Amanda Ilestedt and Filippa Angeldahl scored for Europeans, while Honoka Hayashi reduced for Japan
In the early hours of this Friday, Sweden beat Japan 2-1 in a match valid for the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup. Also in the first phase, Amanda Ilestedt opened the scoring for the European Championships; Filippa Angeldahl, from the penalty spot, increased the score in the second half and Honoka Hayashi reduced the score for the Asians.
With the result, Sweden are classified for the semifinals for the fifth time in their history, trying to rewrite the second place obtained in 2003. In the semifinals, the opponent will be Spain, one of the favorites for the title. The rankings also brought confirmation that, necessarily, there will be an unprecedented champion in the Women’s World Cup, since none of the remaining teams in the competition have managed to lift the trophy.
Watch the first five points of the match
!WHAT CRAZY! Sweden took the lead. After a free kick from Asllani, a rebound in the area after a bad cut from Yamashita’s fist made Nathalie Bjorn try two kicks and stop the marking. The ball stayed with Ericsson, who also kicked three times and was stopped. In the third, however, the ball fell on Amanda Ilestedt, who showed more goal sense and put the ball in the back of the net already inside the small area to open the scoring.
!I MISSED THE MOVE, PROFESSOR! The Japanese team, who excelled with a great campaign in the early stage, conceded 11 kicks by Sweden in the first stage and never finished. Futoshi Ikeda, coach of the Japanese, made only one change, inserting Jun Endo in place of Hina Sugita, but giving little mobility to the center of the team in the offensive part to react.
!HARD PUNISHMENT! In the first minutes of the second phase, the good performance of the European Championships was rewarded with the second goal. From a corner kick, the ball deflected off Saki Kumagai’s arm. After VAR review, Esther Staubli scored the penalty. Filippa Angeldahl overtakes Yamashita to extend Sweden’s lead.
!PAINFUL POST! Japan looked to get back into the game in the 30th minute and were rewarded for their momentum with a penalty awarded by Riko Ueki. The same number 9 went to kick and hit the goal, but the ball exploded over the crossbar and also bounced off the line.
!NO OPPORTUNISM! In the 41st minute of the second half, Japan had chances again. With a free kick, Riko Ueki hit the crossbar cleanly. In the next move, keeping possession, Kiko Seike made a big move down the left and crossed into the area. Magdalena Eriksson made the wrong cut and Honoka Hayashi took the rest to shoot the Swedish goal.
How was the first half?
An attack versus defense duel. This was the summary of the first half of the comparison. Sweden dominated and had a better performance, finishing against none of the Japanese 11 times. Although they had become accustomed to playing “against the ropes” and even beating Spain in this strategy, the Japanese counter-attacks had no effect and the Swedes were rewarded for their audacity with a goal from Ilestedt, after hitting the penalty area . In the final there was still a ball on the post by Asllani, which almost increased the score.
And the second step?
Right off the bat, the VAR saw Kumagai’s penalty and Angeldahl tapped in to score the second. The goal conceded early on would lead Japan to change their strategy, go out more for the game and start creating good moves, mostly from the sidelines. In one of these, Riko Ueki received it in the box and was brought down with a penalty. The same number 9 shirt went for football, but hit the crossbar. The waste of the penalty cost a certain apathy in the following minutes, but Honoka Hayashi still managed to reduce the scoreboard. Furthermore, the full pressure ended up having no effect and Três Coroas guaranteed a place in the top four of the tournament.
How was the situation of the teams?
With the victory, Sweden have secured qualification for the semi-finals and will face Spain, with a great squad led by the best player in the world, Alexia Putellas. This could be the Swedes’ second final in its history, the first title. Japan, aiming for the final for the third time in the last four editions, failed to repeat the feat of 2011 and 2015 and fell by the wayside.
DATA SHEET
Japan 1v2 Sweden
Date and time: Friday, August 11, 2023, at 4:30 (Brasilia time)
Local: Eden Park in Auckland (New Zealand)
Arbitration: Esther Staubli (referee); Katrin Rafalski and Susanne Kueng (assistants); Katia Garcia (fourth referee); Massimiliano Irrati and Drew Fischer (VAR)
Public: 43,217 gifts
Yellow cards: Riko Ueki (Japan)
Goals: Honoka Hayashi, in the 87th minute (Japan); Amanda Ilestedt, at 32′, and Filippa Angeldahl, at 51′ (SUE)
JAPAN (Coach: Futoshi Ikeda)
Ayaka Yamashita; Hana Takahashi (Maika Hamano), Saki Kumagai and Moeka Minami; Risa Shimizu, Fuka Nagano (Honoka Hayashi), Yui Hasegawa and Hina Sugita (Jun Endo); Aoba Fujino, Mina Tanaka (Riko Ueki) and Hinata Miyazawa (Kiko Seike)
SWEDEN (Coach: Peter Gerhardsson)
Zecira Musovic; Nathalia Bjorn, Amanda Ilestedt, Magdalena Eriksson and Jonna Andersson; Filippa Angeldahl and Elin Rubensson (Hanna Bennison); Rytting Kaneryd (Sofia Jakobsson), Fridolina Rolfo (Lina Hurtig) and Kosovare Asllani (Madelen Janogy); Stina Blacksthenio
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
