AFC Women's Asian Cup: India face formidable Japan after gritty show against Vietnam

Perth, Mar 6 (PTI) A gritty performance in their previous group game would have certainly boosted their confidence but India's task would be cut out when they face a formidable Japan in their second match of the AFC Women's Asian Cup here on Saturday.

India conceded an injury time goal, just three minutes before the final hooter to suffer 1-2 defeat to Vietnam and lose a valuable point in their opening Group C match on Wednesday.

Vietnam featured in the 2023 FIFA World Cup, and a gutsy fight against them and an equalising goal through debutant Sanfida Nongrum would instil confidence among Amelia Valverde's wards.

But world number eight and two-time champions Japan will be a totally different side, vastly superior than the Indians. Valverde's task could be more of maintaining compactness and working on defensive resilience, while looking to hit on the counter.

Winners of FIFA World Cup in 2011, Japan made 87 entries into Chinese Taipei's penalty area in their previous match, and the Indian defence, marshalled by captain Sweety Devi, will be extremely busy on Saturday.

India would also look to limit the number of goals from Japan as goal-difference could play a role in deciding the third-ranked team in the group. Vietnam and Chinese Taipei face each other in another match on Saturday.

The top two sides from each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

The losing quarter-finalists will contest the play-offs for the two remaining direct spots allocated to the AFC for the World Cup. The two play-off losers will have another chance of qualifying for Brazil via the play-off tournament.

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 the encounters by 7-0, and 1-0 margins.

Valverde, however, expects her side to maintain the intensity it showed in the 1-2 defeat to Vietnam.

"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 ahead of Saturday's match. "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." She admitted that Japan would be a completely different side from Vietnam and her players must learn to adapt to 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." Japan were left frustrated for long periods against Chinese Taipei before scoring two goals in the second half and head coach Nils Nielsen expects his players to 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. Our focus is on concentrating on each game and continuing the good work we showed in the first match," said Nielsen.

"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." PTI PDS SSC SSC