It’s a good call, because the players who are lining up there at the moment are there purely on name it looks like – they’ve been very bad and you’d have to hope that different players will be looked at.

That’s been the best of the lot.

A simple tap in to finish a magic move.

Japan pass from Fujuno, Hasegawa, Tanaka with such precision a surgeon would have been proud of the way they sliced through the prone Matildas defence, with Hamano on hand to tap home.

Sublime from the Japanese.

Just on a different level.

Maika Hamano blazes over from the edge of the penalty area after a mad misread from Steph Catley at the back.

She watched the ball from a long way out, and then watched it pass over her foot to Hamano on the right.

The Japanese striker may have wanted her time again and to challenge Arnold, who looked to have covered her near post well.

That was lovely from Hayley Raso down the right!

Mary Fowler was in the penalty area and wanted the cross to get to her, but Japan had numbers and managed to clear their lines.

A great start.

Mary Fowler suddenly found herself in a bit of space on the edge of the penalty area – turning and running towards the edge of the box before attempting to slide in Foord – only to see her pass blocked away.

No personnel changes for either side.

Although Australian fans will have to hope for an attitude change at least.

Loading

Japan had seven shots in that first half, three on target.

As we already mentioned, there was zip for Australia.

Japan has had 64 per cent possession, made 310 passes at 89 per cent accuracy.

The Matildas made just 182 passes, at 80 per cent, with just 36 per cent possession.

It’s been terrible.

It’s been so poor from the Matildas so far.

I don’t think I’ve seen Katrina Gorry once, nor Tamika Yallop.

This is Australia’s best team bar Sam Kerr – and they’ve been horrible.

You’d hope that some fresh blood can come in and make some running, because at the moment it’s not been good enough.

Well, that was not great at all from the Matildas, and that’s being kind.

Zero shots on target. Zero shots at all, in fact from the Matildas in that half.

And to be honest, they never looked like challenging at all.

It was tremendously poor against a very good Japan team.

The threads may be new for the Matildas, but it’s the same old issues from last year for Australia’s women — a desperately poor performance.

A sloppy turnover at the back, Japan continue to press forward with numbers, a cross comes over from the left, and Ellie Carpenter lets the ball bounce before muscling it past Fujino and then away.

A different bounce there and the Tillies would have been in an awful lot of trouble.

As it is, Carpenter sparks an attack but there’s no end product and Japan has a goal kick.

A good opportunity here for the Matildas after a sloppy challenge out on the right of Japan’s defence.

The Matildas mass on the edge of the penalty area.

The cross is a decent one but a tough too deep and the Japanese clear their lines.

Hayley Raso showed a lot of the ball to Maika Hamano, and then clipped her with a loose challenge — not spotted by the referee. More frustration for the Matildas.

What a sumptuous, teasing ball from Aoba Fujino.

The Manchester City player swept a cross from the left side that dangled tantalisingly above the head of Tanaka, who couldn’t get to it and the ball went behind for a goal kick.

Not great from Caitlin Foord there, as the Matildas have another rare touch in Japan’s half.

Foord took a heavy touch when she did get the ball, and then absolutely flattened her Japanese rival with a very poor challenge.

She had a talking to from the referee — but she’s lucky it wasn’t more.

Oh that’s another really poor goal to concede from the Matildas.

A looping ball over the top, Kennedy and Hunt get in each others way, allowing the ball to fall comfortably at the feet of Tanaka,  who had made a good run towards the penalty area.

She poked the ball past Arnold and the lead is doubled.

Poor defence.

Kennedy looked around at Clare Hunt to ask her what she was thinking angling across from the centre of the field and across her senior centreback partner, but that will be just one part of the inquest it seems.

Japan leads 2-0.

The Matildas have the ball in the back of the net, but Caitlin Foord was a mile offside.

That was a really good ball from Kyra Cooney-Cross, early pass from the right, early ball that saw the run of Foord.

Foord, if we’re being critical, really should have been better there — she was always in an offside position and didn’t ever seem to get back before making her run.