🏆 Sweden survive Japan rally to book Spain World Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Two nations sealed their places in the Women’s World Cup semi-final on Friday. This is what went down.

Sweden hold firm to reach final four

Scorers: Hayashi 86′; Ilestedt 32′, Angeldal (PEN) 51′

Sweden survived late pressure from Japan, who were forced to rue an agonising penalty miss, to reach the World Cup semi-final once again.

In a first half low on chances, it took a scrappy finish to break the deadlock as Amanda Ilestedt’s fine form this summer continued as she fired into the roof of the net from close range after a flurry of deflections inside the area.

It was the first time Japan went behind at this World Cup and they almost fell further adrift moments before half-time when a Kosovare Asllani strike was tipped onto the frame of the goal by Ayaka Yamashita.

But Yamashita was breached for a second time shortly after the restart when the Swedes were awarded a penalty for handball which Filippa Angeldal converted.

However, Japan recovered well and quickly set about reducing the arrears, although they missed a huge opportunity to do so when Riko Ueki was denied by the woodwork from the penalty spot.

They did get the goal they deserved in the closing stages through Honoka Hayashi to set up a grandstand finish but despite some late pressure, they failed to find the leveller and exited as Sweden matched on to an all-European semi-final against Spain.

Spain seal semi spot in dramatic fashion

Scorers: Caldentey (P) 81′, Paralluelo 111′ ; Van der Gragt 90+1′

A stoppage time strike from teenager Salma Paralluelo saw Spain scrape past the Netherlands into their first ever World Cup semi-final after a dramatic 120 minutes.

As expected, Spain controlled the tempo from the off, and perhaps should have snatched an early lead.

After a superb one-two in the box, Esther González somehow poked her effort from point-blank range wide of the post to spare the Dutch blushes inside five minutes.

Spain’s bad luck in front of goal continued as the half wore on. Alba Redondo was the next to narrowly miss putting her side in the lead, hitting the post twice in a matter of seconds halfway through the interval.

Redondo finally put the ball in the back of the net in the dying minutes of the first half, but the goal was chalked off for an offside in the build-up, seeing the score remain level at the break.

The Netherlands appeared to have their chance to strike after being awarded a penalty-kick on the hour mark for a last-man challenge on Lineth Beerensteyn in behind the Spain defence, but the penalty was rescinded after a VAR review.

The drama would not end there however. Spain got a penalty of their own in the final 10 minutes thanks to Stefanie van der Gragt, who handled the ball on the edge of her own box.

With the match on the line, Mariona Caldentey stepped up and fired her penalty in off the post to snatch the lead for Spain in the dying minutes.

Their lead would not last long however, as Stefanie van der Gragt did the improbable. The centre-back stepped up from defence in the first minute of stoppage time to fire a rasping shot in past the keeper the level the score and send the tie to extra-time.

After the two teams traded chances in extra time, Spain drove the final nail in the Dutch coffin on the break. An electric counterattack was capped off by 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo, who sent her strike in off the post after a lovely stepover.

Spain will now await the winner of Japan and Sweden.