wf056: Nadeshiko Friendly vs Canada

After the present match, the Nadeshiko will become the team of Toko Koga. Courtesy from this site.

[The International Friendly Match of November 2025: vs Canada]
November 29, 2025
Kickoff 3:30 PM
Peace Stadium/ Nagasaki, Japan

In addition to the televised friendly match on November 29th, an open training match is scheduled for December 2nd at Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki in Isahaya City. It is unclear how long advanced time the Canadian team arrived in Nagasaki, but the general impression is that they were not in good condition.

[The opponent: Canada]
Canada is ranked 9th in the world, just behind the Nadeshiko, who are ranked 8th. They also place a lot of emphasis on player development, producing young stars like Arsenal’s Olivia Smith (21). They are a powerhouse in the Americas, having placed 4th once in the World Cup, won the championship once and placed 3rd twice in the Olympics. The team visiting Japan this time includes five players from the WSL, four from the French league, one from the German league, and one from the Italian league, as well as three from the Canadian league and nine from the US league. While the manager is Casey Stoney, the match on November 29th appeared to have been led by coach Natalie Henderson, who boasts a track record of letting England the runner-up at the U17 World Cup.

[Result of the match]
Nadeshiko (442 formation) 3-0 Canada (433 formation)
Scorers: 44’ Momoko Tanikawa, 51′ Mina Tanaka, 69’ Aoba Fujino

[Match review]
The Nadeshiko’s first goal came when a pass from Mina Tanaka was given in front of Momoko Tanigawa, who was floating in the box thanks to the support of those around her. Tanigawa’s outstanding finishing ability was as expected, as she scored despite the opposing defense blocking the goalmouth. When Tanigawa faces forward in the box, she demonstrates her world-class strength constantly. The second goal was scored by combination of Tanaka and Kiko Seike, who induced a mistake from the opposing goalkeeper. For the third goal, Manaka Matsukubo received a perfect through pass from Maika Hamano, held the ball, and then passed it to Tanikawa running into the pocket. Aoba Fujino ran into the box center from the right wing to score after receiving a cross from Tanikawa. Considering the poor condition of the Canadian players, the home team’s victory was justified only commercially, but there seemed to be a number of questions surrounding the Nadeshiko. The impression that they were overwhelmingly stronger than Canada was not as intense as the score difference suggested.

[Blogger Comments]
Since this was a friendly match against an opponent in poor condition, I can’t offer much commentary, but in a nutshell, it could be described as “a match showing that the Nadeshiko became and will be Toko Koga’s team.” Indeed, Koga dominated the game.
Mina Tanaka’s contributions were also not to be overlooked. I didn’t expect her to become such a great player. She displayed twice the running ability and tactical acumen of the younger. Saki Kumagai, Hikaru Kitagawa, Hinata Miyazawa, and Fujino were reliable as usual.
The Nadeshiko were simply in poor form as a team in the first half. It became clear that with two or more players who were too focused on the ball, had difficulty with positioning and receiving passes, and also had poor defensive awareness, the team would not be able to play the kind of football they aimed when they are against an opponent of Canada’s caliber. The team’s immediate revitalization after the 64-minute substitutions, when players with excellent basic skills, positioning, and running ability were brought on, was proof of this. Honestly, I don’t understand what Manager Nielsen was trying to do in the first half.
Some Nadeshiko players in Europe seemed to be in poor condition, and showed a lack of concentration in the final minutes. Even with such players, the manager’s tactics should address them, for example, by adopting more efficient defensive and offensive strategies.
There are also serious questions about how substitutes were used. Yui Narumiya is not a forward player, and using Riko Yoshida on the wing was nothing but a waste of a valuable asset. Manager Nielsen seems to be a master of “assigning players to tasks they’re not good at,” while I can’t understand what his intentions are, or whether he simply has trouble assessing players’ characteristics. One can only hope that this is the result of his careful consideration.
On the other hand, Hana Takahashi’s use as a side back is understandable as a way to counter the tall Canadian opponent. Fujino’s use as a left wing and substitute Miyabi Moriya’s use as a left side back are understandable, as they play the same positions for their club teams. Yui Hasegawa’s absence appears to be due to an injury sustained in her club’s cup match.
There are also speculations that the manager may have become too conservative responding to surrounding request for his dismissal.

[[[[Postscript on December 2nd as follows.]]]
[The International Friendly Match of December: vs Canada]
December 2, 2025, Kickoff 2:00 PM
Transcosmos Stadium/ Isahaya City, Japan

There is information that what was originally scheduled to be an open training match has been upgraded to an A-match. Since JFA TV was broadcasting the match on YouTube, we were able to watch the full game. However, the JFA website still describes it as a training match.

[Result of the match]
Nadeshiko (442 formation) 1-0 Canada (433 formation)
Scorers: 45′ Mina Tanaka

[Match review]
Canadian players’ condition had improved. In the first half, the Nadeshiko’s front line consisted of attackers with high defense ability, and their pressing was more effective than in the match three days earlier. Nadeshiko’s goal came from a header by Narumi Miura from a corner kick and then Mina Tanaka got the ball after it was once saved by the goalkeeper. The Nadeshiko had some players in poor condition, so the game left a somewhat sloppy impression while they had several decisive shots.

[Blogger Comments]
First of all, I’m worried about Akane Okuma’s injury. I hope it’s only a minor one.
I hope that Aya Sameshima, who is a highly skilled commentator, should definitely pursue a career as a manager. Her power of verbalization is extremely advanced.
Yui Hasegawa, who has just returned from injury, was occasionally off-kilter, but I feel that she has improved in her mid-range shooting technique.
Among the substitute players, I saw a glimmer of hope in Uno Shiragaki.