For Les Rouges supporters that stayed up Friday night into Saturday morning, the commanding performance from eighth-ranked Japan was another lesson in having a short memory and matches to forget.
The Canadian women’s national team were unable to shake off their recent malaise, dropping their fourth consecutive loss in the first of two friendlies this window against the nation ranked one spot above themselves.
The streak continues to be a shock to a Canadian system that has often found ways to win while facing adversity. It started with a 3-0 defeat to the United States the day after Canada Day. A pair of 1-0 decisions followed during the CanWNT’s October window in Europe, against Switzerland and the Netherlands, before Saturday’s result.
Saturday’s final result, 3-0, spurred on by goals from Momoko Tanikawa (Bayern Munich), Mina Tanaka (Utah Royals) and Aoba Fujino (Manchester City) was a repeat of the last time these two sides met, during the 2023 SheBelieves Cup.
Kiko Seike, Yui Hasegawa and Jun Endo scored in that February 2023 win at Toyota Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The first goalscorer in that match, Seike, tested Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan early on, fizzing a shot on goal in the third minute. The attempt was quickly followed three minutes later, as Japan unpicked the usually staunch Canadian back line with a lofted ball that was glanced towards goal by Tanaka.
Fujino was the next to step up for the Nadeshiko, dodging a Canadian challenge before placing a curler towards the upper echelons of Sheridan’s goal — only for it to clip the outer edge of the woodwork and subsequently flying into the stands of Nagasaki’s Peace Stadium.
Japan controlled a majority of the narrative from start to finish. However, proceedings looked closer to positive for the Canadians crossing over the half-hour mark.
21 minutes on, Janine Sonis’ first corner of the match peeled towards the back post.
A clash of heads between Women’s Super League defenders Saki Kumagai and Shelina Zadorsky brought play to a halt, but had Japan shotstopper Ayaka Yamashita not gotten fingertips on the ball, Zadorsky could have had Les Rouges’ dream opener.
Jayde Riviere, one of a few players coming into camp on solid form for club, also created a half-chance seven minutes later.
At left-back for the day, Riviere stepped into midfield to find a smart cross-field switch onto the right flank. Kumagai and centre-back partner Toko Koga, however, managed to thread Sonis’ cross clear through the eye of a Canadian storm in the box.
Holly Ward would see the same at the 36-minute mark, with Canada in the end summarily beaten on the statistics sheet; Canada’s zero big chances and six total shots paled in comparison to Japan’s four big chances and 20 total shots.
The first of those major opportunities for Japan struck in the 42nd minute, from the feet of Vanessa Gilles’ Bayern teammate Tanikawa. After a series of half-blocks and scuffed clearances, the 20-year-old midfielder was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box for the simplest of finishes.
GOAL🇯🇵
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 29, 2025
Japan have opened the scoring right before half time, as Momoko Tanikawa makes no mistake in finding the bottom corner to put her side up 1-0
For a 5th straight game, the #CanWNT have conceded the 1st goal, in the first half
🔴Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/axFUoHr67Q
The second half was no better for the Canadians, almost immediately.
Six minutes into the second frame, a simple backpass turned into calamity, as Zadorsky paced Hinata Miyazawa down Les Rouges’ left side. While the ball made its way back to Sheridan, so did Cloé Lacasse’s Utah Royals club mate Tanaka.
Lacasse was shut down for international duty for the rest of 2025 by Utah for load management and rest, head coach Casey Stoney explained prior to the start of the window. Stoney herself is currently away from the team due to a family matter.
Tanaka closed down Sheridan before stripping the goalkeeper of the ball. Jade Rose noticed the developing situation and tried to cover for Sheridan, but ended up with a front-row seat to Tanaka blasting the ball past her in front of a crowd of supporters behind the Canadian goal.
GOAL🇯🇵🇯🇵
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 29, 2025
Oh no!😳
The misery continues for the #CanWNT, as Kailen Sheridan loses the ball right in front of the goal, and Mina Tanaka ruthlessly punishes her to put her team up 2-0
🔴Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/N7CXKBkcit
Manaka Matsukubo and Tanikawa helped wrap up the win for Japan, the latter getting her second goal involvement of the day, as Fujino unleashed a one-time shot through Canadian traffic that included Manchester City colleague Jade Rose.
Playing the perfect overlap, Matsukubo found the run of Tanikawa, the latter almost perfectly placing the ball on the penalty spot for Fujino to guide towards goal.
GOAL🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 29, 2025
It's 3-0 now for Japan, as Aoba Fujino squeaks through a first-timed shot from inside the box, continuing a tough second half for the #CanWNT
🔴Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/AkoA3ovkF7
Second-half substitute Florianne Jourde almost clawed one back for Canada in injury time, seeing her volley from the second phase of a deep free-kick be headed away by Koga, playing the last defender.
That move secured Japan the win and the clean sheet ahead of Tuesday’s second encounter less than 20 kilometres away at Transcosmos Stadium in Isahaya. That match marks Canada’s last opportunity to end their slump and leave 2025 with a win — taking a lot of pressure off their collective shoulders, if they do so, in the process.
