Women's World Cup Daily: Spain bounces back big time; Japan keeps rolling
Spain got the knockout stage of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup started Saturday with a convincing 5-1 win over Switzerland at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Then Japan closed out the day with an impressive 3-1 win over Norway, setting it up for a potential quarterfinal matchup with the United States.
Here's a recap of everything that happened on Saturday and a look ahead to Sunday's matches, headlined by USA-Sweden.
[Full 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bracket]
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
— Spain's 5-1 victory over Switzerland marked its first-ever knockout stage win at a major tournament.
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— Spain's four-goal margin of victory is the largest margin of victory in a Women's World Cup round of 16 game of all-time.
Read more: Spain's dominant win keeps alive dream match with USWNT
— Japan advanced to the quarterfinal of a major tournament for the first time since the 2015 Women's World Cup. Japan didn't qualify for the 2016 Olympics, and went out in the first knockout round of the 2019 World Cup and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
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— There is a new leader in the Golden Boot race after Japan's Hinata Miyazawa scored her fifth of the tournament against Norway.
Read more: Golden Boot race tracker: 2023 Women's World Cup top scorers
— USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski was candid about his team's performance against Portugal in Tuesday's group-stage finale. "Yes, the performance was crap," Andonovski said of the scoreless draw. "We all know that. We have to own it, we have to take accountability, and we have to focus for our next game. Let's make sure we don't have the same performance again."
Read more: Coach Vlatko Andonovski says U.S. 'performance was crap' vs. Portugal
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— Sunday will mark the USWNT's first time playing Sweden in the knockout stage of the FIFA Women's World Cup, but make no mistake: These teams have plenty of bad blood, and that tension should make their most important matchup to date all the more riveting.
Read more: USA, Sweden have built up years of on-field animosity
— Stay up or wake up? That's the question that USWNT fans have been pondering since the USWNT locked its place into the 5 a.m. ET slot in the round of 16. To answer that question, FOX Sports' Martin Rogers spoke to a sleep expert about the best way to prepare for an overnight match — the answers might surprise you.
Read more: Women's World Cup: A sleep expert's guide to preparing for USA matches
— USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher wasn't challenged much in the group stage, but Andonovski is confident that she'll be ready for whatever Sweden throws her way. "I'll just say I hope [Naeher] doesn't have a lot of action in this next game," Andonovski said with a smile. "[But] we trust and believe and [have] confidence in Alyssa. She will face any challenge."
Read more: Alyssa Naeher will be challenged by Sweden, but U.S. believes in 'steady' goalkeeper
RECAPPING THE DAY
Assist of the Day: Defense turns to offense
Alba Redondo intercepted an errant pass from Switzerland's back line and turned into a goal-scoring opportunity for Jenni Hermoso, who picked up two assists on the day herself.
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Save of the Day: Yamashita keeps Norway at bay
Ayaka Yamashita only registered two saves on Saturday, but they were both massive. In a one-on-one situation with Karina Saevik, Yamashita got just enough of her glove on it to push the ball out to the far post and out of bounds.
Then, in stoppage time, Yamashita saved a goal on the line. By then, the game had already been decided, but it was a tremendous save.
Goal of the Day: Bonmatí does it again
Aitana Bonmatí is playing chess while everyone is else playing checkers. Against Switzerland, the Barcelona star faked a shot that her defenders and the goalkeeper fell for, and after taking one extra dribble to set up her shot, she buried the ball into the back of the net. Bonmatí now has three goals in this year's tournament.
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Must-See Moment: Japan shows respect to its fans
Before kickoff, Japan's squad lined up on the pitch to thank the fans that traveled to see them. Suffice to say, their kindness was rewarded.
LOOKING AHEAD
FOX Sports research numbers to know
45 — Places between the Netherlands (9) and South Africa (54) in the current FIFA Women’s World rankings. If Banyana Banyana beats the Oranje Leeuwinnen, it would be the biggest-ever Women's World Cup knockout round upset by FIFA rankings.
Netherlands vs. South Africa (coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET, with kickoff at 10 p.m. on FOX)
7 — The United States and Sweden meet for the seventh time at the Women’s World Cup — the most played fixture in Women's World Cup history. The previous six meetings were all in the group stage. This is the first knockout round meeting. The second most played matchup is Germany-Sweden — they have met five times.
Sweden vs. United States (coverage begins at 4 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 5 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)