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Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Japan’s Yui Hasegawa and Norway’s Guro Reiten battle for possession in midfield.
At Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington: Japan 3 (Ingrid Engen own goal 15’, Risa Shimizu 50’, Hinata Miyazawa 81’) Norway 1 (Guro Reiten 20’) HT: 1-1
Norway have gifted Japan a place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Golden boot leader Hinata Miyazawa scored her fifth goal of the tournament to seal a 3-1 win over Norway in their round of 16 fixture at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday night.
Japan will face either United States or Sweden in an Auckland quarterfinal on Friday night.
Miyazawa’s 81st-minute clincher was Japan at their best.
Aoba Fujino drove through midfield and played a killer pass through Norway’s defence for Miyazawa to slot home.
But while Miyazawa’s goal with nine minutes left to play in regular time ultimately decided the knockout match, Norway were left to rue two costly defensive blunders.
Ingrid Engen handed Japan an early lead when she guided the ball past her own goalkeeper.
Miyazawa floated a dangerous ball into the penalty area and Engen failed to control it.
Norway bounced back from the early setback with Guro Reiten rising high to score with a thumping header five minutes later.
The goal was Norway’s 100th World Cup goal and the first Japan had conceded at the 2023 tournament.
Norway set up defensively, lining up in a 5-4-1 formation anchored by Engen in an unfamiliar centre-back role in an attempt to contain Japan attackers.
With Ada Hegerberg not deemed fit enough to start, they looked to play off target forward Sophie Roman Haug.
That is how their goal came. Roman Haug dropped into midfield from a goal kick and she won the header and released Caroline Graham Hansen.
But their good work was undone by a moment of madness from Vilde Bøe Risa early in the second half.
Risa tried to play a risky pass back to Tuva Hansen after winning possession in her own penalty area and it did not come off.
The pass was intercepted by Risa Shimizu, who ran through and scored to restore Japan’s lead.
Norway should have equalised when Graham Hansen cut inside from the right and released Karina Sævik, but the substitute dragged her shot wide of the goal.
Sævik was also denied at the death by an incredible save from Ayaka Yamashita.
The misses proved costly as Miyazawa added Japan’s third goal to eliminate Norway from the World Cup.
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