Sweden 5-0 Italy: Ilestedt brace downs Italy to secure last-16 spot

Amanda Ilestedt registered a brace as Sweden thumped Italy 5-0 in Wellington to secure a place in the World Cup last 16 with a game to spare.

Defender Ilestedt opened the scoring with a 39th-minute header, the first of three goals in quick succession for the Swedes late in the first half, with Fridolina Rolfo and Stina Blackstenius adding finishes soon after.

The lead was extended further five minutes into the second half when Ilestedt, who recently joined Blackstenius at Arsenal, headed in again for her third goal of the tournament and substitute Rebecka Blomqvist subsequently wrapped things up in stoppage time.

Sweden will look to cement top spot in Group G when they play Argentina on Wednesday. Italy have three points ahead of their final group game against the South Africans, who like Argentina have one.

It was Italy who started the livelier of the two sides, with Sofia Cantore bringing saves out of Zecira Musovic with two strikes, Lucia di Guglielmo putting the ball wide when the second was parried.

Sweden then started to find some rhythm and apply pressure themselves, and went in front as the interval drew near when Ilestedt headed in from Jonna Andersson’s corner.

Five minutes later Andersson swung another corner in, Italy tried to clear and the ball came to Rolfo, who tucked the ball away at the far post.

And a third was swiftly added in first-half stoppage time as Johanna Rytting Kaneryd crossed and Rolfo was unable to finish but Blackstenius was there to slot in.

Peter Gerhardsson’s side picked up at the start of the second half where they had left off and Ilestedt soon notched her second, again connecting with an Andersson corner, to become the tournament’s joint top-scorer alongside Brazil’s Ary Borges.

After Blackstenius had the chance to get her second but poked wide, Blomqvist then made it 5-0 late on, breaking forward and slotting home in the fifth minute of added time.