Oyama’s U20 World Cup exploits

A look at Aemu Oyama’s incredible influence on Japan’s memorable U20 World Cup campaign last summer.

City’s newest recruit joins the Club as one of her nation’s most exciting young talents.

Much of that reputation was forged in the summer of 2024, when Oyama played a starring role for Japan at the U20 World Cup, held in Colombia.

The midfielder’s – and Japan’s – tournament got off to the best possible start with an emphatic 7-0 win over New Zealand in their group opener.

WATCH: Aemu Oyama signs for City!

Oyama even got on the scoresheet herself, firing home the fourth of the evening after making a late run into the area and finding the near corner.

Japan looked every inch a team capable of going the distance, and our new recruit once again played a starring role in another win over Ghana just three days later.

This time, the midfielder turned provider as her nation cruised to a 4-1 victory, setting up Manaka Matsukubo for their second of the game.

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Playing a neat one-two with Rihona Ujihara, Oyama threaded Matsukubo in behind with an inch-perfect ball which the forward duly dispatched.

Japan, and Oyama, rounded off the group stages with a 2-0 win over Austria before squeezing past Nigeria 2-1 in the Round of 16.

That set up a quarter-final tie with Spain – another pre-tournament favourite who boasted a 100% record in the World Cup ahead of their meeting.

It was a re-run of the 2022 final, which the Spanish had come out on top in, and an unsurprisingly even affair needed extra time to decide a winner.

Once again, Oyama stepped up when it mattered.

Our new midfielder had already gone close early on when she sent a vicious first-time effort just wide of the Spain net, but she would have a huge hand in the only goal of the game.

Launching a free-kick deep into the area from the by-line, Oyama’s cross was perfectly weighted for Hiromi Yoneda, who glanced home in the 102nd minute to send Japan into the last four.

They would meet the Netherlands in the semis, with our number 30 once again going incredibly close to giving her nation the lead when she rifled a shot off the post from distance.

But Japan were in control and a Matsukubo brace saw them reach the final for a third time in a row.

Heartbreakingly, Oyama and co. would fall at the final hurdle, losing out to North Korea by a single goal scored by the tournament’s Golden Boot winner, Choe Il-son.

That did nothing to detract from the brand of free-flowing performances that Japan had put on though, with Oyama a key conductor in the orchestra.

If the U20 World Cup is anything to go by, City have unearthed another gem.