India brace for Japan test

Agenceis

Perth

India will look to regroup quickly when they face a formidable Japan in their second Group C match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Perth Rectangular Stadium on Saturday.

The Blue Tigresses are currently third in the group after a narrow 1–2 defeat to Vietnam in their opening match, while Japan began their campaign with a 2–0 victory over Chinese Taipei.

Eighth-ranked Japan have dominated past meetings between the two sides, winning all three encounters and scoring 19 goals, including a 7–0 victory in the Olympic qualifiers in 2023.

India head coach Amelia Valverde said recovery after the physically demanding match against Vietnam was the immediate priority ahead of the clash.

“Right now the focus has been recovery because we had a very demanding match physically,” Valverde said, adding that her side would remain tactically flexible against a team known for its possession-based style.

“Japan like to dominate the game, but we have to prepare our own game. We hope to deliver a strong performance and be very competitive again,” she said.

Midfielder Sangita Basfore said the team had analysed its mistakes from the Vietnam game and aimed to improve against Japan.

“We made a big effort against Vietnam, but now we have analysed the game and the mistakes made in it. We need to perform even better against Japan,” she said.