No team in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup looked better heading into the quarterfinals than Japan, having scored a tournament-leading 14 goals between the group stage and first round combined, and having given up one goal.
Head coach Futoshi Ikeda employs a style of exciting play where it's a free-flowing game, which can catch teams off guard left and right.
Sweden, however, was not deterred by Japan's ferocious attack.
In what became a down-to-the-wire 2-1 victory, Sweden showed their height advantage over Japan, winning the possession battle that Japan displayed up until this point.
Five days after handing the United States their first knockout stage loss since 2011, Sweden pulled off another upset.
Amanda Ilestedt scored her fourth goal of the tournament off a set piece in the 32nd minute. With Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita trying to get a clear on the free kick, Sweden kept the ball in the box, and she and Filippa Angeldahl were looking to jam the ball in as they were parked in close range, though as the ball came to Ilestedt, she fired the ball top right corner to get Sweden on the board.
Angeldahl added to the lead after Fuka Nagano made contact with the ball with her hand after a VAR review, knocking in the penalty kick bottom left corner to extend Sweden's lead to 2-0 six minutes into the second half.
Fueled with confidence after knocking off the United States, they swarmed all over the midfield and rattled Japan to where they did not get a single shot in the first 63 minutes.
It was the second and third times Japan gave up a goal in the tournament and the first time that they were behind, facing adversity for the first time. Unfortunately, they were not able to break free from the stranglehold Sweden put them in.
There were many times Sweden had in scoring more goals in the first half, including in the 42nd minute, where Fridolina Rolfö found Kosovare Asllani approaching the box, though the ball was slightly tipped off the fingertips of Yamashita and then off the right post, staying out.
They almost found the back of the net 17 minutes earlier, with Stina Blackstenius barely missing the net just inches to the right after winning a foot race to the ball opposite Saki Kumagai.
Japan did not look like their usual selves, but they tried to mount a comeback starting from their first shot at the 63rd minute.
It wasn't until five minutes after that where they got their first good chance. Though a pass intended for Hinata Miyazawa bounced off the leg of a Swedish defender and onto Yui Hasegawa, she fired the shot too high.
They kept coming with numbers throughout, though Aoba Fujino rolled a slow-moving shot to the bottom right corner which Zećira Mušović took care of diving left three minutes after the first chance.
Japan was awarded a penalty kick at the 76th minute when Riko Ueki got tripped up in the penalty area, but her shot went off the crossbar and her ensuing header above the net.
Then, seconds after Fujino's free kick somehow did not cross the line after it bounced off Mušović, the crossbar, and the left post, Honoka Hayahsi blasted in a loose ball after Kiko Seike's cross went off defender Magdalena Eriksson, with the play set up on the entry pass by Jun Endo at the 87th minute.
That set the stage for a dramatic final 13 minutes of the match, but Sweden held on to secure their semifinals matchup with Spain in the next round.
In eliminating Japan, Sweden knocked off the last team to have previously won a Women's World Cup, guaranteeing that any one of them, Spain, France, England, Colombia, or co-hosts Australia to win a Women's World Cup for the first time.
Sweden has previously made a deep run before on the women's end, having been the runners-up in the last two Olympics, and the runners-up in the 2003 World Cup.
And their players have been feeling the positive energy that is reminiscent of the 2019 United States team that won it all. That year's Americans called their teammates the "22 best friends," and enjoyed each other's company even when they weren't obligated to meet with each other.
This may be a fitting testament, given that Sweden made two consecutive statement wins over the two-time defending World Cup champions in an emotional penalty shootout that went to the seventh round and a Japan team that had the tournament lead for goals scored.
Japan posed perhaps the hardest challenge for Sweden, as the Nadeshiko have been as dominant on the ball as they have been off it. In their 5-0 win over Zambia, they had the ball for 60% of the time, while they had it for just 24% in a stunning 4-0 win over Spain.
Yet Sweden stuck to their gameplan, used their height advantage to their favor, pressed on Japan aggressively, and made them look uncharacteristically uncomfortable.
They stuck to their promise that they would be playing their physical game against the Nadeshiko, which they did, constantly tackling their offense.
Japan's expected goals at halftime was zero, while Sweden's was at 1.57. It was a rather ugly outing for a Japan team that was otherwise the most exciting team to watch. Even after scoring in the 87th minute, they didn't look like they were poised for a comeback.
But this was also a Sweden team that knows how to keep the good vibes in the locker room, a team that are all smiles, and at the same time, willing to push each other and learning from each other.
And they exited Eden Park to the tune of the Swedish pop band ABBA after the game. They will be coming back to this venue when they take on Spain in the semifinals on August 15th at 4:00 AM EDT. FOX will televise the game in the USA, TSN in Canada, and Televisa in México. Telemundo has the Spanish-speaking broadcast for the USA.
Scoring
Sweden, 32': Amanda Ilestedt [4], right footed shot from very close range to top right corner following a set piece situation. 1-0 Sweden
Sweden, 51': Filippa Angeldahl [1], penalty kick conversion with right footed shot to bottom left corner. 2-0 Sweden
Japan, 76': Missed penalty by Riko Ueki, hits crossbar with right footed shot. 2-0 Sweden
Japan, 87': Honoka Hayashi [1], right footed shot from center of the box to bottom left corner. 2-1 Sweden
Substitutions
Japan, 45': Jun Endo replaces Hina Sugita.
Japan, 52': Riko Ueki replaces Mina Tanaka.
Sweden, 72': Madelen Janogy replaces Kosovare Asllani.
Sweden, 73': Lina Hurtis replaces Fridolina Rolfö.
Japan, 81': Kiko Seike replaces Hinata Miyazawa
Japan, 81': Honoka Hayashi replaces Fuka Nagano.
Sweden, 84': Hanna Bennison replaces Elin Rubensson.
Sweden, 84': Sofia Jakobsson replaces Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
Japan, 90'+2': Maika Hamano replaces Hana Takahashi.
Disciplinary
Japan, 79': Riko Ueko is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Team Stats
Possession: Even
Shots: Japan 11, Sweden 15
On Target: Japan 3, Sweden 6
Fouls: Japan 7, Sweden 11
Yellow Cards: Japan 1, Sweden 0
Offsides: Japan 1, Sweden 0
Corner Kicks: Japan 4, Sweden 3
Saves: Japan 4, Sweden 2
Miscellaneous
Venue: Eden Park
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Attendance: 43,217 (Capacity: 50,000)
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)
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