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Malaysia failed to advance to the final of the inaugural 2015 AFC Women’s Futsal Championship after being mauled 8-1 by Japan in the semifinal at the Nilai Indoor Stadium in Negeri Sembilan last night.

The win saw Japan setup a clash against Iran who beat Thailand 1-0 in the other semifinal while Malaysia will square-off with Thailand in the 3rd/4th classification match.

In last night’s match which was telecast live, Japan took a 3-0 led through Sakata Mutsumi in the second minute, Amishiro Anna (12th min) and Kitagawa Kana in the 15th minute.

After resumption, Japan added five more goals through Higashiyama Maiko (23rd min), Sakata (35th min) and a hattrick by Kichibayashi Chikage through a penalty kick in the 39th minute and two goals in the closing minutes of the match.

Malaysia’s consolation goal was scored through a stunning long-range effort by substitute goalkeeper, Sity Norazizah Jamal in the 35th minute.

Speaking of the defeat, national women’s futsal coach, Chiew Chun Yong admitted that the Japanese side were much better in terms of physical and technical ability.

“Our players could not cope with Japan’s speed and agility but they tried their best. I believe the players have learned much from this defeat,” she said.

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