Mina Tanaka scored two goals in the first half and assisted a third as Japan triumphed 4-0 over Australia in the opening match of the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday.
The victory marked Japan’s first win under new head coach Nils Nielsen, who is from Denmark. The match took place at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Tanaka netted goals in the 6th and 32nd minutes before setting up Maika Hamano’s goal in the 52nd minute. Moeka Minami added a fourth goal in the 74th minute to seal the win over Australia, who reached the semifinals in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“I’m happy to see that the new strategies are working,” Nielsen said. “It boosts the players’ confidence. But most importantly, I was impressed with the players’ attitude on the field. They really wanted to show something special.”
Japan will face Colombia next on Sunday, followed by the United States on Wednesday in the four-team round-robin tournament.
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