MARGAO: Spain turned a developing horror show into a fairy tale 2-1 victory over Japan at the PJN Stadium here on Saturday.
The protagonist of the come-from-behind win was the prodigal Vicky Lopez who snatched both goals in the dying minutes of the quarter-final to overturn a 0-1 deficit and take Spain to the semifinals and a meeting with Germany at the same venue on Wednesday.
Momoka Tanikawa shot Japan ahead in the 66th minute. Lopez equalized in the 87th minute before winning it for Spain three minutes into time added on.
Lopez duly picked up the player of the match, probably displacing Uruha Iwasaki whose breathtaking saves kept Japan in the game much to Spain’s chagrin and agony aggravated by a wasted penalty that Carlo Comacho sent wide and high in the first half.
Comacho could well have put Spain ahead earlier on, but Iwasaki blocked as she was to do often in the encounter during which she denied Lucia Corrales and a seemingly unending sequence of attempts by Lopez.
Tanikawa produced a goal – her fourth in the tournament — out of nothing with an essay from distance that found net with pin-point accuracy to stun the Spanish.
But Spain, and Lopez who plays for Barcelona in the Spanish women’s league, didn’t appear to give up and the relentless pressure was bound to tell.
Surely enough, Japan, who till then kept a clean slate in the tournament, failed to clear the ball away and Lopez scored after Iwasaki let the ball in after getting a touch.
Lopez then scored a gem after jinking past a crowded defence and giving Iwasaki no chance deep into time added on.
There was a very nearly a twist when Moka Hitawari and Ai Tsujisawa all but put the ball in the net, Sofia Fuent somehow blocking and keeping her goal intact.
