Sweden’s Filippa Angeldal celebrates after scoring her side’s second goal from the penalty spot during the Women’s World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Japan and Sweden at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (Abbie Parr/AP)
AUCKLAND, New Zealand— Sweden first knocked off the United States and then bounced Japan to snag a spot in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup.
The Swedes, the World Cup runners-up in 2003 and three-time third-place finishers, eliminated previously unbeaten Japan 2-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal. With Japan out of the tournament, this year’s World Cup will crown a first-time winner.
The sold-out crowd at Eden Park, where Sweden will play in the semifinals on Tuesday against Spain, danced to songs by Swedish rock band Abba as it was played throughout the stadium after the win.
Amanda Ilestedt scored a first-half goal and Filippa Angeldal converted a second-half penalty to give Sweden the mild upset and send the Swedes to the semifinals for the fifth time.
“Obviously we were very happy with the win against the U.S., but we knew we had to recharge and think about Japan,” midfielder Kosovare Asllani said. “We knew we were going to play a very skilled and technical team, and we didn’t want them to have a lot of time on the ball, because that’s when they’re the best.”
Japan had been so prolific with 14 goals in rolling to a 4-0 tournament record, but the Japanese struggled for most of the game to keep up with the taller Swedish team. When Sweden went up 2-0 late in the second, Japan seemed out of the tournament.
But the Japanese finally made a late comeback and seriously pressured Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who was fresh off a World Cup-record 11 saves in the win over the United States.
Riko Ueki’s penalty attempt for Japan in the 76th minute hit the crossbar and bounced clear of the goal, but Musovic was finally beaten in the 86th minute when substitute Honoka Hayashi’s penalty cut Sweden’s lead to 2-1.
That was all the Japanese mustered as Sweden advanced to play Spain, which beat the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time earlier Friday. Japan had beaten Spain 4-0 in group play.
Saki Kumagai, playing in her fourth World Cup and Japan’s captain, was in tears with the rest of her teammates following the loss.
“We fought so hard because we wanted it,” she said. “We want to go to the next round, of course. We will come back stronger.”
Japan’s exit means there will be a first-time winner at this World Cup. Japan won in 2011, and previous winners Germany, Norway and the United States were all eliminated earlier in the tournament.
Ilestedt broke through for Sweden in the 32nd minute off a free kick that ricocheted among the players in front of the goal before landing at her feet for the goal. It was the defender’s fourth of the World Cup.
“I thought, `I’m just going to put it away now,’” Ilestedt laughed. “So that was a great feeling.”
Angeldal added the penalty kick in the 51st minute after Fuka Nagano’s handball in the box was confirmed by video review.
Japan’s run in the World Cup ended with 15 goals, more than any team left in the tournament. Hinata Miyazawa finished with five of those goals to lead the Golden Boot race, matching the team record set by Homare Sawa in Japan’s 2011 title run.
“The team grew and the players grew out of this World Cup. We were able to demonstrate that on the world stage, which is a fact. We also lost this match, which is also a fact. But the players, their work at this World Cup, is something that we need to assess positively,” Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda said.
Sweden was riding high after eliminating the two-time defending champion Americans on penalties following a scoreless draw on Sunday. The victory came by just millimetres, when goal-line technology showed that Lina Hurtig’s attempt crossed the line before it could be saved by American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
Japan, No. 11 in the FIFA rankings, earned a place in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over Norway.
The game was a clash of styles from the start: third-ranked Sweden was more physical while Japan was more technical. Sweden dominated possession for much of the match and had the better chances.
Angeldal’s penalty appeared to rattle the Japanese, who struggled against the taller and more athletic Swedes. Japan didn’t get a shot off until the 63rd minute. Japan had scored at least twice in each of its previous games, but had never come back from down two goals in World Cup play.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Sweden eliminated Japan on home soil in the quarterfinals. Sweden advanced to the gold medal game but lost to Canada.
The Swedes have never won a title at either the World Cup or the Olympics.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
