A late Kumi Yokoyama strike – assisted by Yui Hasegawa - sealed a 1-0 win over Australia in the final, but our stopper’s penalty save earlier in the contest had set Japan up for glory.
Yamashita had initially spilled the cross which led to captain Saki Kumagai handling in the area but redeemed herself when guessing right to thwart Elise Kellond-Knight from the spot.
The City goalkeeper admits to a huge feeling of relief when saving the penalty but looks back fondly on a special moment in her career to date.
“Well, to be honest, the reason it became a penalty in the first place was because of my own mistake in judgment,” she began.
“So, I really felt that I had to save it. We had already played Australia in the same group and either lost or drew, which meant we finished second in the group.
“So, going into the final, I felt we absolutely had to beat them and that it was a chance for revenge.
“And since I was the one who conceded the penalty, I was determined to stop it.
“Also, since the match was played very late at night in Japan, I even thought that if they scored, fans back home might already be asleep. In that moment, a lot of emotions were running through my mind.”
Japan come into the latest Asian Cup as one of the pre-tournament favourites, but Yamashita was quick to highlight the quality of the teams they’ll be competing with for the title.
She continued: “From an objective point of view, people say Japan’s level has improved but I also think the level of every country has risen.
“Every team is very well prepared so it’s not just that Japan is doing well. That said, there are high expectations for us.
“There aren’t many national teams with so many players competing abroad and we want to do our best to live up to those expectations.”
