We now know the first quarterfinals at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Japan and Spain, who finished first and second in Group C respectively, dominated their Round of 16 matches to progress in the tournament. Japan conceded their first goal of the tournament as Norway neutralized a 15th-minute own goal five minutes later. However, the European side was never able to fully swing the momentum back into an offensive effort. Two second-half goals from Japan sealed the win, as well as cementing the Asian side as a surprise contender in the tournament. Furthermore, the win put 23-year-old Hinata Miyazawa atop the Golden Boot standings with five goals.
Meanwhile, Spain bounced back from their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Japan to utterly humiliate Switerzland. Spain took the lead in the 5th minute before an own goal even the score. But after that, it was all La Roja. Spain lead 4-1 at half-time and added another after the break for good measure. It was the team's second 5-goal game of the tournament. In the next round, Spain will take on the winner of The Netherlands versus South Africa. Meanwhile, Japan will face either Sweden or the United States.
Spain And Japan Highlight World Cup Parity
The dominance performances coming out of Group C highlight just how far women's soccer has come since the last World Cup. While Japan is a one-time tournament winner, the squad has been wildly inconsistent in recent years. After winning in 2011, they finished runners-up in 2015 before falling in the first knockout in 2019. Now they are one of the hottest clubs in the 2023 tournament. Similarly, this is just Spain's third World Cup. However, you wouldn't know it from the level of dominance they have demonstrated (outside their match against Japan). The win over Switzerland showed that Spain can hold their own against "real" opponents. Before this tournament, Spain had won just one World Cup match. Now they've won three and look like a legitimate deep-run contender.
However, the pair of wins means that if both sides are able to win their quarterfinals, they will once again meet in the semifinals. Spain's arguably shocking defeat in the group stage sets up a semifinal clash that most people wouldn't trade for anything. How will Spain adapt and respond when there's a place in the World Cup Final on the line? Of course, this relies on Spain and Japan beating the likes of The Netherlands, Sweden, and the US. However, that is entirely possible given just how wild this tournament has been.