Sweden Advances to World Cup Semi-Finals with Victory Over Japan
Once again ABBA rang out after a Sweden victory. This time the song was Mamma Mia. Here we go again.
Sweden progressed to the World Cup semi-finals after beating Japan 2-1 on Friday at a packed Eden Park in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland.
The first half panned out exactly as the Blagult planned. They took the lead through Amanda Ilestedt’s 32nd-minute goal and, had Ayaka Yamashita not made a great save from Kosovare Asllani 12 minutes later, the scoreline would’ve been 2-0 going into halftime. They did eventually double their lead thanks to a Filippa Angeldal penalty shortly after the break.
Sweden rode their luck at times after that — Japan hit the crossbar twice, once from a penalty, and Zecira Musovic also made a number of good saves. Honoka Hayashi finally broke the Sweden rearguard to provide a nervy ending, but Peter Gerhardsson’s side held on to book their place in the last four. They will face Spain on Tuesday.
Japan had a tactical plan for every team it came across in this tournament but Sweden proved to be a step too far.
This is how Sweden did it.
Sweden’s shape disrupts Japan’s rhythm
Sweden kept the same lineup and tactical plan from their win against USWNT. Striker Stina Blackstenius was at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Fridolina Rolfo, Kosovare Asllani, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd sitting just behind her.
As with their previous match, Rolfo didn’t play as wide as she had done in the group stages. Instead, she was tasked with sticking closer to Yui Hasegawa and preventing Japan from building through the midfielder.
Kaneryd, meanwhile, stayed wide and kept Japan’s left flank off balance with her runs behind the backline, in the space between center-back Hina Sugita and wing-back Moeka Minami. Sugita replaced Jun Endo for this game and was tasked with nullifying Kaneryd but was unable to prevent her from penetrating the defense.
Filippa Angeldal and Elin Rubensson win midfield battle
Before the match, Sweden had talked about being switched on defensively, disrupting Japan’s possession, and being alert to clogging the passing lanes. Japan was unprepared for this. The precision that had made them one of the favorites to win it all was lost.
Their progression would start well at the back but falter in midfield and further forward as Sweden looked to disrupt the build-up in their areas. Filippa Angeldal and Elin Rubensson were key to this and were sturdy in every challenge. Both Hasegawa and Fuka Nagano were continually pressured with their backs to the goal and found themselves having to shield the ball as Sweden looked to steal it from their blind sides.
Japan’s midfield, which up until this game, had gone toe-to-toe with every team it had faced but Sweden was a different prospect. Swedish coach Peter Gerhardsson had mentioned in the pre-match press conference that they would use their physicality to whatever level needed to win the game and they did so to great effect, especially in the first half.
When Japan began to turn the screws as they chased the game, Angeldal and Rubensson dropped deeper expertly to further shield the backline.
How substitutions from both sides changed the game
The introduction of Endo in the second half helped alleviate the pressure that Kaneryd had placed on the backline in the first half.
With Hasegawa switching to the right and connecting with Endo, the cross-field pass that had worked well for Japan before was open again. Endo looked to play short passes with Hasegawa and Hinata Miyazawa down Japan’s left, forcing Sweden to converge on that side. It then allowed Japan to switch the field whenever Hasegawa got the ball. As the game wore on, that tactic also gave Hasegawa more space and her influence on the game grew.
Japan’s coach Futoshi Ikeda noted that his team needed that change at halftime.
“With that starting lineup, the Swedish team applied pressure on us,” he said. “(Sugita) has technique and I anticipated that she would do well. We have Endo, who is a different player with a different type of momentum to revitalize the game. That was what I intended to do.”
Sweden tried to counter that with its own changes, bringing in Lina Hurtig and Madelen Janogy for Rolfo and Asllani. Both starting players were carrying knocks into this game and Gerhardsson wanted to conserve their legs for the next game. It almost cost Sweden as, despite their talent, Hurtig and Janogy are not as tactically astute as Asllani and Rolfo.
“There are plenty of leaders in this squad. We had Amanda (Ilestedt) here and Asllani. She likes to make decisions on the pitch,” said Gerhardsson. “I think she was a little bit like me when I was a player. You don’t want a coach shouting at you from the sidelines and playing according to structure only. You want to make those decisions yourself on the pitch.”
Without that tactical change, Japan may have never gotten a foothold in the game in the second half.
Sweden’s victory over Japan was a testament to their tactical prowess and ability to disrupt their opponent’s rhythm. With a solid defensive shape and a midfield duo that dominated the battle, Sweden controlled the game and secured their spot in the World Cup semi-finals. As they prepare to face Spain, Sweden will need to maintain their tactical discipline and make smart substitutions to secure their place in the final.