Spain thrashed Switzerland 5-1 at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday in the first game in the round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
La Nati, who were yet to concede a goal at the tournament following three shut-outs during the group stages, succumbed to an early strike from Spain’s Aitana Bonmati, who scored another beautiful goal, a replica of her strike against Costa Rica in the group stages, after she was teed up by Levante forward Alba Redondo.
Switzerland got level six minutes later through the unlikeliest of sources, as FC Barcelona defender Laia Cordina scored an own goal. However, Redondo and Bonmati combined again to put La Roja back in front, but this time, it was the Levante goal poacher that got the goal with a properly taken header that just flew past goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann.
Bonmati got her second of the game six minutes past the half-hour mark for her third goal of the tournament. After great work down the left from Salma Paralluelo, the Barcelona winger sent in a cross into the box, which caused some problems before finding its way to the feet of Bonmati, who twisted and turned before slotting home another beautiful goal.
Jorge Vilda’s side got their fourth through Cordina, who took her chance at redemption following her unfortunate own goal. The 23-year-old reacted fastest to toe-poke the ball into an empty net after a melee in the box just before halftime.
Spain’s all-time leading scorer, Jennifer Hermoso, completed her side’s rout in the 70th minute, curling the ball into the far post after a well-timed pass from Bonmati, to take her tally at the tournament to three goals.
The victory guaranteed La Roja a spot in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time ever, and they will face the winner between 2019 finalists the Netherlands and Bayana Bayana of South Africa in the last eight.
#ICYMI Spain are through to the #FIFAWWC quarter-final for the very first time after a 5-1 win against Switzerland earlier this morning in Auckland.
They await the winner between South Africa ???????? and Netherlands ????????#Afrosport #Spain #SouthAfrica #Netherlands #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/fpKM8lSm8n
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 5, 2023
In the other round of 16 tie at the Wellington Regional Stadium, 2011 champions Japan sent Norway packing from the tournament after a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Risa Shimizu, Hinata Miyazawa, and an own goal from Ingrid Syrstad Engen, despite Guro Reiten’s historic effort for the 1995 champions.
Engen inadvertently turned a clearance into her own net in the 15th minute to give Japan the lead, but Chelsea midfielder Reiten, who scored Norway’s 100th goal at the Women’s World Cup, sent in a thunderous header five minutes later to level proceedings.
Shimizu restored the Nadeshiko lead after latching onto a wayward pass from Vilde Boe Risa before Miyawaza scored her fifth goal of the tournament to make her the leading scorer and also tie Japanese legend Homare Sawa’s record in a single tournament with a fine strike late on.
Japan now has 14 goals at the tournament and has qualified for the last eight for the first time since 2015. They will face the winner of the tie between Sweden and the defending champions, the United States, in what may be a replay of the 2011 and 2015 finals.
