admin‘Women’s World Cup sensation’ Japan is stopped by ‘Nordic powerhouse’ Sweden.
Japan’s women’s national soccer team fell 1-0 to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, at 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
Japan struggled against Sweden’s strong physicality from the start. The Swedes were even stronger after coming from behind to defeat defending champions and world No. 1 USA in extra time in the Round of 16.
On the other hand, Japan, who had conceded 11 goals in their three group games, including a 4-0 thrashing of Spain to top the group and a 3-1 victory over Norway in the Round of 16, were unable to show their trademark mobility against the traditional powerhouse Sweden, as their passes were blocked and they were repeatedly beaten in one-on-one battles.
They conceded their first goal of the tournament in the 32nd minute through Amanda Illisteet, and it was all Sweden from there. In the 42nd minute, Aslani’s shot that hit the post narrowly missed the goal line. Japan was lucky. They went into halftime trailing 0-1.
At the start of the second half, Japan head coach Futoshi Iketa brought on Jun Endo for Hina Sujita to strengthen the left flank. Four minutes into the second half, the ball struck Fuka Nagano’s arm in the midst of a scramble after a corner kick. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty kick for a handball foul. ‘Man City ace’ Flippa Angeldahl stepped up and slotted the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. Immediately after the goal, Riko Ueki came on for Mina Tanaka. Through the final 20 minutes, Sweden had 11 shots, six on target, while Japan had just one.
After the midway point of the second half, Japan’s search for an equalizer continued. In the 22nd minute, Hasegawa’s shot hit the crossbar. In the 25th minute, Aoba’s shot was saved by Sweden’s Zekira Musovic. Japan’s hard work in the box paid off. In the 29th minute, Madeleine Janowi brought down the onrushing Ueki and a penalty kick was awarded. In the 31st minute, Ueki’s shot on target hit the crossbar. A crucial missed opportunity. In the 35th minute, Miyazawa Hinata was replaced by Kiko Seike and Nagano Fuka by Hotoka Hayashi for a final push.
Japan didn’t give up until the end. After Fujino Aoba’s free kick in the 41st minute narrowly missed the post, substitute Hayashi’s desperate shot in the 42nd minute found the back of the net. It was 2-1. Seiki’s shot in stoppage time went just wide of the post.
10 minutes of extra time A frenzied chase ensued, with Japan recording 11 shots on target, but the equalizer was not to be. A poor first half and a missed penalty kick hurt. In the end, Japan lost to Sweden 1-2. At the same time as Sweden advanced to the quarterfinals, the stadium was filled with Swedish group Abba’s “Mamma Mia” anthem.온라인카지노
Japan, who won the 2011 tournament in Germany, finished runner-up in Canada in 2015, and reached the round of 16 in France in 2019, had been touted as a “surprise team” by major foreign media outlets for their flawless play and solid organization after a successful generation change, but they were unable to overcome Sweden’s barrier in the quarterfinals. With the United States, Germany, and Japan all out of the tournament, Sweden will face Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday.