

25. 25 “Communication was the key. Our staff worked very close together and were very interactive and the number one success factor was communication. Even though the result was not as we wanted, I have to say with all the challenges with the COVID protocols, I think it was one of the best camps that I have been around with, when it came to communication and energy between staff. The support staff were amazing, and I can’t credit them enough. The strength in the team is the family feeling, comradery, and the connection between the players. And the pride; how proud they are to represent the country and the Matildas.” Tony Gustavsson (Australia) “Our team had high spirit and strong determination. We encouraged every player to try and perform to the best of her ability, without worrying about results. There was a passing thought of withdrawal from this tournament, but then we managed it well, with players travelling in different batches. COVID is a global issue. It had a serious impact on everything and was a big problem for us. Yet we were able to give our team the best conditions to train and also arrange an overseas training camp with good support from our Federation.” Mai Duc Chung (Vietnam) “To cope with the mental stress the pandemic has left on the players, we tried as much as possible to arrange things together, such as a barbecue or breaks for the players to go shopping, but in a very controlled manner. We got suggestions from the players about what they wanted. We did as much as we could and we brought in someone to help them talk about the stress they were going through.” Miyo Okamoto (Thailand) “We faced many challenges and problems with the players’ availability and gatherings because of COVID. Of course this was faced by all countries around the world, so we had to adapt and live with it. As a Federation, we tackled it together.” Tin Myint Aung (Myanmar) “Our participation in the Women’s Asian Cup made a huge impact on the promotion and development of women’s football in IR Iran because we changed attitudes and proved that women can play football at high-level matches. On the occasion of Mother’s Day in IR Iran, our player with her six-month-old baby here in the tournament became very popular with all the country back home. It has given us much-needed awareness and support for the team.” Maryam Irandoost (IR Iran) “The team wants to come back to the Asian Cup ‘Inshallah’ to prove we came home better from this tournament. Like a baby, we are born again. The baby doesn’t go to school, as we don’t have competitions. But now we are trying to stand up, walk and run in the future, to try to catch Australia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Japan.” Rudy Eka Priyambada (Indonesia) “All the players have the potential to improve, and I believe they can. I want us to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. So, we have set standards with this team.” Kazuo Echigo (Chinese Taipei) “For Asian countries to improve, it is essential to develop leagues, strengthen the grassroots and experience international matches against European and United States teams. The Southeast Asian region of Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines are improving well. The level is getting high. Every team has opportunities to score and there are key players in several teams. In general, all teams are improving.” Futoshi Ikeda (Japan) “For the last three to five years, every association has been taking women’s football seriously and it has become more attractive for coaches, males or females. If we look at the way Japan play, the technical abilities the girls have, it is fantastic to watch. And what we need is to get out there for the whole world to see and judge. We need to push the women’s game. The girls can play! They work hard and train hard. So let’s enjoy what we see. If you have a clear plan, clear vision of what’s happening in your own country, this will improve the level of football. Asia will look forward to the World Cup.” Colin Bell (Korea Republic) TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM TALK TEAM

27. 27 The tournament deserved two trophies. One for the champion; the other for the people who, in exceptional circumstances, managed to successfully deliver a 25-match event. In an ideal world, the word ‘Covid’ would have no place among technical topics. But, as a dozen teams lined up for the expanded tournament in India, the world was not ideal. The pandemic made an impact on team performances and on the competition itself – a factor which evidently influenced the detection of trends at the top end of the women’s game. The strict biosecurity bubbles and protocols, essential to prioritising health and wellbeing, affected day-to-day activities such as meetings, downtime pursuits, matchday walks or team bonding. The ritual of PCR testing generated anxiety while waiting for results and dealing with the consequences. Unfortunately for Team India, the worst- case scenario occurred on the morning of their second match against Chinese Taipei, when an outbreak left them with less than 13 players and, in line with tournament regulations, sadly led to the hosts’ withdrawal. All other teams were affected but, fortunately, to a lesser extent. Thailand, for example, had nine players unavailable for their Quarter-final against Japan and for their first Playoff match. But not the same nine. Coaches admitted that uncertainty about team selection was a constant source of anxiety amongst players and staff, who also had to cope with long periods of isolation in hotel rooms. The toll on mental wellbeing added to the workloads of the sports psychologists who accompanied many of the teams. Several coaches, looking for positive angles, regarded the exceptional scenario as a ‘test of resilience’. But, from a human perspective, it was hard to quantify the impact on performances of individuals or teams. The AFC’s head of women’s football, Bai Lili, captained a team of technical observers at the final tournament and this report is based on observations made by Letecia Callejas Bautista (Philippines), Maymol Nedugadan Rockey (India), Raeanne Maree Dower (Australia), Soleen Hamed Tawfiq Al-Zoubi (Jordan), Anjana Shivaji Turambekar (India) and Kalpana Dass (India). LEVELS OF INTENSITY The tournament revealed the strata currently visible within Asian women’s football. The AFC technical observers in India put Australia, China PR, Japan and Korea Republic on a top tier in terms of their ability to produce and sustain high-intensity performances in line with top professional standards. The rung below might be described as university level – some members of the Philippine squad, for example, play their club football with college teams in the USA, where the parameters are semi-professional. And, in a majority of AFC MAs, women’s football is essentially an amateur game. At a major international tournament, physical fitness is obviously a core element. Even though preparation programmes were often disrupted by the pandemic, the observers felt that teams such as Myanmar and the Philippines had worked hard on their athletic conditioning, with Alen Stajcic, head coach of the latter, rating this aspect as top priority at a 10-week preparation camp. Other teams, especially when having to cope with the heat at early afternoon kick-offs, ran into problems with fatigue. Intensity, however, is not exclusively about physical fitness, but also about mindsets and sustained concentration. The observers picked out Ellie Carpenter as a prime example of ‘the high-intensity player’ with, as they put it, “outstanding physical capacity to make repeated efforts and to run with the ball at speed as a great example of the modern full- back who advances high up the pitch, overlapping and underlapping with high frequency”. Significantly, after a spell in the USA league with Portland Thorns, Carpenter currently plays her club football for serial European champions Olympique Lyonnais, where standards are professional par excellence and the French league is highly competitive. As technical observer Letecia Bautista remarked, “you cannot understate the importance of big- game experience and awareness.” It was a reminder that competitive standards of national club competitions are crucial if players are to scale the highest echelons of international football. This was emphasised by the fact that the top teams at the final tournament had players in strong European leagues. China PR coach Shui Qingxia, when asked to comment on Tang Jiali’s move to England’s Women’s Super League club Tottenham Hotspur, said, “I support players going abroad. On the one hand it helps them update their understanding of modern football. On the other hand, it gives opportunities for interaction with international players from other countries. Players gain better self-awareness. And high-quality matches build self-confidence.” TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS

