Women’s Asian Cup: misfiring Japan dominate possession but struggle to beat dogged Taiwan
World No 8 team produce 30 shots to nil but struggle to get past defiant goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting; Vietnam beat India in later match
Bayern Munich midfielder Momoko Tanikawa finally cracked a dogged Taiwan on Wednesday as powerhouse Japan kicked off their Women’s Asian Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory in Perth.
Brimming with a talented squad featuring 16 England-based players, Japan dominated a one-sided match played in fierce heat.
But they were left frustrated by an inability to hit the target other than Tanikawa’s strike in the 61st minute and a header from substitute Kiko Seike in the 92nd minute.
The highest-ranked team in the competition at world No 8, Japan are desperate for a third title to add to their back-to-back triumphs in 2014 and 2018.
But they will need to clean up their finishing touches after attempting 30 shots and enjoying almost 90 per cent of possession.
“We need to be a little more sharp but this was the first game and we open with three points, so you cannot be unhappy with that,” Japan coach Nils Nielsen said.