With Japan's exit from the tournament, it is now certain that a first-time winner will be crowned at this World Cup.
Sweden defeated the United States and then triumphed over Japan, securing a place in the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup. This victory marks a significant milestone for Sweden, who were runners-up in 2003 and have finished in third place three times.
In the quarter-final match held on Friday, the Swedes managed to eliminate the previously undefeated Japanese team with a score of 2-1. With Japan now out of the competition, this year's World Cup will crown a first-time champion.
Amanda Ilestedt opened the scoring for Sweden with a goal in the first half, while Filippa Angeldal sealed their victory with a penalty conversion in the second half. This unexpected outcome propelled Sweden to the semi-finals for the fifth time. Despite Japan's impressive performance throughout the tournament, scoring 14 goals and maintaining a flawless record of 4-0, they seemed unable to recover from Sweden's 2-0 lead late in the second half.
Japan staged a remarkable comeback in the late stages of the game, putting immense pressure on Sweden's goalkeeper, Zecira Musovic. Musovic, who had just set a World Cup record with 11 saves in the victory against the United States, found herself facing a relentless Japanese attack.
In the 76th minute, Riko Ueki took a penalty shot for Japan, but unfortunately, it struck the crossbar and rebounded away from the goal. However, Japan's persistence paid off in the 86th minute when substitute Honoka Hayashi managed to breach Musovic's defenses, narrowing Sweden's lead to 2-1.
Despite their valiant efforts, this was all Japan could muster, and Sweden secured their place in the semifinals against Spain, which will take place on Tuesday at Eden Park in Auckland. Earlier on Friday, Spain triumphed over the Netherlands with a 2-1 victory in extra time. It is worth noting that Japan had previously defeated Spain 4-0 during the group stage.
With Japan's exit from the tournament, it is now certain that a first-time winner will be crowned at this World Cup. Japan, the reigning champions from 2011, along with previous winners Germany, Norway, and the United States, have all been eliminated earlier in the competition.
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