August 22 – Brazil, Spain, Japan and the Netherlands have all booked their spots for the semi-finals of the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica after dramatic and often tense last-eight encounters.
The Brazilians and Spain kept clean sheets but were made to work hard for their last-four ticket.
In an all-South American quarter final, Brazil had the upper hand against Colombia, but the breakthrough came from the penalty spot when Tarciane converted in the 26th minute. Her strike proved to be the match winner with Colombian goalkeeper Natalia Gilardo producing a number of fine saves to prevent a second Brazilian goal.
“Keeping a clean sheet in a game like this allows you to come out on top,” said Brazil coach Jonas Urias after wild celebrations on the touchline following the final whistle.
“It was the kind of match where you get a goal from a penalty or a set piece and thanks to us keeping things tight at the other end, we’ve ended up rewriting the history books and securing our place in the World Cup semi-finals. That’s how important it is not to concede.”
The Brazilian defence has still not conceded a goal in the tournament and Urias’s team will seek to protect that record against high-flying Japan, who put three past France only to advance 5-3 on penalties. Having scored in every game they have played in the tournament so far, Japan maintain an unbeaten record going into the last four.
Inma Gabarro got Spain’s only goal in a 1-0 victory against Mexico. Spain dominated possession, but Mexico still managed to create a few chances of their own.
“We enjoyed some spells where we created some good chances. I honestly don’t believe it was our best performance, but we were effective out there,” reflected Spain coach Pedro Lopez.
“We’ve now got the chance to enjoy the tournament right up until 28 August, with another two games to come. It’s an amazing opportunity for the players to be involved in two games at this level and compete amongst the top four teams in the world.”
In an all-European semi-final, they will face the Netherlands, who knocked out Africa’s last representative, Nigeria. In the 11th minute, Zera Hulswit gave the Dutch the lead with a Marco Van Basten-like strike before Ziva Henry doubled the team’s lead, pouncing on a defensive mistake by Nigeria just after the half-hour mark.
The semi-finals will be played on Thursday with the winners advancing to Sunday’s final.
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