Women’s World Cup: Sweden defeats Japan to set up semifinal showdown with Spain

• Sweden defeated Japan 2-1 to advance to the semifinals.
• Salma Paralluelo scored a late winner to give Spain a 2-1 victory.
• Sweden and Spain will meet in the semifinals on Tuesday.

On Friday at Eden Park, Sweden defeated Japan 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The matchup between Sweden and Spain will take place on Tuesday at the same stadium where Sweden eliminated four-time champions the United States in the round of 16.

After defender Amanda Ilestedt’s fourth goal of the competition in the 32nd minute, and Filippa Angeldal’s second goal from the penalty spot shortly after halftime, Sweden grabbed the lead.

Riko Ueki missed a 76th-minute penalty, and fellow replacement Honoka Hayashi’s goal 11 minutes later came too late for Japan to mount a comeback.

“It’s wonderful, obviously,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson told Swedish radio.

“The game had everything. In terms of performance, we had our best of the tournament. It got very exciting, Japan are one of the best teams in the tournament …”

The La Roja advanced to the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinals for the first time thanks to a late winner from teenager Salma Paralluelo.

On Friday in Wellington, the 19-year-old Barcelona winger scored in extra time to give Spain a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, who finished second in 2019.

Using her pace, the former sprinter fired a left-footed shot that hit the post and went in.

“(Coach Jorge Vilda) told me to be sure that I was open for the passes, that I could be in the right spaces and to compete, compete as much as I could,” said Paralluelo.

“I had that opportunity and I was lucky to score so I’m very happy.”

On her debut in November, Paralluelo, who was born in Zaragoza to a Spanish father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, grabbed a hat-trick in a 7-0 friendly victory over Argentina.

She was one of Spain’s top sprinters and competed in the 400-meter event at the 2019 European Indoor Championships before quitting sports to concentrate completely on football.

“The goal from Salma, it was sheer joy,” said coach Jorge Vilda. “Salma is a player with enormous potential and she’s not reached her best yet.

“She’s a very young player who has been training one year in football specifically, and the best of Salma we’ll see it in the future. Now she’s excellent, but in the future it’s going to be much, much more.”

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