28. 28 UNDER PRESSURE? The high-intensity game usually requires the capacity to react to losses of possession in advanced areas with collective high pressing. Japan, until running out of steam during the Semi-final against China PR which went to extra- time, systematically set out to press aggressively high up the pitch, as did Australia, while the two finalists tended to exercise this option when the game situation required it. No less than 22% of Australia’s ball-winning was in the attacking third, with Japan hard on their heels with 21%. Towards the other end of the scale: Vietnam with 4% and Chinese Taipei with 6%. Korea Republic would indulge in a collective high press when opponents attempted to play out from their goalkeeper but would otherwise focus on assembling a lower defensive block. It could be argued that climatic conditions provided a deterrent but, as AFC’s head of women’s football Bai Lili commented, “the overall impression is that we rarely saw genuine high pressing.” In India, some teams made attempts to regain possession in advanced areas by pressing the ball – some more tenaciously than others. But, in many cases, the pressure was at lukewarm temperatures – more of a token gesture, without fierce intent to win the ball. The general tendency was to harry the ball-carrier as a ploy to buy enough time for transitions into mid-block defending or retreat into a deep-lying defensive unit often, as was the case with Myanmar, for example, very compact through the central channels with a view to encouraging opponents to play wide in their own half. THE COUNTER ARGUMENT The technical observers reflected that teams generally marked tight, defended the long ball extremely well, showed good anticipation and were well organised in their defensive roles. Centre-backs such as Japan’s Saki Kumagai, Korea Republic’s Lim Seonjoo or Myanmar’s Khin Than Wai were robust in 1v1 defending, dominant in the air, read the game well and showed leadership qualities. The same applied to China PR’s Wang Shanshan – a special case in that she was equally comfortable leading the attack as leading the defence. Or Vietnam’s Chuong Thi Kieu, the only genuine sweeper on show at the final tournament in her team’s 1-5-4-1 formation. Although ball-winning was so often in midfield or the defensive third, successful counterattacks were so few and far between that they supplied only six of the tournament’s 104 goals. What’s more, three of them stemmed from regains in advanced areas. Two were collective counters and only one was a classic counterattack from a deep position. Ironically, the best example was a classic counter by Vietnam which was declared offside by the VAR referee. But systematic counterattacking at pace was conspicuous by its absence in a tournament where defence-to-attack transitions did not stand out among the most salient features. A WINNING COMBINATION? The standard of combination play was, on the other hand, a stand-out feature with Japan’s short-passing interchanges in all sectors of the pitch setting benchmarks, while Australia, China PR and Korea Republic also set out to pass their way through the thirds as a key concept in their playing philosophy. They were not alone, as Myanmar, Thailand (with Japanese coach Miyo Okamoto) and Vietnam also based their game on combination play, whereas Indonesia, IR Iran and Chinese Taipei preferred more direct styles based on deliveries to a central or wide target striker whose role was to hold up the ball until support from behind became available. To illustrate the contrast, almost one-third (32% to be precise) of Chinese Taipei’s passing during the Quarter- final against the Philippines was long. On the same day, Japan’s percentage against Thailand was 7.6%. Statistics on ball-possession provide guidance on the teams who set out to play combination football, with Japan and Australia clearly leading the field. The fact that a lion’s share of the ball offers no guarantee of success was borne out by the latter’s 65% share of possession when they were eliminated by Korea Republic, with Japan then suffering a similar outcome when they had 63% of TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS

29. 29 the ball in the Semi-final against China PR, only to lose in a shoot-out. Japan executed more passes than any other team in the tournament and did so with greater accuracy than anyone else, as demonstrated by the table where the column marked PFT refers to passes in the final third, where the champions were the most effective in terms of delivering passes to teammates. However, the thought-provoking bottom line to this section is the scarcity of an end product. In spite of the high-quality approach work, only five goals resulted directly from combination moves – one by China PR and two apiece by Australia and Japan. No other team scored in this way. WING COMMANDERS Statistics reveal that in the Semi-final against Japan 83% of the champions’ attacking was via the wings. Of China PR’s 19 goals, seven were conjured up by the cross + finish formula. The AFC technical observers commented that “full-backs and wingers were often seen interchanging positions during attacking play in the wide areas and, among the possession-based teams, there were high demands for full-backs to overlap and underlap.” They also highlighted outstanding contributions by players who fully embraced the role of the modern full- back, starting with the Australian pair of Ellie Carpenter on the right and Stephanie Catley on the left. There was also special mention for Korea Republic full-backs Kim Hyeri and, on the left, Choo Hyojoo. In the final, 44% of the attacking moves by China PR were along the right flank, where Lou Jiahui incessantly pushed forward from her right-back position. Ditto Risa Shimizu, who played a prominent role in wing play by Japan, who scored five of their 18 goals from crosses. “All of them were highly involved in the final third,” the observers reported, “running with the ball at high speed, participating actively in combination moves, delivering high-quality crosses and diagonals and, sometimes, getting into shooting positions and scoring goals. They were all highly influential key players for their teams.” But, again, there were question marks about the end product. Australia, during the defeat by Korea Republic, delivered 23 crosses of which only five reached a teammate. Japan wrote a similar script in their 2-2 draw with China PR in the Semi-final, when their wing play generated 26 crosses of which five were received by a teammate. Staying with the topic of the end product, one of the eyebrow-raising features of the tournament was that not a single goal originated in a cut-back from areas close to the bye-line – a fertile source of goals in the men’s game. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Long-range shooting paid substantial dividends, providing 21% of the open-play goals scored at the tournament – the second most productive source after crossing. Attempts from outside the box accounted for three of the Philippines’ eight goals and two of Thailand’s five. One of the two scored by Korea Republic made an impact on the tournament, given that the 87th-minute strike by Ji Soyun eliminated Australia. Team Possession Japan 69.62% Australia 69.52% China PR 61.39% Korea Republic 55.12% Thailand 47.64% Vietnam 41.54% Philippines 40.42% Chinese Taipei 38.68% Indonesia 36.34% Myanmar 35.55% IR Iran 32.33% Team Accuracy PFT Japan 83.1% 71.9% China PR 81.8% 72.0% Australia 81.4% 70.2% TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS Team Accuracy PFT Korea Republic 77.4% 65.1% Thailand 68.9% 54.2% Vietnam 67.0% 49.2% Myanmar 66.6% 48.6% Philippines 62.8% 42.9% Indonesia 58.6% 23.6% IR Iran 58.3% 26.4% Chinese Taipei 56.2% 39.9%

30. 30 This facet of the attacking game can be linked to the lack of goals resulting from combination play, as several teams encountered difficulties when attempting to play through central areas populated by compact defensive blocks. Japan, who did attempt to play through packed defences, scored only one of their 18 goals from outside the box. However, the potential value of long-range shooting is not exclusively about the number of goals it creates. Against deep defensive blocks, striking at goal from outside the box can generate doubts among defenders about how deeply they can afford to drop or whether they should advance outside the penalty area with a view to blocking or discouraging the shot. In addition, long-range shots can take deflections and rebounds which can generate moments of chaos in otherwise well-organised defences. The debating point among coaches is to what extent players should be encouraged to try their luck from long range – and practise this speciality in training – when statistics indicate that most goals are scored from central areas inside the box. KEEPING UP Successes from long range can sometimes be interpreted as a slight on the standard of goalkeeping. But this was categorically not the case in India, where the AFC technical observers noted a marked improvement in the general standard. Keepers, they reported, were active in initiating build-up play and, in many cases, alert and fast when it came to covering spaces behind high back lines. Teams who preferred a more direct style of attacking relied heavily on the accuracy of their goalkeeper’s distribution. The observers also highlighted that the keepers, in general, were vocal in organising their defensive line, directing teammates and playing a commanding role in the penalty area. In this department, praise was by no means directed exclusively at the keepers in the top-tier teams. Despite shipping a dozen goals in two games, IR Iran’s Zohreh Koudaei was signalled by technical observers as “a key player with strong wrists, great shot-stopping ability and aerial dominance. She also had communication and organisational skills, bravery and leadership qualities.” Six of the goalkeepers had save ratios of 70% or more. And there were multiple candidates for a place between the posts in the tournament’s all-star squad, alongside China PR’s Zhu Yu, the recipient of the Best Goalkeeper award after the Final. BOUNCING BACK TO WIN The final tournament produced eight matches in which both teams scored and was won by the team that specialised in comebacks. In the Quarter-final, Shui Qingxia’s side came from 1-0 down to beat Vietnam 3-1. In the Semi-final against Japan, they equalised in the penultimate minute of extra-time and held their nerves in the penalty shoot-out. And, in the Final, they won the title by bouncing back from a 2-0 half-time deficit and scoring an added-time winner. China PR showed exceptional resilience, mental strength and an outstanding rebound mentality. The technical observers agreed that they were worthy winners of a tournament which was memorable for so many diverse reasons. TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS TECHNICAL TRENDS

