Much-fancied Spain were brought crashing back down to earth at the 2023 Women’s World Cup as they suffered a shock 4-0 defeat to ruthless Japan.
La Roja headed into the game on a run of eight successive wins and with clean sheets collected in their opening two Group C fixtures. They once again dominated possession against the Japanese, but saw flaws in their ranks exposed – particularly when it comes to a lack of pace at the back.
Japan now progress to the knockout stages as winners of Group C, with Spain making their way to the last 16 as runners-up. A meeting with Norway is next up for the Japanese, on August 5, while La Roja must now overcome Switzerland to keep their bid for ultimate glory on track.
