The 17th day of FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023 dawns after a brief pause on Friday following the exciting conclusion of the group stage action.
The most startling development on Thursday was Morocco’s unexpected progression to the knockout stages at the expense of Germany, currently ranked No.2 worldwide.
Thursday’s results saw the Korean Republic drawing 1-1 with Germany, while Morocco advanced with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Columbia.
As we kick-start the knockout stage today, Optus Sport brings us a significant day of football with the commencement of the Round of 16.
Opening the day at 3 pm AEST, Switzerland will be squaring off with Spain. The Swiss team, after emerging as the leaders of Group A, finds a challenging adversary in Spain, who ended up second in Group C following an unexpected 4-0 defeat against Japan.
The Swiss have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, though their scoring has been dormant in their recent matches. On the other hand, Spain exhibited an impressive performance before their unexpected loss to Japan, registering substantial victories over Costa Rica and Zambia.
Subsequently, at 6 pm AEST, Japan is pitted against Norway. Japan, who entered the tournament with relatively less hype, have caught everyone’s attention with an impeccable performance in their group matches, registering 11 goals and zero concessions.
Their impressive run is met with a rejuvenated Norway team, who managed to overcome a shocking 1-0 loss against New Zealand and a goalless draw with Switzerland to secure their place in the knockout stages with a massive 6-0 win over the Philippines.
Players to watch today include Spain’s Alba Redondo and Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa. Redondo, yet to start a match, has proved her potential as a lethal substitute, while 23-year-old Miyazawa, currently one of the tournament’s top scorers, is ready to showcase her goal-scoring prowess.