32. 32 The 25 games played during the expanded final tournament in India produced 104 goals at an average of 4.16 goals per match. The figure appears to compare favourably with the 3.88 registered at the eight-team event in Jordan in 2018. But does it? Let’s face it, the 2022 statistics were seriously distorted by Australia’s 18-0 victory over a young, inexperienced Indonesian team. If that fixture is subtracted, the average descends to 3.58. Healthy figures nonetheless, even though the 7-0 victories by China PR over IR Iran and Japan over Thailand, if they are added to Australia’s exceptional score, mean that three matches accounted for almost one-third (31% to be precise) of the total. The bottom line is that, in this case, statistics can be misleading. Goalscoring patterns were often contradictory. But some of them underlined the importance of efficiency in front of goal. For example, Australia were – unsurprisingly – the tournament’s top scorers with 24 goals. But the Matildas went home earlier than they would have liked because their scoring touch deserted them at the most inopportune moment. During their 1-0 Quarter-final defeat against Korea Republic, only two of their 15 goal attempts were on target. Japan took aim 22 times in their Semi-final against China PR (whose total was seven), but only six attempts were on target. It was a similar story for the Philippines in the other Semi-final against Korea Republic, when only one of the team’s nine strikes was accurately directed. The final balance of the tournament was that of 696 goal attempts, 15% hit the net – in other words, just over one in seven was successful. This actually compares favourably with the average of one goal per 9.2 attempts registered at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 and, in India, the average of 13.9 shots per team per game compared with 12.9 at the FIFA event in France. The goalscoring chart below breaks down the 104 goals into categories. DECEPTIVE DATA? GOALSCORING ANALYSIS GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

33. 33 GOALS FROM SET PLAY CORNERS PENALTIES 14 FREE KICKS (INDIRECT) 4 FREE KICKS (DIRECT) 2 THROW-INS 2 12 GOALS FROM OPEN PLAY COMBINATIONS OWN GOALS 5 RUNNING WITH THE BALL 3 FORWARD PASSES 15 LONG-RANGE SHOTS 15 CROSSES 21 2 DIAGONALS CUT-BACKS 4 0 DEFENSIVE ERRORS 5 ACTION GUIDELINES GOALS Corners Direct from / following a corner 14 Free kicks (direct) Direct from a free kick 2 Free kicks (indirect) Following a free kick 4 Penalties Spot kick (or follow-up from a penalty) 12 Throw-ins Following a throw-in 2 ACTION GUIDELINES GOALS Combinations Wall pass / combination move 5 Crosses Cross from the wing 21 Cut-backs Pass back from the bye-line 0 Diagonals Diagonal pass into the penalty box 4 Running with the ball Dribble and close-range shot / dribble and pass 3 Long-range shots Direct shot / shot and rebound 15 Forward passes Through pass or pass over the defence 15 Defensive errors Bad back-pass / mistake by the goalkeeper 5 Own goals Goal by the opponent 2 TOTAL GOALS SCORED : 104 GOALSCORING ANALYSIS GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

34. 34 GOALSCORING ANALYSIS GOALSCORING ANALYSIS SET PLAYS Set plays accounted for 33% of the goals scored in India – a statistic that might raise a few eyebrows. It aligns, however, with percentages at other major national team tournaments, such as the 32% at the men’s equivalent competition in 2019 or, if we continue to look at the men’s game, the 35% registered at the last FIFA World Cup in 2018. On the other hand, at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, dead-ball situations accounted for 27% of the goals, while club competitions habitually offer lower dividends more in line with the 24% during the 2021 edition of the men’s AFC Champions League™. As a conditioning factor, it could be argued that club football offers greater opportunities to analyse opponents’ dead-ball routines. A dozen successfully converted spot kicks meant that 36% of the set play goals were penalties – again, pretty much in line with the last men’s tournament, where they accounted for 37%. The most prolific source of dead-ball successes was, however, the corner kick. Six of them featured among the tournament’s top 10 set-play goals, with Vietnam supplying half of them. Their 18 corners provided three of the team’s seven goals during the tournament. In this department the statistics are surprising. Nobody could rival Vietnam’s success rate of 1:6. But an overall balance of one goal per 19 corners contrasted sharply with the men’s tournament in 2019, where the success rate had been 1:40 or the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, where the ratio was 1:36. Only six of the tournament’s 104 goals stemmed from free kicks – two direct and four indirect. Having said that, the two direct successes were spectacular enough to earn top spots among the best set-play goals: Hikaru Naomoto’s strike for Japan against Myanmar; and Chen Ying-Hui’s for Chinese Taipei against Thailand. Likewise, two of the indirect variety were outstanding: Yui Hasegawa’s delivery which allowed Riko Ueki to head Japan into a 2-1 lead in the 13th minute of extra-time in the Semi-final against China PR; and another headed goal by Philippines’ Sarina Bolden following a free kick on the left by Jessica Miclat. OPEN PLAY Wing play was once again the dominant feature in goalscoring patterns, but less so than in past competitions. Crosses were the source of 21 goals – 31% of the open- play total. The figure could be enlarged to 35% if the four diagonals from wide areas are included. Even so, it is below the 40% registered at the men’s equivalent competition in 2019. However, the most surprising (and thought- provoking) statistic to emerge from the tournament in India was that no goals at all could be traced to a cut-back from areas close to the bye-line. China PR drew the greatest dividends from the cross + finish formula, using it to score seven of their 19 goals, ahead of Japan (5) and Australia and Korea Republic (3). Crosses also provided three of the tournament’s top 10 goals – but in different ways. The Choe Yu-ri goal that put Korea Republic ahead against China PR in the Final stemmed from neat approach play on the right and a driven low cross. By contrast, the goal that brought the champions level at 2-2 was a header by Zhang Linyan following a lofted cross to the far post by Tang Jiali from a position near the bye-line after she had wriggled between two defenders. The AFC technical observers at the tournament, by the way, noted a high standard of heading ability, as illustrated by Riko Ueki’s opener against Myanmar. The Japan striker was two behind Australia’s Sam Kerr in the scoring chart, but three of her five goals were headers. Also on five goals, China PR’s Wang Shanshan deserves credit for completing a hat-trick: two goals with her right foot; two with her left; and one header. Another significant statistic was that long-range shooting produced 21% of the tournament’s open-play goals. Four of them were sufficiently striking to earn places in the top 10, with pride of place going to Ji Soyun’s shot from distance – not just for the power and accuracy of her 87th- minute strike, but also for its significance as the only goal of the game and the one that eliminated Australia. This aspect is featured in the technical topics section of this report. The through pass also delivered 21% of the open-play goals, including the one which earned China PR the trophy: Wang Shanshan’s delightful, slightly scooped pass into the path of Xiao Yuyi’s run towards space behind the Korea Republic centre-backs to score the winner timed at 90+3. A memorable goal to round off a memorable tournament.

35. 35 TOP GOALS SET PLAY VIDEO LINK Ranking Player No. Team Match Time Type 1 Hikaru Naomoto 8 Japan Japan vs Myanmar 52' Direct Free-Kick 2 Chen Ying-Hui 20 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei vs Thailand 93' Direct Free-Kick 3 Aivi Luik 3 Australia Australia vs Indonesia 78' Corner 4 Riko Ueki 19 Japan China PR vs Japan 103' Indirect Free-Kick 5 Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung 7 Vietnam Vietnam vs Myanmar 47' Corner 6 Sarina Bolden 18 Philipines Indonesia vs Philipines 27' Indirect Free-Kick 7 Nipawan Panyosuk 8 Thailand Australia vs Thailand 93' Corner 8 Chuong Thi Kieu 3 Vietnam Chinese Taipei vs Vietnam 7' Corner 9 Kanyanat Chetthabutr 13 Thailand Indonesia vs Thailand 27' Corner 10 Thai Thi Thao 11 Vietnam Thailand vs Vietnam 24' Corner VIDEO LINK TOP GOALS OPEN PLAY Ranking Player No. Team Match Time Type 1 Ji Soyun 10 Korea Republic Australia vs Korea Republic 87' Long-Range Shot 2 Riko Ueki 19 Japan Japan vs Korea Republic 1' Solo Action 3 Riko Ueki 19 Japan Japan vs Myanmar 22' Cross 4 Ellie Carpenter 21 Australia Australia vs Indonesia 49' Long-Range Shot 5 Yui Hasegawa 14 Japan Japan vs Myanmar 47' Combination Play 6 Zhuo Li-Ping 6 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei vs Philipines 82' Long-Range Shot 7 Choe Yuri 11 Korea Republic China PR vs Korea Republic 27' Cross 8 Zhang Linyan 19 China PR China PR vs Korea Republic 72' Cross 9 Yui Narumiya 17 Japan Japan vs Myanmar 70' Long-Range Shot 10 Xiao Yuyi 20 China PR China PR vs Korea Republic 93' Through Pass GOALSCORING ANALYSIS GOALSCORING ANALYSIS

