Australia have been denied a winning start to their Asian Women's Cup title defence as world champions Japan rallied with two second half goals to earn a 2-2 draw in Ho Chi Minh City.
A stunning individual goal from Caitlin Foord got Australia off to a perfect start.
The Sydney FC utility scored midway through the first half after running from halfway past several defenders before firing home off the inside of the post.
Lisa De Vanna extended the margin for Australia on the hour mark against the run of play in a second half largely dominated by Japan.
Australia captain Clare Polkinghorne put the ball through her own net a few minutes later to set up a tense finish.
And the Matildas defence was breached a second time seven minutes from full-time as Yuki Ogimi netted from close range to conclude the scoring in an end-to-end encounter.
Australia were in dynamic mood in the opening half with De Vanna hitting the post with a smart strike inside the opening minute and several other goalscoring chances created.
But Japan bounced back strongly and Ogimi was denied by a superb stop from Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams, while Japan captain Aya Miyama rattled the crossbar in the early moments of the second half.
The other Group A match saw host nation Vietnam defeat Jordan 3-1 to take an early lead in the standings.
The top two teams in each of the two groups will claim automatic qualification for next year's Women's World Cup in Canada.
"The first 30 minutes were really good, which we really dominated, and we can take a lot from that," said Australia coach Alen Stajcic.
"I thought we looked comfortable at halftime but then they came out and played like one of the best teams in the world.
"There was some great defending from us, and I'm happy to get a point and we will improve every game from here."
Australia will face Jordan on Friday before concluding their group fixtures on Sunday against Vietnam.
"We will probably rotate the squad for the Jordan match quite a bit if not every player given the 48-hour turnaround," said Stajcic.
"That is the beauty of our squad given the depth we have."
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