Hamano may have started Wednesday’s semi-final against China PR on the bench, but she ended it with a place in the tournament decider against DPR Korea and the outright lead on the scoring charts after continuing her sparkling form with a fifth goal in four matches.
With successive braces against Bangladesh and Thailand, the 15-year-old forward could have been forgiven for assuming her place in head coach Michihisa Kano’s starting line-up was safe, but she watched the opening 68 minutes of the all-important knockout stage clash from the substitutes' bench......
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