Japan Whips Spain for a Third Consecutive Shutout at the FIFA Women's World Cup
As a result, Japan, the 2011 Women's World Cup champion, took a commanding 3-0 lead into halftime against Spain in the teams' final Group C match at the 32-nation tournament.
Japan manager Futoshi Ikeda's squad, which entered the match having already qualified for the round of 16, clinched the top spot in Group C. (Watch highlights of the Japan-Spain match on the tournament website.)
World No 6 Spain entered its showdown with Japan with a pair of one-sided victories ― 3-0 over Costa Rica on July 21 and 5-0 over Zambia on July 26.In previous matches in New Zealand, 11th-ranked Japan trounced Zambia 5-0 on July 22 and topped Costa Rica 2-0 on July 26.
Upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup Matches
Up next: Japan faces Group A runner-up Norway, the 2015 Women's World Cup champion, on Saturday, August 5 at 5 PM JST in Wellington.
Spain is set to meet Switzerland, Group A's top finisher, on the same day in Auckland.
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