Matildas coach slams ‘un-Australian’ display in 4-0 defeat to Japan

Australian women’s national team coach Tom Sermanni (70) has not held back in his criticism of the Matildas after they suffered a disheartening 4-0 defeat to Japan in what was their heaviest loss ever against the Japanese side, during the SheBelieves Cup opener in Houston on Thursday night (US time).

Mina Tanaka netted two goals in the first half and provided the assist for Maika Hamano’s goal after the interval, while Moeka Minami sealed the scoreline with a header in the 75th minute.

Three of the goals conceded were the result of defensive blunders, which left an irate interim coach Sermanni expressing his frustrations.

“The most disappointing aspect was that some of the goals we conceded were frankly unacceptable, which is not typical of an Australian team,” the Scottish coach remarked in the post-match press conference.

“We aspire to be a tough team to beat, but today we allowed ourselves to give up some soft goals. Overall, though, it was a fully deserved result.”

A defensive miscue paved the way for Tanaka’s opening goal, a clever flick in the sixth minute, with her second coming just before the half-hour mark after defenders Clare Hunt and Alanna Kennedy collided while pursuing a high ball.

Minami added the fourth after outjumping goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold to a cross meant for a clearance.

Japan could have easily increased their lead, whilst the Matildas managed only a single shot throughout the encounter, a close effort from substitute Charlotte Grant that struck the crossbar in the dying moments.

Sermanni described the match as a “significant wake-up call” for Australia, who is set to host the Asian Cup in just over a year.

“On the bright side, it allows us to reflect on what steps we need to take in the next year to ensure we can compete with teams like Japan during the Asian Cup,” he stated.

The lead-up to the four-team SheBelieves Cup was clouded by off-field distractions, including injured captain Sam Kerr’s court case in London and a pay dispute between players and Football Australia.

Kerr was acquitted of racially abusing a police officer in a trial that captured the attention of her home country.

Sermanni insisted that these off-field matters had no bearing on the team’s performance.

“To suggest that today’s performance was influenced by off-field issues would be misleading,” he asserted.