Woeful Matildas thrashed by Japan in SheBelieves Cup opener in Houston | OneFootball

If there was a moment during this capitulation to Japan that encapsulated the gap between the hosts of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup and the nation widely expected to win it, it arrived in the 15th minute.

Pouncing on an under-hit pass from Yui Hasegawa, Katrina Gorry stole possession in the middle of the park and knocked the ball forward for Caitlin Foord, with players in the Matildas’ new fluoro kit surging forward on either side. Before the striker could continue the move, however, she was monstered off the ball by Tōko Koga, with the 19-year-old ambling away in possession as Japan began another period of extended possession. Just like that, a moment of promise, a moment where the Matildas glimpsed an opportunity to get in transition and do what they do best, was ruthlessly snuffed out.

It did not directly lead to a goal, so won’t be remembered in the same manner as Mina Tanaka’s brace or the surgical precision leading to Maika Hamano’s third. But it captured a key theme of the 90 minutes at Shell Energy Stadium. Not only were Japan dominant with the ball – they put the game to bed in the first half with 64% of possession and denied Australia a shot until the 87th minute – they were also able to impose their will on the Matildas in the rare moments when they didn’t have it. This wasn’t just a contest in which they suffocated their opponents in attack but also one in which any attempts at a counterpunch were pitilessly swatted away. Defensive foibles have undone the Matildas before. But this was a game in which they didn’t look like they were in the same weight class, a game in which they were bullied.

In the past, performances such as this have been explained away by experimentation, a future focus, or other extenuating circumstances. It was pretty much the defining narrative of Tony Gustavsson’s early tenure until things began to turn around a year out from the 2023 Women’s World Cup. But here, just over 12 months until the Asian Cup kicks off on home soil, interim coach Tom Sermmani rolled out what was probably his best XI, full of familiar veterans and established stars playing in their natural positions, only to fail to lay a glove on their opponents. Whereas this was Australia’s seventh game since the Tokyo Olympics – and the seventh of Tom Sermanni’s stint as interim – it was just Japan’s second and their first under new coach Nils Nielsen.

“It was a pretty huge wake-up call,” said Sermanni. “It was one of those games where we were outplayed, basically from the start straight to the finish in every department. We were outplayed football-wise. We were outplayed physically. We were outplayed mentally. Outplayed on our decision making.

“There weren’t a lot of positive things to take away from today’s performance. I suppose a positive thing is now it gives us a check to say, come this time next year when we’re just about going into Asian Cup, ‘what do we need to do to beat teams like Japan?’”

At the moment Koga stole the ball from Foord, Japan was already a goal to the good, Tanaka putting them in front in just the sixth minute with a clever backheel. After almost four minutes of unbroken possession, Aoba Fujino whipped in a cross from the left that was headed away by Steph Catley but, with the Matildas’ defence showing a lack of urgency, it was sent back in by Fuka Nagano and met by Tanaka. The striker’s second arrived in the 32nd minute, another goal in which the Australian defence hardly covered itself in glory. Coming across to try to intercept a ball lofted into the box by Hikaru Kitagawa, Clare Hunt completely misjudged its flight, instead colliding with Alanna Kennedy as the ball dropped simply for the Utah Royals striker to slot past Mackenzie Arnold.

The third goal was a result of some beautiful football from Japan, a move that very few defences would have stood much chance against. Playing a series of pinpoint passes around the penalty area, they moved the Matildas one way and then the other as they pulled them out of their defensive shape before Tanaka eventually turned provider, sliding a ball across the face of goal that Hamano slotted from close range. Moeka Minami’s fourth from a short corner routine then put a bow on things, to leave the Matildas in the dust.

“We just didn’t get close to Japan,” said Sermanni. “They were just outstanding. Sometimes you have to sit back and say, we were just played off the field today, and that’s what we were. Probably the most disappointing thing was, even despite that, I just felt some of the goals that we gave up were very poor, and that’s kind of un-Australian. We want to be a team that’s hard to beat and to be honest, today we gave up some soft goals.”

The Matildas play Olympic champions and world No 1 side the USA on Sunday (Monday morning AEDT) before ending their tournament next week against Colombia.

Header image: [Photograph: Jack Gorman/Getty Images]