37. 37 The coaches in India expressed enthusiastic support for the expansion of the final tournament to 12 teams, on the basis that allowing more teams to taste top-level international competition is highly positive for the development of women’s football in Asia. At the same time, there were some reservations about the 12-team format which spells elimination for one of the trio of third-placed teams and creates a degree of imbalance among the pairings for the Quarter-finals, where one of the group runners-up (the winner of the tie between Chinese Taipei and the Philippines) was guaranteed a place in the last four and a ticket to the FIFA World Cup. Two of the group winners were drawn against the two third-placed teams, whereas the other group winner (Australia) had to face Korea Republic. And, in this particular instance, the withdrawal of India meant that the other Group A contestants played only two games and had more rest-and-recovery time than the other participants. China PR had a full week to prepare for their Quarter-final against Vietnam, whereas their opponents had played three days earlier. The coaches proposed that the 12-team format should be a stepping-stone towards the ideal solution of a 16- team final tournament, which would smooth off the rough edges in draw procedures and qualification processes in addition to providing a great incentive for more Member Associations (MAs) to invest in the women’s game and to benefit from experience at major tournament level. Asked whether they feared an increase in quantity could lead to a drop in quality, they immediately named seven MAs whose current development programmes, they felt, would stand them in good stead to make the step up in time to be competitive in the 2026 edition of the competition. The AFC has taken note… A WORLD APART? Doubling as a ticket to the expanded 32-team FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted in 2023 by Australia and New Zealand gave added incentives and motivation to the tournament, the coaches felt – especially to Vietnam and the Philippines, who qualified for the first time. Alen Stajcic, after leading Australia during the previous edition of the tournament in 2018, was in India as head coach of the Philippines team that clinched a historic place at the World Cup. “To win two games in the tournament for the first time and then qualify TWELVE IS AN ODD NUMBER? TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS

38. 38 for the World Cup were special moments that added to the belief and confidence in the group,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a- lifetime experience and first time for it potentially to happen. To grow the game around the world, these opportunities have to happen for more and more countries.” But the coaches’ responses varied when asked whether they would like to see World Cup qualification as a separate competition rather than pegged to results at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™. Whilst some relished the opportunity for more international games which would strengthen player development, some mentioned budget considerations such as travel costs which an additional competition would entail. What do you think? IS TIME ON OUR SIDE? Is time of the essence? Concerns about real playing time have become a regular discussion point at the AFC. So did the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ add fuel to the debate? Statistics reveal that, during the 25 matches played at the expanded final tournament, the ball was in play for an average of 52 minutes and 21 seconds – and this includes the Chinese Taipei v Philippines and China PR v Japan fixtures which required extra-time. Apart from these two games, none of the other 23 reached the 60-minute mark in terms of real playing time and seven fell below 50 minutes – eight if the Chinese Taipei v Philippines total is reduced pro rata to the 90-minute level. Heat and humidity can evidently be conditioning factors. But was this more of an impediment in India than it had been in Jordan four years earlier, when the average ball- in-play time was 56 minutes and 42 seconds, even though, on that occasion, only one match went to extra-time? What is the explanation for a downturn of over four minutes? The issue is not solely about the important facet of offering entertainment value to spectators and TV audiences. The topic often raised by coaches in the men’s game is about low levels of real playing time in domestic competitions and the question is whether, when AFC teams perform on international stages, this has a negative impact against opponents who regularly sustain high-intensity play for longer periods. Is this also applicable to women’s football in Asia? GOING VAR ENOUGH? Talking of time, tournament statistics reveal that in India, the average stoppage for a VAR review was a couple of seconds over one minute. Some of the coaches wondered if this time was always added… However, the main talking point about the introduction of VAR was its impact on the competition. Even though 98 checks were conducted (all but seven of them related to goals or incidents in the penalty area) only four decisions were reviewed and changed. In the Quarter-final against Australia, Korea Republic were awarded a penalty, which they failed to convert. But, in the Final, another review resulted in the spot-kick which put them 2-0 ahead against China PR. In the play-offs, Vietnam scored a classic counterattacking goal – arguably the best of the tournament – only for a VAR review to rule it out for offside. And a fourth review ended with a red card for a Thailand player in the closing minutes of the same match when the impact was minimal. The main question raised among the coaches in India was, while admitting budgetary considerations, whether implementing VAR only in the knockout phase of the tournament was the optimal solution. Should it, if feasible, be used uniformly throughout the event? TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS TALKING POINTS

40. 40 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES 4 24 2 93 43 3 19 49 37 26 3 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS AUSTRALIA Gustavsson is a former player who led Swedish club Tyreso FF to the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final in 2014. He was also part of the United States women’s national football team as an assistant coach that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019 before joining the Australian women’s national team in 2020 as head coach. SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 LYDIA WILLIAMS 13-05-1988 12 TEAGAN MICAH 20-10-1997 18 MACKENZIE ARNOLD 25-02-1994 DEFENDER 2 COURTNEY NEVIN 12-02-2002 3 AIVI LUIK 18-03-1985 4 CLARE POLKINGHORNE 01-02-1989 7 STEPHANIE CATLEY 26-01-1994 8 CHARLOTTE GRANT 20-09-2001 14 ALANNA KENNEDY 21-01-1995 21 ELLIE CARPENTER 28-04-2000 MIDFIELDER 6 CLARE WHEELER 14-01-1998 10 EMILY VAN-EGMOND 12-07-1993 11 MARY FOWLER 14-02-2003 13 TAMEKA YALLOP 16-06-1991 19 KYRA COONEY-CROSS 15-02-2002 FORWARD 5 CORTNEE VINE 09-04-1998 9 CAITLIN FOORD 11-11-1994 15 EMILY GIELNIK 13-05-1992 16 HAYLEY RASO 05-09-1994 17 KYAH SIMON 25-06-1991 20 SAMANTHA MAY KERR 10-09-1993 22 HOLLY MCNAMARA 23-01-2003 23 REMY SIEMSEN 10-11-1999 COACH • 1-4-3-3 with alert goalkeeper sweeping behind a high defensive line • Varied build-up; direct attacking or short-passing combinations through thirds • Full-backs creating overloads on the wings with overlapping and underlapping runs • Emphasis on wing play with great variety of crosses and passes into the penalty area • Quick attack-to-defence transitions with heavy pressure on the ball- carrier • Dangerous set plays; counterattacking with penetrating runs from midfield • Technically, tactically, mentally strong; excellent athletic qualities KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER SAM KERR NUMBER OF GOALS 7 Australia 20 10 17 21 14 6 11 4 1 9 7 FORMATION: 1-4-3-3 TONY GUSTAVSSON (SWE)

