With 11 goals conceded in three group games, Japan was the favorite at the Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 after a dominant performance.
A 3-1 win over powerhouse Norway in the round of 16 raised hopes of a first title in 12 years, but they were stopped by Sweden in the quarterfinals.
Sweden, ranked No. 3 by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), reached the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals after beating Japan, ranked No. 11, who missed a penalty kick by Thurro.
Sweden defeated Japan 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Nov. 11 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Swedes, who advanced through the group stage with a three-game sweep, snapped Japan’s four-game winning streak after beating FIFA’s No. 1 ranked team, the United States, on penalties.
It was Sweden’s second straight quarterfinal appearance, following the 2019 World Cup in France. They were stopped by the Netherlands in the final.
Sweden’s next opponent is Spain, who defeated the Netherlands in their previous match. The two teams will kick off at 5 p.m. on Aug. 15 at this stadium.
Japan didn’t have many offensive chances in the first half as Sweden pressed hard.
While they failed to register a single shot on goal, Sweden fired off eight shots while enjoying 54% of the ball possession.
Sweden took the lead in the 32nd minute when Amanda Ilestedt took advantage of a miscommunication on a free kick, and then took the lead six minutes into the second half when Philippa Angeldahl converted a penalty kick.
The pressure from the physical Swedish midfield made it difficult for the Japanese midfielders to get the ball forward and blunted Japan’s vaunted counterattacks.
After surrendering the lead, it was especially painful for Japan to see Riko Ueki miss a penalty kick that she had earned in the 31st minute. Ueki’s shot ricocheted off the post and missed a golden opportunity.
Japan didn’t push forward until the final minutes of the match, and even then, Fujino Aoba’s free kick hit the post in the 42nd minute. On the ensuing attack, Hayashi Honoka made up for the hard-fought goal with a right-footed shot.
Revitalized, Japan fought hard in stoppage time, registering two shots on target in the second half, but were unable to put the game out of reach.
With Japan’s elimination, all of the defending champions have packed it in at this World Cup.
43,217 fans were in attendance at Eden Park to see Sweden win.
Spain advances to quarterfinals with win over Netherlands after 0-4 loss to Japan
Earlier in the day, Spain defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time in their first quarterfinal match at Wellington Stadium.
After cruising to a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in their first game of the tournament, followed by a 5-0 thrashing of Zambia, the Spaniards looked to be on the wrong end of a 0-4 defeat in their final Group C match against Japan.
Undaunted, the Spaniards came out firing on all cylinders in their Round of 16 matchup with Switzerland, securing a 5-1 victory.
This is the first time Spain has ever reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, and they’ve come from behind to reach the last four, matching their best ever performance. Spain is now 4-1-1 in the tournament.
Despite dominating possession throughout the match, as evidenced by shots on goal (28 to 10), ball possession (62% to 38%), and other metrics, Spain was unable to break the 0-0 scoreline until the final minute.
However, in the 34th minute of the second half, Spain had a golden opportunity when a handball foul on a defender attempting to clear a cross was ruled out after video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Mariona Caldentei opened the scoring from the resulting penalty kick, but the Netherlands responded in stoppage time when veteran center back Stephanie Vanderhraagt broke into the back of the defense and unleashed a cool right-footed strike.카지노
It wasn’t until the sixth minute of the second half of extra time that the two teams were evenly matched, as Salma Parajuelo sprinted from the halfway line to the penalty box, where she beat her defender with a tricky move before slotting home a left-footed finish to seal the victory.