Japan need ‘different tools' to win World Cup: Coach

Coach Nils Nielsen warned Monday that Japan need “different tools” to win next year's Women's World Cup after sweeping to the Asian title with a series of barnstorming performances.

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Japan beat Women’s Asian Cup hosts Australia 1-0 in Saturday's final in Sydney to lift the trophy for the third time in four tournaments.

Nielsen's side dazzled along the way, scoring 29 goals and conceding just one to lay down a marker ahead of next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Japan are the only Asian team to have won the world title and Nielsen said they would need to keep improving if they want to do it again.

“We found some parts of ourselves that are really strong," the Greenland-born coach said after returning to Tokyo.

“There are also elements that we saw, we had some difficulty getting the final to be on our terms because of the opponent's strength.

“We will see that again at the World Cup, that means we need to find some different tools how to get the game to be the way we want it.”

Japan won the World Cup in 2011 and reached the final again four years later, losing to the United States.

They have not gone past the quarterfinals at either a World Cup or Olympics since.