41. 41 5 19 5 70 39 3 17 26 45 36 8 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Shui was a member of China PR’s golden generation that won the country’s first-ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ in 1986 and went on to lift the trophy five times in the next 11 years. She was appointed China PR’s women’s national team head coach in November 2021 where she guided them to a record extending ninth title. With the win, Shui preserved a personal record of never losing a single match in the showpiece as a player and coach. COACH • 1-4-4-2 with emphasis on wing play; overloads, overlapping full-backs and good crossing • Composed build-up through midfield; players able to retain possession in tight areas • Effective combinations between strikers; midfielders supplying penetrating passes • Fast transitions to defence, pressing the ball-carrier, dropping into a compact mid-third block • Backlinestrongin1v1defending,protectedbytwoscreeningmidfielders • Good blend of collective qualities, creative individual skills and ability to control tempo • Well-organised unit with strong team ethic, fitness levels and mental resilience KEY FEATURES STATISTICS China 11 3 23 13 7 4 1 19 8 6 14 FORMATION: 1-4-4-2 (half moon) SHUI QINGXIA (CHN) TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES CHINA PR SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 ZHU YU 23-07-1997 12 XU HUAN 06-03-1999 22 ZHAO LINA 18-09-1991 DEFENDER 5 MA JUN 06-03-1989 19 ZHANG LINYAN 16-01-2001 MIDFIELDER 2 LI MENGWEN 28-03-1995 3 WANG XIAOXUE 20-10-1994 4 LI JIAYUE 08-06-1990 6 ZHANG XIN 23-05-1992 8 YAO WEI 01-09-1997 14 LOU JIAHUI 26-05-1991 15 WU CHENGSHU 26-08-1996 16 YAO LINGWEI 05-12-1995 18 TANG JIALI 16-03-1995 20 XIAO YUYI 10-01-1996 21 LI YING 07-01-1993 23 GAO CHEN 11-08-1992 FORWARD 7 WANG SHUANG 23-01-1995 9 WANG YANWEN 27-03-1999 10 ZHANG RUI 17-01-1989 11 WANG SHANSHAN 27-01-1990 13 YANG LINA 13-04-1994 17 LIU YANQIU 31-12-1995 STATISTICS WANG SHANSHAN NUMBER OF GOALS 5 WANG SHUANG NUMBER OF GOALS 5 TOP SCORER

42. 42 LAI LI-CHIN NUMBER OF GOALS 3 SU YU-HSUAN NUMBER OF GOALS 3 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES CHINESE TAIPEI SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 TSAI MING-JUNG 23-01-1989 12 LIAO WEN-CHI 08-08-1997 18 CHENG SSU-YU 25-09-1989 21 WANG YU-TING 27-05-2001 DEFENDER 4 LAI WEI-JU 31-07-1994 5 PAN SHIN-YU 03-05-1997 13 PAN YEN-HSIN 18-02-1996 15 SU SIN-YUN 20-11-1996 16 CHANG SU-HSIN 04-10-1990 23 CHANG TZU-NUO 23-06-1999 MIDFIELDER 2 CHANG CHI-LAN 18-09-1996 6 ZHUO LI-PING 29-09-1999 8 WANG HSIANG-HUEI 28-09-1987 9 HSU YI-YUN 29-04-1997 14 WU KAI CHING 14-11-1999 17 TING CHI 02-06-1995 20 CHEN YING-HUI 05-10-1998 22 TING CHIA-YING 25-01-2002 FORWARD 3 LIN HSIN-HUI 06-02-2002 7 CHEN YEN-PING 20-08-1991 10 LEE HSIU-CHIN 18-08-1992 11 LAI LI-CHIN 15-08-1988 19 SU YU-HSUAN 21-02-2001 5 10 7 37 20 1 10 15 43 45 1 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Echigo is a former Japanese national team player who started his coaching career at Vegalta Sendai where he would serve as head coach for the youth and the ladies team. He was appointed the Chinese Taipei women’s team head coach in 2019 where his side was one win away from qualifying to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. COACH • 1-5-4-1 with emphasis on direct back-to-front passing; winning the second-ball • Full-backs providing width, crosses in attacking but only one at a time • Wide midfielders with 1v1 skills, connecting well with the target striker • One of two holding midfielders pushing forward to support attacks • Chen Yen-Ping the playmaker; good vision and 1v1 skills in attack and defence • Defensive transitions with retreat into middle or low block; pressing on the ball occasionally • Centre-back Su Sin-Yun leading a flat back five with good aerial ability KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER Chinese taipei 11 9 18 7 5 6 13 19 15 4 16 FORMATION: 1-5-4-1 KAZUO ECHIGO (JPN)

43. 43 Rudy was appointed Indonesia’s women’s national team head coach in 2021. Under his guidance, the team qualified for their first AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group Stage in 33 years. Rudy has worked in different footballing roles in his career which has taken him to Australia and Bahrain. On the local front, he has managed several football clubs before joining the women’s national team. COACH • 1-4-3-3 with narrow 1-4-5-1 defending and encouraging opponents to go wide • Holding midfielder sitting in front of the centre-backs in a deep defensive block • Salsabillah is mobile, agile and strong in the isolated target striker role • Extensive use of long back-to-front deliveries or individual forward runs • Emphasis on numbers behind the ball; all players are back to defend set pieces • Captain and centre-back Oktafiani is the leader and organiser of defensive play • Committed, resolute defending with excellent team spirit and work ethic KEY FEATURES Indonesia 22 11 4 9 6 15 17 19 13 18 23 FORMATION: 1-4-3-3 RUDY EKA PRIYAMBADA (IDN) TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES INDONESIA SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 NURHALIMAH 14-08-1997 19 FANI 30-05-2004 21 RISKA APRILIA 19-04-1999 DEFENDER 2 REMINI CHERE 09-10-2000 4 SHALIKA AURELIA VIANDRISA 01-08-2003 14 DIAH TRI LESTARI 07-09-1995 17 VIVI OKTAVIA RISKI 07-03-1997 18 TIA DARTI SEPTIAWATI 24-09-1993 MIDFIELDER 3 ROSDILAH SITI 30-07-2003 5 SABRINA MUTIARA WIBOWO 06-12-1999 6 PANI TRI OKTAVIANTI 29-10-1997 7 OCTAVIANTI DWI NURMALITA 25-10-1998 8 MAULINA NOVRYLIANI 14-11-1987 9 ADE MUSTIKIANA OKTAFIANI 03-10-1999 10 RANI MULYASARI 04-03-1993 15 HELSYA MAEISYAROH 07-05-2005 20 VINY SILFIANUS 03-07-2002 23 REVA OCTAVIANI 08-10-2003 FORWARD 11 BAIQ AMIATUN SHALIHAH 16-07-1991 12 ZAHRA MUZDALIFAH 04-04-2001 13 MARSELA YULIANA AWI 23-03-2004 16 CARLA BIO PATTINASARANY 09-08-2002 22 INSYAFADYA SALSABILLAH 10-03-2002 3 0 28 5 1 0 5 1 24 23 3 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS STATISTICS

44. 44 2 0 12 6 4 0 1 5 14 16 1 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Maryam Irandoost is a former professional footballer for Pegah Gilan and Malavan. As head coach of the IR Iran women’s national team, Maryam guided her side to a historic qualification to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ Group Stage. She is the daughter of former IR Iran player and coach Nosrat Irandoost. COACH • 1-4-4-1-1 with rapid transitions to a deep and compact 1-4-5-1 defensive block • Preference for direct supply to the striker, with the shadow striker quick to support • Equipped for possession play in midfield, using futsal skills in tight areas • Semi-press on ball during transitions into two closely-positioned defence lines • Strong tackling skills; tight individual marking during free kicks and corners • Excellent goalkeeping by Koudaei; shot-stopping, aerial skill, leadership and bravery • Well-organised team with a high level of technical ability, resolve and collective spirit KEY FEATURES IR Iran 20 6 17 11 4 5 18 8 1 23 19 FORMATION: 1-4-4-1-1 MARYAM IRANDOOST (IRN) TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES IR IRAN STATISTICS SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 ZOHREH KOUDAEI 24-11-1989 12 MARYAM YEKTAEI 19-06-1993 22 AREFEH KAZEMI 26-02-1998 DEFENDER 2 FATEMEH AMINEH 03-06-1997 3 HADIEH KOR 25-02-1993 4 MELIKA MOTEVALLI 06-05-1998 5 GHAZALEH BANITALEBI 14-01-2002 8 BEHNAZ TAHERKHANI 22-05-1995 15 ZOHREH JALALI 16-02-1999 19 FATEMEH ADELI 16-07-1995 MIDFIELDER 6 ZAHRA SARBALI 13-08-1993 10 SARA ZOHRABINIA 13-11-1996 11 SAMANEH CHAHKANDI 28-03-1989 13 YASAMAN FARMANI 12-02-1995 14 ELHAM FARAHMAND 12-09-1993 16 ZAHRA 18-06-2004 18 MELIKA MOHAMMADI 28-03-2000 21 NIKKHAH MARZIEH 25-11-1992 23 SANA SADEGHI 12-06-2000 FORWARD 9 SARA GHOMIMARZDASHTI 20-08-1987 7 AFSANEH CHATRENOOR 14-04-1998 17 NEGIN ZANDI 20-01-2004 20 HAJAR DABBAGHI 22-03-1999

