Wellington played host to an enticing encounter between two sides showing contrasting form going into the last 16. Japan made light work of Group C with three straight wins, while Norway needed an emphatic 6-0 victory against the Philippines in their final Group A match to qualify on goal difference.

For the fourth game running, Mjelde and Reiten started having played every minute for the Norwegians during the group stage. Meanwhile, Maika Hamano was among the substitutes for Japan and patiently waiting to make her World Cup debut.

Reit-on-cue

This was a meeting between two previous World Cup winners and Japan came into this game as the favourites. They opened the scoring with a touch of fortune on 15 minutes when Ingrid Syrstad Engen turned Hinata Miyazawa’s cross into her own net when attempting to clear the danger.

Despite this early setback, Norway took just five minutes to respond and Reiten was on hand to draw her country level. Vilde Boe Risa clipped a cross from the right towards the penalty spot where our Chelsea star was lurking and beautifully guided a header into the top corner of the net to reignite the contest.

Japan were taking better care of the ball and creating more frequent passages of attacking play. Norway retreated into their defensive shape and showed discipline to withstand the pressure ensuring the teams entered the break all square.

Final curtain

Having worked hard to conjure a route back into the game after falling behind, Norway’s efforts were undone just five minutes after the restart. Boe Risa played a poor back pass into the penalty area that was pounced upon by Risa Shimizu who made no mistake from close range to restore Japan’s lead.

In their quest for an equaliser, Norway made a double substitution but it was largely one-way traffic in favour of the Japanese. Against the run of play, one of these changes almost worked to perfection but Karina Saevik dragged her effort agonisingly wide of the post with quarter of an hour remaining.

Norway were swiftly punished at the other end when Miyazawa made no mistake having been put through one-on-one to give Japan a two-goal cushion. An excellent save from Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita prevented a second for Norway for whom the final curtain fell on their World Cup journey.

What’s next?

Japan progress to the quarter-finals of the competition where they will face the winner of the match between Sweden and the United States, which takes place tomorrow (Sunday) in Melbourne with kick-off at 10am (UK time).

Our World Cup stars will return to domestic action when the Women’s Super League season begins in October. Click here to view our ticket bundles and find out how to secure your seats for 2023/24!