Hinata Miyazawa scored her fifth goal of the tournament as Japan beat Norway 3-1 in a clash of former champions on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the fourth time.
Japan have been on a mission to bury the memory of their disappointing round of 16 outing in 2019 and go on to play the winner of Sunday’s clash between champions the United States and Sweden.
Although they conceded their first goal of the tournament with a Guro Reiten header, an own goal from Norway’s Ingrid Engen, as well as second-half goals from Risa Shimizu and Miyazawa, they helped them cross the line in front of a crowd of 33,042 viewers.
Miyazawa’s 81st-minute goal lifted her out of a tie with Germany captain Alexandra Popp for the tournament’s top scorer, as well as equaling Homare Sawa’s Japanese record for a World Cup set in 2011 when Nadeshiko clinched title.
Norway, world champion in 1995, leaves the tournament before the quarterfinals for the third time in nine World Cup campaigns.
Both teams came into the match with big wins, Japan dismantling Spain 4-0 and Norway after a 6-0 thrashing of the Philippines that revived their troubled campaign.
Japan, who dominated possession and were happy to live without the ball against the Spanish, quickly went on the attack, but the first goal in the 15th minute came from an unexpected source.
Miyazawa cut inside from the left flank to cross and Engen tried to block the ball, only to bury it into his own net for the eighth own goal of the World Cup.
Norway leveled again from their opening attack five minutes later, however Vilde Boe Risa sliced ??the ball from the baseline and sent a cross into the Japan box which Reiten met with an impressive header into the bottom left corner.
The Nadeshiko were back in the lead 10 minutes after halftime when Risa attempted an ill-advised pass to a teammate inside the box that full-back Shimizu intercepted and hammered into the net via an Engen deflection.
Norway showed a bit more urgency in the last 15 minutes, but Karina Saevik couldn’t find the target when she was free in front of goal in the 76th minute.
Space began to open up for Japan as Norway advanced and Miyazawa benefited in the 81st minute, taking a touch from Aoba Fujino’s pass and coolly rolling it into the net.
Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita had to do her best to avoid Saevik’s header in stoppage time, but Norway’s time in New Zealand ran out a few minutes later.