45. 45 1 0 0 16 5 0 1 9 9 5 1 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Dennerby has over 30 years of coaching experience where he previously managed the Swedish national team and Nigerian women’s national team that won the 2018 African Women’s Cup of Nations. He was subsequently named the 2018 Coach of the Year in Nigeria. Initially assigned to the Indian U-17 side, Dennerby took the reign of the India women’s national team in August 2021 but will return to the youth team after the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™. COACH THOMAS DENNERBY (SWE) TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES INDIA SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 ADITI CHAUHAN 20-11-1992 19 SOWMIYA NARAYANASAMY 25-07-2000 23 ELANGBAM PANTHOI 23-12-1996 DEFENDER 2 SWEETY DEVI NGANBAM 01-12-1999 3 MANISA PANNA 20-04-1991 4 ASHALATA DEVI LOITONGBAM 03-07-1993 5 SHILKY DEVI HEMAM 23-11-2005 17 DALIMA CHHIBBER 30-08-1997 21 RITU RANI 25-05-1997 MIDFIELDER 6 KAMALA DEVI YUMNAM 04-03-1992 7 RATANBALA DEVI NONGM 02-12-1999 8 SANJU 12-09-1997 9 ANJU TAMANG 22-12-1995 12 INDUMATHI KATHIRESAN 05-06-1994 13 SANDHIYA RANGANATHAN 20-05-1998 14 PRIYANGKA DEVI NAOREM 09-04-2003 20 KARTHIKA ANGAMUTHU 21-11-1999 FORWARD 10 PYARI XAXA 18-05-1997 11 GRACE DANGMEI 05-02-1996 15 RENU 16-01-2001 16 MANISHA 27-11-2001 18 MARIYAMMAL BALAMURUGAN 14-04-2003 22 SUMATI KUMARI 15-01-2004 Note: India failed to name the required 13 players for their AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ Group A match against Chinese Taipei on January 23. Under Article 4.1 of the special rules applicable to AFC competitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were deemed to have withdrawn from the competition. STATISTICS

46. 46 RIKO UEKI NUMBER OF GOALS 5 5 18 3 101 43 2 11 57 47 38 2 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Ikeda is a former defender-turned-coach. He was previously the head coach for Urawa Reds before taking charge of the Japan women’s U-20 national team that won the AFC U-19 Championship in 2017. His career highlight came in 2018 when he led his young chargers to their first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title, defeating Spain 3-1 in the Final. COACH • 1-4-4-2 with technical and tactical expertise across all the departments of the team • Possession-based game; neat one-touch play; well-timed runs and passing • Creative middle-to-front play with positional rotation and fluent movement • Full-backs overlapping, driving infield, supplying a good variety of crosses and passes • Immediate relentless pressure after ball-loss, seeking rapidly high regains • Compact zonal defending with the keeper ready to cover behind the high line • Disciplined unit with good team and work ethic and reading of the game KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER Japan 10 16 14 2 4 15 19 3 11 23 12 FORMATION: 1-4-4-2 FUTOSHI IKEDA (JPN) TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES JAPAN SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 SAKIKO IKEDA 08-09-1992 18 AYAKA YAMASHITA 29-09-1995 21 MOMOKO TANAKA 17-03-2000 DEFENDER 2 RISA SHIMIZU 15-06-1996 3 MOEKA MINAMI 07-12-1998 4 SAKI KUMAGAI 17-10-1990 5 SHIORI MIYAKE 13-10-1995 6 ASATO MIYAGAWA 24-02-1998 12 RUKA NORIMATSU 30-01-1996 20 HANA TAKAHASHI 19-02-2000 22 SAORI TAKARADA 27-12-1999 MIDFIELDER 7 RIN SUMIDA 12-01-1996 8 HIKARU NAOMOTO 03-03-1994 13 JUN ENDO 24-05-2000 14 YUI HASEGAWA 29-01-1997 15 FUKA NAGANO 09-03-1999 16 HONOKA HAYASHI 19-05-1998 17 YUI NARUMIYA 22-02-1995 23 HINATA MIYAZAWA 28-11-1999 FORWARD 9 YUIKA SUGASAWA 05-10-1990 10 MANA IWABUCHI 18-03-1993 11 MINA TANAKA 28-04-1994 19 RIKO UEKI 30-07-1999

47. 47 JI SOYUN NUMBER OF GOALS 5 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES KOREA REPUBLIC SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 YOON YOUNG GEUL 28-10-1987 18 KIM JUNG MI 16-10-1984 19 KANG GAAE 10-12-1990 DEFENDER 2 CHOO HYOJOO 29-07-2000 4 SHIM SEO-YEON 15-04-1989 5 HONG HYEJI 25-08-1996 6 LIM SEONJOO 27-11-1990 16 JANG SELGI 31-05-1994 17 LEE YOUNGJU 22-04-1992 20 KIM HYERI 25-06-1990 MIDFIELDER 7 LEE MIN A 08-11-1991 8 CHO SO HYUN 24-06-1988 9 YEO MINJI 27-04-1993 10 JI SOYUN 21-02-1991 12 KWON HAH NUL 07-03-1988 13 LEE GEUMMIN 07-04-1994 14 CHO MIJIN 04-04-2001 15 PARK YEEUN 17-10-1996 21 KIM SEONGMI 02-04-1997 22 LEE JEONGMIN 11-11-2000 FORWARD 3 SEO JIYOUN 20-05-1995 11 CHOE YURI 16-09-1994 23 SON HWAYEON 15-03-1997 6 11 4 70 36 3 10 32 64 47 5 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS The Englishman has an extensive coaching experience after retiring from playing professionally. Bell has been in involved in various coaching roles in Europe including steering FFC Frankfurt to the 2015 UEFA Women’s Champions League before his appointment as head coach for Korea Republic in 2019 where he successfully steered them to their first-ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ Final appearance in India. COACH • Tactically versatile with three or four at the back; 1-4-2-3-1 the default setting • Emphasis on neat combination moves with switches of play and tempo • Keeper and centre-backs active in launching attacks via the striker or wide areas • Ji Soyun a box-to-box playmaker; good skills, vision, work-rate and ability to change the tempo • Disciplined, compact zonal marking with the keeper sweeping behind the high line • Aggressive collective high pressing when the opponents play out from the keeper or defence • Athletic team with physical and mental strength, vigour and emotional stability KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER korea rep. 23 10 13 6 17 8 4 18 11 7 20 FORMATION: 1-4-2-3-1 COLIN BELL (ENG)

