AFC Women's Asian Cup
Head coach Amelia Valverde, however, expects her side to maintain the intensity they showed in the 2-1 defeat to Vietnam against the two-time champions.
“The team is feeling very good. We had the advantage of taking two days to recover and to prepare for this big game against a good team like Japan,” said Valverde. “Japan are a completely different side from Vietnam so we will adapt as best we can. Our first focus is recovery because the players are physically drained.
“We know Japan like to dominate possession and play dynamically. We need to prepare our own game and aim to put on a strong performance, remaining competitive like we were against Vietnam.”
“We know Japan like to dominate possession and play dynamically. We need to prepare our own game and aim to put on a strong performance, remaining competitive like we were against Vietnam.”
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Sanfida Nongrum equalised for India after Ngan Thi Van Su’s first-half goal but Vietnam scored again in stoppage time with Valverde saying India must learn to adapt in these situations.
“The game may demand tactical flexibility and we’ll try to adapt accordingly so we need to focus our team’s energy on controlling the match while adapting to what the situation demands, taking into account the characteristics of our opponents.”
“The game may demand tactical flexibility and we’ll try to adapt accordingly so we need to focus our team’s energy on controlling the match while adapting to what the situation demands, taking into account the characteristics of our opponents.”
Japan were left frustrated for long periods in their opening game against Chinese Taipei before finding a breakthrough in the second half and head coach Nils Nielsen believes his players will be sharper.
“We tried to build on the first match and focus on what areas can be better. We are still in the process of building up as a team,” said Nielsen. “Our focus is on concentrating on each game and continuing the good work we showed in the first match.
“I’m confident we can create chances against India. They are a strong team with great spirit, and although they were unlucky in their last game, we believe we can put them under pressure. To score, we must really commit and fight for every ball.”
“We tried to build on the first match and focus on what areas can be better. We are still in the process of building up as a team,” said Nielsen. “Our focus is on concentrating on each game and continuing the good work we showed in the first match.
“I’m confident we can create chances against India. They are a strong team with great spirit, and although they were unlucky in their last game, we believe we can put them under pressure. To score, we must really commit and fight for every ball.”
Nielsen also added that the squad’s mental approach will be just as important as their technical play.
“Determination comes when the desire to win is stronger than the fear of losing. In a team, it’s not just about yourself, it’s about your teammates. When you feel connected and committed, you focus on succeeding together, not on fear of letting anyone down.”
“Determination comes when the desire to win is stronger than the fear of losing. In a team, it’s not just about yourself, it’s about your teammates. When you feel connected and committed, you focus on succeeding together, not on fear of letting anyone down.”
Trivia
- India and Japan will meet at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the third time and the first since the group stage in 1999. Japan have won both of their previous encounters by a combined 7-0, including a 1-0 win in 1999.
- India have been kept goalless in only one of their last five completed games at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, scoring 11 goals in that span, after failing to net across their five previous fixtures. However, they have lost eight of their last 10 games at the tournament, including each of their last three.
- Since losing 3-1 to Korea Republic 2008, Japan are undefeated in their last 17 group stage games at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup (W12 D5). Among teams to have played at least five matches in tournament history, only China PR (81 percent) and DPR Korea (70 percent) have a better overall win rate than Japan (67 percent).
- Japan made 87 entries into their opponents’ penalty area on Matchday 1 of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026, the most by any team in a game at the tournament since Australia made 89 against Thailand in their 2018 semi-final. Japan have now made 50+ entries in four of their last six tournament games, after not doing so in any of their previous five.
India v Japan
Venue: Perth Rectangular Stadium (Perth)
Kick-off: Saturday, 19:00 (UTC+8)
Venue: Perth Rectangular Stadium (Perth)
Kick-off: Saturday, 19:00 (UTC+8)
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