World Cup NOW: Will dominant Spain finally be tested by Japan?

Spain has officially clinched a spot in the round of 16 for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after defeating Zambia 5-0 on Wednesday. With five goals scored in the match, Spain has usurped Japan as the leader of Group C, but both squads will advance after winning their first two matches.

The two will also meet Monday, and one will be crowned the best of Group C before heading into the knockout round. Presently, the "World Cup NOW" crew — Jimmy Conrad, Leslie Osborne, Melissa Ortiz and Freya Coombe — isn't sure either team has faced a worthy opponent yet, which could make their upcoming tussle a tough one for both.

Ahead of the showdown, the crew discussed how Spain should structure its lineup, and the key components needed when facing an equally competitive Japan.

Coombe: "I think it was another great performance [from Spain], obviously, they're scoring multiple goals. That extra goal needed to help them top the group, and put them in the driver seat. But I still think they're in second gear. I think a great thing that they've got is they've shown that they're scoring from multiple different ways. We're now seeing them crossing, we're seeing them playing in behind. But, I think the big thing is, we just still haven't seen them go in fifth gear that we want to see."

Ortiz: "Her [Jennifer Hermoso's] performance tonight has been incredible. She was able to take defenders on one-on-one, but most importantly be that distributor. If you saw her slot passes in between the lines — that's what she's brilliant at — and also positioning herself to score goals like [when she] went to the second post. which was a great ball in by Alexia Putellas. … Jenni, I think it's just continuing to find her confidence on this squad, but also being that leader that she is because she is one of the veteran players on this team. So, it's great, this is a great matchup for her to just continuing to build that confidence. They [Spain] haven't been challenged that much yet."

Osborne: "I think it was important that she got the start. She's still working her way back into 90 minutes, and depending on this big game against Japan, she may start, or she may not. She had an incredible assist, but I thought she was pretty quiet. But the beauty of the Spanish side is they do have a lot of depth. They don't have as much of the experience, but they're going to want Putellas out there. I'm just curious to see if they start her and let her go, or they bring her off the bench — but, their attack and the depth that they have — it's so fun to watch."

Ortiz: "You know, last game, it was more the Bonmati show for me. She was a bit more quiet today, but I think she sat more defensively. Mariona for me, the No. 8 player — incredible. I loved how she made herself available on the defensive end, checked out wide if needed. Then she would take players on one-on-one; it's more centrally. Slot balls. Whether it was on the outside or inside. I think she had a dominant performance in terms of just being on the ball and creating plays from her presence. And defensively, she tucked in as well to help there whenever they were on the counter. But Mariona, for me, is one of my standout players."