European coach reveals World Cup champion's weaknesses for Vietnam

Coach Nils Nielsen showed a degree of displeasure with the Japanese women's national team squad, even though they had a successful start in the 2026 Asian Cup Finals.

The Japanese women's national team secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in their opening Group C match of the 2026 Asian Cup Finals. During the post-match press conference, Coach Nils Nielsen expressed satisfaction with the Japanese players' performance but stated the team could have done better against the opponent by capitalizing on their chances more effectively.

The Danish strategist stated: "It was a rather one-sided match. Chinese Taipei was an uncomfortable opponent as we predicted, but I think the team maintained focus and created opportunities.

Of course, we need to be a bit sharper in finishing. But this is just the first match of the tournament and we earned three points, so there's no reason to be dissatisfied."

Despite being rated superior to their opponent, the Japanese women's national team took over an hour to "decode" the opponent's deep defensive play. According to Nielsen, the team lacked flexibility in the early stages of the match, and adjustments made during halftime helped the former World Cup champion (2011) secure the win.

He admitted: "In the first half, we played with a slight lack of movement, making it more difficult to create clear-cut chances, especially with too many players in the penalty area. There was almost no space. In the second half, we found a better solution with more movement and improved support between players.

We knew that just one goal would be enough. Defensively, the team faced little pressure and the players maintained their concentration. During the halftime break, we discussed how to stretch the opponent's formation with different runs and also considered necessary adjustments if we didn't score early in the second half.

Each team has the right to choose their style of play. We are accustomed to teams defending deep against us. Even higher-rated teams sometimes do that. When the opponent parks the 'bus' in front of the goal, space becomes very limited, but we remained patient."

With the opening victory, the Japanese women's national team temporarily leads Group C with three points, level with the Vietnamese women's national team but ahead on goal difference. In the second matchday, Coach Nils Nielsen's squad will face India, while the Vietnamese women's national team takes on Chinese Taipei.