On Friday, Sweden held on to defeat Japan 2-1 and advance to the Women’s World Cup semifinal against Spain thanks to goals from Filippa Angeldal and Amanda Ilestedt.
Centre-back At Eden Park in Auckland, Ilestedt scored shortly after the half-hour mark to give Sweden a just lead and send Japan trailing for the first time in a World Cup match.
With the fourth goal of the tournament so far, @amandailestedt has matched the total of @WRenard in 2019 to become the joint-top scoring defender at a single #FIFAWWC #JPNSWE #SWE pic.twitter.com/wHiwDyeli9
— Asif Burhan (@AsifBurhan) August 11, 2023
Before Japan attempted a comeback, Angeldal made it 2-0 from a penalty seven minutes into the second half. Riko Ueki missed a penalty kick, and Honoka Hayashi pulled one back with three minutes remaining in regulation.
Then, despite a late downpour, Sweden managed to reach the semifinals for the third time in the previous four World Cups.
Following the United States, Germany, and Norway out, the 2011 champions Japan are the last remaining victor, and after next weekend’s final in Sydney, a new name will be engraved on the trophy.
Sweden, who finished second in 2003, must defeat Spain in a semi-final on Tuesday in Auckland if they are to advance. Spain overcame the Netherlands 2-1 on Friday in Wellington.
This matchup between a smooth, clinical Japan and a more hard-hitting, aggressive Sweden was hailed as the ultimate collision of footballing philosophies.
The opponents, who sat back in a 5-4-1 out of possession but were rarely afforded the chance to surge forward on the counterattack as they had done to such deadly success in previous rounds, were put under pressure by Peter Gerhardsson’s Swedish team.
Japan had begun to hope for a run to match their incredible victory in 2011, but instead they were ousted by the same team that had defeated them in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics two years prior.
Following a set-piece, the opening goal was scored in the 32nd minute, exactly the situation when the Japanese were predicted to struggle against their more physically dominant opponents.
A free kick was awarded after the Nadeshiko failed to clear their lines, and when Magdalena Eriksson, the center back partner of Ilestedt, had her shot blocked, the ball fell to Ilestedt to score into the roof of the net.
With Hinata Miyazawa, the current leading scorer with five goals, currently out of the competition, Ilestedt, who recently signed with Arsenal, is surprisingly a candidate for the golden boot.
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Miyazawa had little impact on this contest, and captain Kosovare Asllani‘s attempt was deflected onto the post by Ayaka Yamashita‘s outstretched fingertips just before halftime.
Two minutes after the restart, the Japan goalie made another excellent stop to deflect a Johanna Kaneryd attempt for a corner.
The second goal, though, was the result of the corner. After a review, the referee determined that the Liverpool player had committed a foul when the delivery from the right side struck Fuka Nagano‘s fist in her own box.
