Japan’s Maika Hamano reacts, centre, after scoring her team’s second goal during the Women’s Asian Cup semifinal soccer match between Japan and South Korea in Sydney, Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

By the time Saki Kumagai scored to make it 3-0 on Wednesday, it was clear her Japan team was going to beat South Korea and feature in a final against Australia for the third time in four Women’s Asian...