Canada’s women’s soccer team faced another setback as they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Japan in a friendly match in Nagasaki, marking their fourth consecutive loss. Japan’s Momoko Tanikawa, Mina Tanaka, and Aoba Fujino found the net as they outplayed Canada at the 20,000-seat Peace Stadium. Assistant coach Natalie Henderson acknowledged the team’s challenges, emphasizing the need to address issues and strive for consistency.
The defeat extended Canada’s losing record against Japan to 4-9-4, with their last victory over Japan dating back to March 2018. The teams are set to clash again at Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki, with Canada aiming to reverse their fortunes after recent losses to Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States. This losing streak is the team’s longest since 2019.
During the match, Canada struggled to contain Japan’s attacks, conceding goals from Tanikawa and Tanaka in the first half, followed by another goal from Fujino. Despite some promising moments, Canada failed to convert opportunities into goals, extending their scoreless streak to 364 minutes since their last goal against Costa Rica in June.
In a bid to strengthen the team, Canada made lineup changes, including giving opportunities to players from different leagues. However, the absence of key players like Olivia Smith and Kadeisha Buchanan due to injuries impacted the team’s performance. The match also marked a significant milestone for captain Jessie Fleming, who earned her 150th cap.
The team is determined to regroup and improve their performance as they look ahead to future fixtures and work towards achieving better results in upcoming matches.