The first champion of the year 2026 was Hiroshima. Courtesy from this site.
Another one. Courtesy from this site.
The opening goal was a brilliant shot by Song-a Ri. Courtesy from this site.
Kobe tied the game with another fine shot by Mao Kubota. Courtesy from this site.
The winning goal was a cut-in shot by Yoshino Nakashima. Courtesy from this site.
[[ Empress’s Cup Final ]]
Kobe 1-2 Hiroshima
2026/1/1 12:30 Kickoff at the National Stadium
Blogger’s Prediction on 12/31/2025：
Both teams have injured key players, so how will they fill the gaps? Kobe boasts the second-best defense in the league, conceding only eight goals in 14 games, but how well has goalkeeper Akane Okuma recovered? Is Hiroshima’s defensive strength declining since captain Momoko Sayama’s injury a cause for concern?
Overall Review:
Kobe started with Akane Okuma in headgear as their goalkeeper. This was likely a sign of their high level of trust in Akane Okuma, but she did not appear to recover fully. In addition, the injury and forced departure of captain Shiori Miyake was a major blow to Kobe. Hiroshima, on the other hand, used a CB duo of Chisato Ichinose and Hana Shimada. Their coordination with the midfield players has worked well.
The match was a fierce battle. Hiroshima took the lead when Ai Ogawa crossed from the left-side pocket and Song-a Ri came into the box from the right side and shot. Kobe equalized when Mao Kubota came into the box from the left side and shot from a cross by Yui Narumiya from the right-side pocket. These two goals were like a mirror image of each other.
Hiroshima’s winning goal came in added time of the second half when a high feed was sent to the front of the left side pocket, which Mami Ueno won and passed to Yoshino Nakashiima, who cut in and scored with a brilliant shot.
Kobe’s build-up in the first half was heavily weighted within the right side. Their goalkeeper’s kicks were also the same. Hiroshima stopped Kobe’s attack, allowing their trump card, Yoshino Nakashima, to create a bunch of chances. Kobe could have avoided this vicious cycle by attacking from the left side, but for some reason, they relentlessly focused on attacking from the right wing. Perhaps they wanted to utilize superb Yui Narumiya on the right wing… Ai Kuwahara, an original forward, was deployed as a left-side-back, who was noticeably too wide and too front when the goalkeeper and center-backs were in possession of the ball, preventing any attempts to build up through the left wing. The fact that Natsumo Kingetsu, a high school student and a recent regular at left-side-back, wasn’t even on the bench was likely due to a registration issue.
The result of this final was probably a strategic win for Hiroshima. Hiroshima almost completely abandoned their right side and forced the game down the left side. Of course, this was due to the dedicated defensive efforts of midfielders Funa Yanase, Mai Watanabe, and Ai Ogawa, which in turn reduced Yoshino Nakashima’s defensive burden…
Maybe Hiroshima’s manager Shuichi Akagi has emerged as the next Nadeshiko manager? Should present Nadeshiko manager Nils Nielsen learn from this match how to make Yoshino Nakashima active?
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