{"id":87716,"date":"2023-07-30T08:23:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-30T08:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/07\/30\/sweden-demolish-italy-to-reach-last-16\/"},"modified":"2023-07-30T08:23:11","modified_gmt":"2023-07-30T08:23:11","slug":"sweden-demolish-italy-to-reach-last-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/07\/30\/sweden-demolish-italy-to-reach-last-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweden demolish Italy to reach last 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This was Sweden’s second biggest victory in Fifa Women’s World Cup history, following their 8-0 win against Japan in 1991
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Sweden turned on the style to demolish Group G rivals Italy and secure a place in the last 16 of the Women\u2019s World Cup with one game to spare.<\/p>\n

The 2019 semi-finalists showed why they remain, heavyweights of the women\u2019s game, as Amanda Ilestedt, Fridolina Rolfo and Stina Blackstenius scored in the space of seven minutes at the end of the first half.<\/p>\n

New\u00a0Arsenal signing Ilestedt\u00a0opened the scoring with a glancing header from Jonna Andersson\u2019s corner before Rolfo, a Champions League winner with Barcelona, used her knee to double the lead after another corner.<\/p>\n

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Italy, who had recorded clean sheets in six of their previous 13 World Cup matches, conceded a third when Blackstenius, another Arsenal player, finished from close range.<\/p>\n

In front of a crowd of 29,143, it went from bad to worse for Le Azzurre when Ilestedt added the fourth \u2013 her third goal of the tournament \u2013 from another header from yet another corner.<\/p>\n

And substitute Rebecka Blomqvist added the fifth in the 95th minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really want to play tribute to the players,\u201d said Sweden boss Peter Gerhardsson. \u201cNot the first time I\u2019m impressed by these players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andersson\u2019s corners were a real threat with the defender becoming the first Sweden player on record (since they began in 2011) to provide two assists in a single Women\u2019s World Cup match.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been good at set-pieces for a long time,\u201d added Gerhardsson.<\/p>\n

Sweden will face one of the United States, the Netherlands or Portugal in the knockout stage.<\/p>\n

Italy remain second in the group with three points from two games, but need to defeat South Africa next Wednesday back in Wellington (08:00 BST) to make sure of progressing in the tournament.<\/p>\n

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