48. 48 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES MYANMAR SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 MAY ZIN NWE 07-03-1995 18 ZU LATT NADI 22-12-2000 23 KHINE ZAR WIN 26-06-1999 DEFENDER 2 AYE AYE MOE 04-02-1995 3 CHIT CHIT 18-10-1996 4 KHIN MYO WIN 10-02-1999 5 PHYU PHYU WIN 01-12-2004 12 NANT ZU ZU HTET 26-09-2000 15 ZUNE YU YA OO 12-02-2001 21 KHIN THAN WAI 02-11-1995 22 EI EI KYAW 01-04-2002 MIDFIELDER 6 THIN THIN YU 27-09-1999 8 SAN THAW THAW 09-01-2001 9 KHIN MO MO TUN 03-06-1999 10 KHIN MARLAR TUN 21-05-1988 13 HNIN PWINT AYE 26-01-2004 14 WIN WIN 12-02-2003 16 NAW HTET HTET WAI 30-07-2000 17 MYAT NOE KHIN 24-07-2003 20 NU NU 01-04-1999 FORWARD 7 WIN THEINGI TUN 01-02-1995 11 KHIN MOE WAI 16-12-1989 19 JULY KYAW 21-07-1999 3 2 9 11 8 1 0 7 30 22 1 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Aung served as interim manager for the Myanmar women’s national team before his official appointment as head coach in May 2020. As a former player, Aung was a key player for the Finance & Revenue Football team. He moved to Malaysia to continue his playing career before retiring in 2000. COACH • 1-4-4-2 with the two holding midfielders dictating the tempo, passing to the strikers and wingers • Technically good possession game; skill in tight areas; playing through thirds • Full-backs ready to support attacks but rarely appearing in the final third • Fast transitions to narrow defensive block, forcing the opponents to play wide • Quick counters with direct supply to the striker dropping wide to find space • Strong, composed defence led by keeper New May Zin, centre-back Khin Than Wai • Physically fit, dynamic unit; explosive movement, mental strength and team spirit KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER myanmar 9 10 19 8 20 12 16 3 21 1 5 FORMATION: 1-4-4-2 TIN MYINT AUNG (MYA) WIN THEINGI TUN NUMBER OF GOALS 1 KHIN MARLAR TUN NUMBER OF GOALS 1

49. 49 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES PHILIPPINES SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 INNA KRISTIANNE BEZA PALACIOS 08-02-1994 22 KIARA FONTANILLA 07-01-2000 23 OLIVIA ALEXANDRA MCDANIEL 14-10-1997 DEFENDER 3 DOMINIQUE RANDLE 10-12-1994 4 TARA SHELTON 26-06-2001 5 HALI LONG 21-01-1995 10 KRISTEN RYLEY BUGAY 23-01-1996 13 MORGAN EMMALISE BROWN 20-10-1995 14 ISABELLA FLANIGAN 22-02-2005 16 SOFIA NICOLE HARRISON 16-02-1999 21 KATRINA GUILLOU 19-12-1993 MIDFIELDER 2 MALEA LOUISE CESAR 09-12-2003 6 TAHNAI ANNIS 20-06-1989 7 KATHLEEN CAMILLE MULDONG RODRIGUEZ 27-12-1994 9 JESSICA ANNE MICLAT 08-10-1998 11 ANICKA CASTANEDA 15-12-1999 12 SARA ISOBEL CASTANEDA 05-12-1996 17 KEANNE MAICAH ALAMO 17-12-2003 20 QUINLEY QUEZADA 07-04-1997 FORWARD 8 CHANDLER BLUE MCDANIEL 04-02-1998 15 CARLEIGH FRILLES 11-04-2002 18 SARINA BOLDEN 30-06-1996 19 EVA MADARANG 13-09-1997 5 8 7 71 31 2 16 15 37 43 1 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Stajcic successfully guided the Philippines to their first FIFA Women’s World Cup following an impressive campaign at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ where they progressed to the Semi-final stage. The Australian has several stints as head coach, including the Australian women’s national team that qualified to the Quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 and the Olympic Games in the following year. COACH • 1-4-4-2 with direct attacking, exploiting the pace and physicality at the front line • High-tempo game with quick switches to the wings; rapid crossing and long-range shooting • At times, the ball is played back for the keeper to play long for the strikers / second ball • Defensive transitions with pressure on the ball and fast retreat into compact mid-block • Well-drilled set plays (including long throws); ready to hold a high line in defence • Technical skills in tight areas; strong and assertive in 1v1 defending • Mobile, agile, well-structured team with commitment and good game awareness KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER philippines 20 8 14 16 9 10 3 5 23 21 6 ALEN STAJCIC (AUS) TAHNAI ANNIS NUMBER OF GOALS 2 FORMATION: 1-4-4-2 (half moon)

50. 50 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES THAILAND SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 WARAPORN BOONSING 16-02-1990 18 CHOTMANEE THONGMONGKOL 12-01-1999 22 TIFFANY SORNPAO 22-05-1998 DEFENDER 2 KANCHANAPORN SAENKHUN 18-07-1996 4 PHONPHIRUN 08-04-1999 5 AMORNRAT UTCHAI 24-09-1995 9 WARUNEE PHETWISET 13-12-1990 10 SUNISA SRANGTHAISONG 06-05-1988 19 PITSAMAI SORNSAI 19-01-1989 MIDFIELDER 6 PIKUL KHUEANPET 20-09-1988 7 SILAWAN INTAMEE 22-01-1994 8 NIPAWAN PANYOSUK 15-03-1995 11 JARUWAN CHAIYARAK 23-04-1990 12 NUTWADEE PRAM-NAK 09-10-2000 15 ORAPIN WAENNGOEN 07-10-1995 16 U-RAIPORN YONGKUL 17-08-1998 20 WILAIPORN BOOTHDUANG 25-06-1987 21 CHATCHAWAN RODTHONG 22-06-2002 FORWARD 3 IRRAVADEE MAKRIS 20-01-1992 13 KANYANAT CHETTHABUTR 24-09-1999 14 SAOWALAK PENGNGAM 30-11-1996 17 TANEEKARN DANGDA 15-12-1992 23 SUCHAWADEE NILDHAMRONG 01-04-1997 KANYANAT CHETTHABUTR NUMBER OF GOALS 3 6 5 15 56 24 0 14 35 54 47 6 1 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Okamoto, a former midfielder, was appointed head coach of the Thailand women’s national team in January 2021. Following a challenging AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ campaign, her team will vie for a place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 at the Inter-Confederation playoffs. COACH • 1-4-4-2 with fast transitions to compact 1-4-5-1 defence; little space between the lines • Composed short-passing through thirds with middle-to-front positional rotations • High levels of technique; able to retain possession in tight areas under pressure • Defending in mid-third block; aggressive pressing when the opponents enter the block • Full-backs overlapping, crossing and one striker dropping deep to combine in the central area • Effective, committed 1v1 defensive skills with the keeper quick to cover behind the high back line • Philawan, a commanding centre-back leading the build-up with high technical ability KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER tHAILAND 23 14 9 15 6 3 22 2 7 4 19 FORMATION: 1-4-4-2 MIYO OKAMOTO (JPN)

51. 51 HUYNH NHU NUMBER OF GOALS 2 NGUYEN THI TUYET DUNG 2 TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES TEAM PROFILES VIETNAM SQUAD DATE OF BIRTH GOALKEEPER 1 SUCHAWADEE NILDHAMRONG 27-04-1993 14 TRAN THI KIM THANH 18-09-1993 20 KHONG THI HANG 10-10-1993 DEFENDER 2 LUONG THI THU THUONG 01-05-2000 3 CHUONG THI KIEU 19-08-1995 4 TRAN THI THU 15-07-1991 5 TRAN THI DUYEN 28-12-2000 13 LE THI DIEM MY 23-08-1996 15 PHAM THI TUOI 26-06-1993 17 TRAN THI PHUONG THAO 15-01-1993 22 NGUYEN THI MY ANH 27-11-1994 MIDFIELDER 6 PHAM HOANG QUYNH 20-09-1992 7 NGUYEN THI TUYET DUNG 13-12-1993 8 TRAN THI THUY TRANG 08-08-1988 11 THAI THI THAO 12-02-1995 16 DUONG THI VAN 20-09-1994 18 NGUYEN THI VAN 10-01-1997 19 NGUYEN THI THANH NHA 25-09-2001 21 NGAN THI VAN SU 29-04-2001 23 NGUYEN THI BICH THUY 01-05-1994 FORWARD 9 HUYNH NHU 28-11-1991 10 NGUYEN THI TUYET NGAN 10-02-2000 12 PHAM HAI YEN 09-11-1994 6 7 12 43 22 2 7 18 39 60 6 0 MATCHES PLAYED GOALS SCORED GOALS AGAINST SHOTS ATTEMPTS ON TARGET PENALTIES OFFSIDES CORNERS FOULS COMMITTED FOULS AGAINST YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS Mai, a former player, has a successful coaching career. Under his guidance, the women’s national team has won four gold medals in four editions of the Southeast Asian Games while the highlight of his career came at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ when his Vietnam side qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup. COACH • 1-5-4-1 with midfield diamond and a genuine sweeper behind the back line • Effective mix of short, medium and long passing with high levels of technique • Emphasis on wing play with the hardworking full-backs overlapping and supplying crosses • Huynh Nhur, a hardworking attacker ready to push forward as a second striker • Counters pre-empted by pressing the ball in numbers while defensive block regroups • Aggressive tackling, aerial power, interceptions and covering between the lines • Organised, balanced unit with composure, tactical awareness and a positive attitude KEY FEATURES STATISTICS TOP SCORER VIETNAM 11 12 23 22 3 7 14 9 4 17 8 MAI DUC CHUNG (VIE) FORMATION: 1-5-4-1

