Powerhouse Japan were frustrated for an hour by a stubborn Taiwanese side but eventually won 2-0 at the start of the Women’s Asian Cup Group C campaign in Perth on Wednesday.
Midfielder Momoko Tanikawa latched onto a ball from Hana Takahashi and finished coolly in the 61st minute to finally break the deadlock. A powerful header from substitute Kiko Seike set up the second in injury time.
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Chasing the title they won consecutively at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Cups, the Nadeshiko dominated possession but were denied more goals by a combination of the determined defender and Taiwanese goalkeeper Wang Yu-ting.
Taiwan, three-time Asian champions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, parked all eleven players behind the ball for most of the match and had no goal attempts in the official statistics.
Published on March 4, 2026
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