NewsWomen's World Cup: Mixed fortunes for Nagano and Fahey on Wednesday

Liverpool FC Women midfielder Nagano helped Japan to qualify for the last 16 with a game to spare as they beat Costa Rica 2-0 to make it six points from two outings after a tournament-opening 5-0 win over Zambia.

Nagano came off the bench with around a quarter of an hour remaining at Dunedin Stadium, where first-half goals from Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino were the difference.

Japan’s final Group C fixture is on Monday when top spot in the pool will be decided as they meet Spain, who have also advanced to the first knockout round with a match still to play.

There was heartbreak for Reds captain Fahey, however, as the Republic of Ireland lost 2-1 to Canada in Perth to confirm their elimination from the competition after their opening defeat by Australia.

Fahey completed the full 90 minutes as Ireland saw the lead earned by Katie McCabe’s early goal overturned by the reigning Olympic champions.

Ireland’s third and final Group B match comes against Nigeria on Monday.