England twice came from behind to force penalties against Japan in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup quarter-finals before going through 4-1 in the shoot-out.
The Young Lionesses will now meet Spain in the second semi-final, being played at midnight GMT on Thursday evening.
Three goals in six minutes saw Erica Parkinson cancel out Yuna Aoki’s opener but Hina Hirakawa restore Japan’s advantage before the half-hour mark.
With 18 minutes to go Zara Shaw levelled, then with penalties needed to separate the sides, Lola Brown, Rachel Maltby, Laila Harbert and Shaw all converted, while substitute goalkeeper Rebekah Dowsett saved two spot kicks for a 4-1 shoot-out success.
Spain eliminated Ecuador 5-0, Pau Comendador hitting a devastating 11-minute hat-trick straddling the interval, Celia Segura adding a stoppage time brace.
Semi-Finals
Wednesday evening – USA v North Korea
Thursday evening – Spain v England
Matches at midnight UK time and streamed live on FIFA+.
