Sweden pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory over Japan to book their place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-finals.
The match played at Eden Park in Auckland, was a tightly contested affair, with both teams creating chances. Sweden took the lead in the 32nd minute through Amanda Ilestedt.
However, Sweden would have the final say in the match, as Philippa Angeldal scored a penalty in the 51st minute to give her side the win.

In the 76th minute, Japan lost a golden opportunity to reduce the goal difference when Riko Yuki missed a penalty. Yuki’s shot bounced off the crossbar. Japan equalized through Honoka Hayashi in the 87th minute.
The victory is Sweden’s fifth semi-final appearance at the Women’s World Cup and their first since 2011. They will now face Spain in the semi-finals, who defeated the Netherlands 2-1 earlier in the day.
Japan, the 2011 champions, will be disappointed to exit the tournament at this stage, but they can be proud of their performance in New Zealand. They finished top of their group and defeated Norway in the quarter-finals, but Sweden were too good on the day.