53. 53 53 Date Team A Score Team B 20 Jan,22 CHINA P.R. 4-0 (2-0) CHINESE TAIPEI 20 Jan,22 INDIA Void IR IRAN 23 Jan,22 IR IRAN 0-7 (0-2) CHINA P.R. 23 Jan,22 CHINESE TAIPEI Void INDIA 26 Jan,22 INDIA Void CHINA P.R. 26 Jan,22 CHINESE TAIPEI 5-0 (3-0) IR IRAN Date Team A Score Team B 21 Jan,22 AUSTRALIA 18-0 (9-0) INDONESIA 21 Jan,22 THAILAND 0-1 (0-0) PHILIPPINES 24 Jan,22 PHILIPPINES 0-4 (0-0) AUSTRALIA 24 Jan,22 INDONESIA 0-4 (0-2) THAILAND 27 Jan,22 AUSTRALIA 2-1 (1-0) THAILAND 27 Jan,22 PHILIPPINES 6-0 (2-0) INDONESIA GROUP A GROUP B P W D L F A GD PTS CHINA P.R. 2 2 0 0 11 0 11 6 CHINESE TAIPEI 2 1 0 1 5 4 1 3 IR IRAN 2 0 0 2 0 12 -12 0 P W D L F A GD PTS AUSTRALIA 3 3 0 0 24 1 23 9 PHILIPPINES 3 2 0 1 7 4 3 6 THAILAND 3 1 0 2 5 3 2 3 INDONESIA 3 0 0 3 0 28 -28 0 TOURNAMENT RESULTS TOURNAMENT RESULTS TOURNAMENT

54. 54 54 Date Team A Score Team B 21 Jan,22 JAPAN 5-0 (1-0) MYANMAR 21 Jan,22 KOREA REPUBLIC 3-0 (2-0) VIETNAM 24 Jan,22 MYANMAR 0-2 (0-0) KOREA REPUBLIC 24 Jan,22 VIETNAM 0-3 (0-1) JAPAN 27 Jan,22 JAPAN 1-1 (1-0) KOREA REPUBLIC 27 Jan,22 VIETNAM 2-2 (1-1) MYANMAR Date Team A Score Team B 30 Jan,22 AUSTRALIA 0-1 (0-0) KOREA REPUBLIC 30 Jan,22 JAPAN 7-0 (2-0) THAILAND 30 Jan,22 CHINA P.R. 3-1 (1-1) VIETNAM 30 Jan,22 CHINESE TAIPEI 1-1 a.e.t. (1-1,0-0) PHILIPPINES Date Team A Score Team B 06 Feb,22 VIETNAM 2-1 (1-0) CHINESE TAIPEI Date Team A Score Team B 02 Feb,22 THAILAND 0-2 (0-2) VIETNAM Date Team A Score Team B 04 Feb,22 CHINESE TAIPEI 3-0 (1-0) THAILAND Date Team A Score Team B 03 Feb,22 KOREA REPUBLIC 2-0 (2-0) PHILIPPINES 03 Feb,22 CHINA P.R. 2-2 a.e.t. JAPAN (1-1,0-1) 4-3 PSO Date Team A Score Team B 06 Feb,22 CHINA P.R. 3-2 (0-2) KOREA REPUBLIC GROUP C QUARTER-FINALS PLAYOFF 3 PLAYOFF 1 PLAYOFF 2 SEMI-FINALS FINAL P W D L F A GD PTS JAPAN 3 2 1 0 9 1 8 7 KOREA REPUBLIC 3 2 1 0 6 1 5 7 VIETNAM 3 0 1 2 2 8 -6 1 MYANMAR 3 0 1 2 2 9 -7 1 TOURNAMENT RESULTS TOURNAMENT RESULTS TOURNAMENT 3-4 PSO

56. 56 1. SUMMARY A total of 42 Match Officials from the AFC Elite Panel were appointed for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™, including three Stand-by Referees and Assistant Referees. The pool included seven Video Match Officials (VMOs) who joined the competition for the introduction of the VAR system from the Quarter-final Stage onwards. Additionally, seven Referee Technical Instructors and Assessors were appointed alongside two Fitness Instructors to provide the Match Officials with the best training and preparation. 1.1 AFC Match Officials REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES Referees Casey Lisa Reibelt AUS Lara Christie Lee AUS Qin Liang CHN Ranjita Devi Tekcham IND Mahsa Ghorbani IRN Mahnaz Zokaee IRN Yosimi Yamashita JPN Asaka Koizumi JPN Veronika Bernatskaia KGZ Oh Hyeon Jeong KOR Kim Yu Jeong KOR Thein Thein Aye MYA Abirami D/O Apbai Naidu SGP Pansa Chaisanit THA Edita Mirabidova UZB Cong Thi Dung VIE Assistant Referees Joanna Kate Charaktis AUS Fang Yan CHN Xie Lijun CHN Uvena Fernandes IND Referees Ensieh Khabaz Mafi Nezhad IRN Makoto Bozono JPN Naomi Teshirogi JPN Ramina Tsoi KGZ Kim Kyoung Min KOR Lee Seul Gi KOR Park Mi Suk KOR Merlo Silva Albano PHI Heba Saadieh PLE Supawan Hinthong THA Kristina Sereda UZB Truong Thi Le Trinh VIE Stand-by Referee Wang Chieh TPE Stand-by Assistant Referees Nuannid Dornjangreed THA Zilola Rahmatova UZB Assistant Referees

57. 57 Video Match Officials Referee Instructors REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES REFEREES VMOs Katherine Margaret Jacewicz AUS Ali Sabah Adday Al-Qaysi IRQ Kim Heegon KOR Abdulla Ali A A Al-Marri QAT Hanna Hattab SYR Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA Omar Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Alali UAE VAR LICENSING + TRAINING PRE-COMPETITION PREPARATION DURING COMPETITION Online VAR Course June 2021 VAR Training Camps July & October 2021 AFC Women’s Club Championship 2021 Pilot Tournament - VAR Light Trial Five-day Preparatory Course Theoretical Sessions Daily Sessions VAR Simulator Training Instant Feedback Sessions Match Debrieﬁngs VMOs Ali Ahmed Al Traifi KSA Subkhiddin Bin Mohd Salleh MAS Sachiko Yamagishi JPN Heba Mohammad Hassan Abed JOR Masoumeh Shakouri IRN Maria Piedade Rebello IND Widiya Habibah Binti Shamsuri MAS Referee Fitness Instructors Zhang Lingling CHN Yuliya Tarasova UZB Referee Technical Instructors and Assessors 1.2 Support Team – Local organisers’ team: a team from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) supported the coordination of all logistical requirements. – Masseurs: massage therapists were on hand to provide massages to assist the Match Officials with their recovery and injury prevention. – Medical Team: medical staff and an ambulance were stationed at the training venue daily to facilitate emergency and first aid treatment when required. 2. PRE-COMPETITION 2.1 Match Officials’ Selection Process The AFC ensured the highest level of officials by selecting the Continent’s best Referees and Assistant Referees. Each Match Official was selected based on their: • Technical knowledge • Management skills • Physical fitness • Experience at top-level competitions (FIFA/AFC) • Consistent high-level performances • VAR training and experience 2.2 Match Officials’ Preparation Overview