Women's World Cup heats up as former champions Norway and Japan square up

AUCKLAND : As the Women's World Cup enters the business stage when the last 16 kicks off on Saturday, the surprises and shocks in the group stage have thrown up some mouth-watering fixtures, starting with the clash of former champions Norway and Japan.

There is a sense that the expanded 32-team format has improved the tournament after heavyweights Germany, Canada, Brazil and China were knocked out while minnows like Morocco and Jamaica advanced for the first time.

While Japan came through their group unscathed, Norway lost to co-hosts New Zealand in the tournament opener while a public spat threatened to derail their campaign before they eventually qualified.

"You can see the level of the World Cup is rising, so the women's game is growing fast," Norway coach Hege Riise told reporters.

"Everyone said it was an easy group, we knew it wasn't because it was a tight group for us. Playing the home team in the first game and not performing well was a little bit devastating for us.

"But after that we got better step-by-step and when we needed a good win we went on to play Philippines and won 6-0. So confidence in the team is rising."

Riise is no stranger to Japan having played club football in the country in the mid-1990s and she praised how far the Asian side has come since.

"When I played in Japan, I enjoyed every minute of it. Fantastic country, great players and the national team back then was not as good as they are now," Riise said.

"Now, they have developed quite fast and become a strong team."

Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda praised the teamwork that saw them keep three clean sheets in three wins to advance.

"Each player is performing their role. They're not only performing to their own capacity, but they are working as a unit. It's