Japan dominate to win Girls’s World Cup final 16 match to arrange quarter-final with both the holders the USA or Sweden.
Hinata Miyazawa scored her fifth objective of the match as Japan beat Norway 3-1 in a conflict of former champions to achieve the quarter-finals of the Girls’s World Cup for the fourth time.
Japan have been on a mission to bury the reminiscence of their disappointing exit on the last-16 stage in 2019 and they’re going to now transfer on to play the winner of Sunday’s conflict between holders america and Sweden.
Though they conceded their first objective of the match to Guro Reiten’s header on Saturday, an personal objective from Norway’s Ingrid Engen in addition to second-half strikes from Risa Shimizu and Miyazawa obtained them throughout the road in entrance of a crowd of 33,042.
Miyazawa’s 81st-minute objective moved her out of a tie with Germany captain Alexandra Popp because the match’s main goalscorer in addition to matching Homare Sawa’s Japanese document for a World Cup set in 2011 when the Nadeshiko clinched the title.
After beating Spain 4-0 with solely 23 p.c of possession in its group-stage finale, Japan as soon as once more was a tactical chameleon within the spherical of 16 – taking part in with greater than 60 p.c of possession in a commanding efficiency.
Japan traded its common blue uniform for pastel colors on Saturday, pink and purple. The softer color scheme did nothing to uninteresting its attacking type; it pressed ahead from the beginning and had its first nook after two minutes.
Whereas it was ineffective, it was an early declaration of intent. With lengthy balls or sharp, fast passing, Japan frequently pressed ahead and Norway, which conceded just one objective in group play, usually appeared rattled on the again.
When the defence lastly yielded, it was in uncommon circumstances. Within the fifteenth minute Miyazawa curled the ball in from depth on the left and Engen prolonged her leg to parry the ball. She managed solely to deflect it extensive of Aurora Mikalsen in objective for the eighth personal objective of the match.
Japan appeared nicely on high however within the twenty first minute, and from the primary time within the match Norway had threatened, Vilda Boe Rise obtained away on the fitting, took the ball to the byline and crossed to the center the place Guro Reiten stood tall and headed extensive of the diving Ayaka Yamashita into the left nook.
The objective got here totally in opposition to the run of play. Shimizu’s winner got here within the fiftieth minute as Japan pushed ahead once more from midway. Miyazawa tried to carry up the ball close to objective, misplaced possession to Boe Risa, who tried a again move however rolled the ball into the trail of Shimizu dashing in from the fitting to attain.
Miyazawa produced a copybook end within the 81st, working onto an outstanding by ball and directing her shot extensive of Mikalsen.
Norway and Japan had met solely as soon as earlier than at a World Cup, in 1999, when Norway received 4-0.
Spain thrash Switzerland
Earlier the day, Spain’s coach Jorge Vilda stated he had “the 23 greatest gamers on this planet” after Aitana Bonmati starred in a 5-1 demolition of Switzerland to ship the Spanish into the Girls’s World Cup quarter-finals for the primary time.
Bonmati scored twice and obtained two assists in entrance of 43,217 at Auckland’s Eden Park – a document for a soccer match in New Zealand – with Spain taking part in the Netherlands or South Africa within the final eight.
Bonmati’s early opener within the last-16 tie was cancelled out by a spectacular Laia Codina personal objective, however Alba Redondo restored Spain’s lead and Bonmati scored once more to make it 3-1.
Codina then made up for her error by getting a fourth earlier than the interval and Jennifer Hermoso made it 5-1 within the second half.
It was a defiant response to Spain’s 4-0 defeat by Japan of their final group recreation and justified coach Vilda’s resolution to depart Alexia Putellas out of his beginning lineup.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner remains to be recovering her health following a severe knee harm and made only a cameo off the bench.
As a substitute it was her Barcelona teammate Bonmati who took centre stage, and Vilda was requested if the 25-year-old may now be a candidate to win the following Ballon d’Or.
“Aitana performed very nicely right now, she scored objectives and was participant of the match, however the remainder of the group performed very nicely too. We’ve 23 Ballons d’Or.”
