TOKYO — Canada reached the semifinals in women's soccer for the third consecutive Olympic Games as goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe saved two Brazil penalties in a 4-3 shootout win on Friday. Australia smashed Great Britain in extra time and Sweden knocked out host Japan.
After Canada captain Christine Sinclair's penalty was saved by Barbara, Labbe rescued her side with two diving saves to keep out Brazil's final two spot kicks from Andressa and Rafaelle.
Labbe, who made four crucial saves in a goalless 120 minutes at Miyagi Stadium, did well to stay on the field after falling hard at the end of the second half of extra time.
The Rosengard goalkeeper's heroic efforts ensured Brazil were denied another crack at the gold medal, having claimed silver in 2004 and 2008.
¡ Labbé heroína de Canadá !
La arquera de #CAN, @stephlabbe1 se hizo gigante en la tanda de penales
Atajó a @10andressaalves y @Rafaelleleone para darle el pase a @CanadaSoccerEN a las semifinales de los #OlimpicosTelemundo pic.twitter.com/cCe6cdS1yc— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 30, 2021
Australia forward Sam Kerr scored a last-gasp equaliser to force extra time against Britain at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, before adding another in the closing stages to help secure a 4-3 win for a place in the final four.
Britain striker Ellen White netted a hat-trick to take her goalscoring tally to six for the tournament but her team mate Caroline Weir had her penalty saved in extra time, leaving the door open for a late surge from the Matildas.
Canada, who took home bronze at the last two Olympics, will next face the United States, which beat the Netherlands 4-2 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw.
The Matildas will next face Sweden, which maintained its perfect record in the tournament with a dominant 3-1 win over host Japan at the Saitama Stadium.
Goals from Magdalena Eriksson, Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani ensured Sweden's bid to improve on their Rio 2016 silver medal remained intact.
¡Blackstenius factura en la primera que tuvo ⚽!
La goleadora de #SWE marca su cuarto gol en los #OlimpicosTelemundo y pone en ventaja a su selección
Síguelo EN VIVO por nuestra APP Telemundo Deportes ➡️ https://t.co/xLWFUSnloz #SWE 2-1 #JPN pic.twitter.com/q6XYjj87uv— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 30, 2021
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru Editing by Toby Davis)
