A record number of teams from one continent qualified for the quarter-finals of a Women's World Cup, with Europe making up seven of the eight teams.
Germany 3-0 Nigeria
VAR still needs work, says Nigeria coach Thomas Dennerby after his side's loss to Germany.
It has been the centre of attention at the tournament, and referee Yoshimi Yamashita referred to the video screen pitch-side for both of Germany's opening goals.
Alexandra Popp scored with a header from a corner on 20 minutes, and it was allowed to stand after a review showed Svenja Huth was not interfering with play despite being in an offside position.
She was stood directly in front of the keeper, and while she didn't move at all towards the ball, her attention may have been on Huth instead of Popp who headed goalwards.
A penalty was then awarded by the Japanese official when Evelyn Nwabuoku fouled Lina Magull while trying to clear a corner.
The ball had gone out for a throw-in before Yamashita awarded a spot kick three minutes later.
Sara Dabritz scored from 12-yards before Lea Schuller scored the third, angling her strike past the youthful Super Falcons keeper.
The second half may have been different if Desire Oparanozie had converted a low cross from Rasheedat Ajibade, but that was as close as Nigeria got to scoring.
Norway 1-1 (1-1 AET) 4-1p Australia
Norway reached the last eight at the World Cup for the first time in 12 years by beating Australia 4-1 in a penalty shootout, with Ingrid Systad Engen scoring the winning spot kick.
The match was 1-1 before extra-time, Isabell Herlovsen had put Norway ahead, with Karina Saevik splitting the defence open with a perfect through ball before Herlovsen's clinical finish.
Australia then had a penalty kick overturned by VAR, German referee Riem Hussein had pointed to the spot when the ball appeared to strike Chelsea defender Maria Thorisdottir on the arm when trying to clear.
Captain Sam Kerr had placed the ball on the spot, but after a long delay Norway's players celebrated when the decision was changed.
Further frustration came for Australia, looking for a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final, when a Kerr goal was ruled out for offside.
The equaliser came from a corner by Elise Kellond-Knight, curling through a sea of legs and nestling in the net.
Australia appealed for a second spot kick when Tameka Yallop went down in side the box, before Caroline Graham Hansen hit the post.
Alanna Kennedy received the first straight red card of the tournament, for a foul on Lisa-Maria Utland when she was bursting through on goal.
Australia keeper Lydia Williams produced outstanding saves to deny the impressive Hansen and Vilde Boe Risa, while Norway hit the woodwork a second time through Risa's attempt from 35 yards.
In the shootout, Hansen scored the first penalty, sending Williams the wrong way.
Kerr then skied Australia's first penalty, before Guro Reiten doubled Norway's lead.
Ingrid Hjelmseth made a great save to deny substitute Emily Gielnik, and captain Maren Mjelde made it 3-0 to Norway.
Stephanie Catley scored Australia's only spot kick, before Engen scored to put Norway through to the next round.
England 3-0 Cameroon
England beat Cameroon to progress to the World Cup quarter-final, in a bizarre match where Cameroon's players were outraged at the refereeing decisions and VAR.
Steph Houghton scored the opener from in indirect free-kick, when Augustine Ejangue passed into her goalkeepers arms before appearing to spit on Toni Duggan.
Yvonne Leuko had earlier been booked for an elbow on Nikita Parris, it may have been red had VAR spotted it.
It was Duggan who rolled the ball to the Lionesses captain and she fired low into the bottom corner through a wall of 11 Cameroonian players.
Controversy arose over the second goal, when Ellen White put the ball in the net she had originally been given offside, before VAR showed that she wasn't.
The match referee had been told that she didn't need to consult the pitch-side screen as it was a clear decision to be overturned.
It's difficult to know what the Cameroon players were disgruntled by, but they appeared to gesture to the big screen in the stadium, that showed that Parris was in an offside position but did not affect play.
They got into a huddle before kicking off at 2-0, and within a few seconds, the referee had blown for the break.
Some of their players were in tears in the tunnel, and even accusing FIFA of being racist for allowing the White goal to stand.
Their frustrations were compounded early in the second half when Ajara Nchout thought she had got her team back in the match, only for a VAR review to show that she was marginally offside.
There was some sloppy play by Karen Bardsley and her defence to give the ball away and then some poor marking allowed the effort on goal.
Alexandra Engolo then twice went close after more poor England defending, but the majority of their performance over the 90 minutes was strong.
England's third goal came courtesy of a set-piece routine off the training pitch - Alex Greenwood making a run towards the near post around the group of defenders to pick up the ball from Duggan's low corner, and fire into the net in the second half.
Frustration got the better of the African side, fouling Fran Kirby which may have been a penalty with a different referee, and a potential career-ending tackle by Alexandra Takounda on Houghton for which she received a yellow card, but could and should have been red.
Jodie Taylor scuffed wide late on as they pushed for a fourth goal, as the Lionesses won a fifth straight World Cup game - stretching back to 2015's third-place play-off - for the first time.
France 1-1 (2-1 AET) Brazil
Hosts France reached the quarter-finals with an extra-time winning goal.
Valerie Gauvin thought she had put her side ahead when she rose high to head home from Kadidiatou Diani's cross, before VAR judged that she fouled goalkeeper Barbara in the 23rd minute.
Elation turned to frustration as the French crowd gave their reaction to their side not having a shot on target in the first half.
The fans then adopted the Thunderclap, made famous by Icelandic fans at the European Championships in France three years ago, to support their team.
It was Gauvin who combined with Diani to score the opener though, sliding the ball into the net early in the second half.
Brazil equalised when Thaisa converted after Cristiane's header was tipped on to the bar - having been originally ruled out for offside and VAR corrected the decision.
Eugenie Le Sommer could have won it in normal time for Les Bleues, while Brazil lost Cristiane to injury after 90 minutes.
Griedge Mbock Bathy cleared Debinha's shot off the line before captain Amandine Henry went up the other end and equalised late on from close range from a long free kick from Amel Majri.
This may have been the last chance for Cristiane, Formiga and Marta - three of the world's icons in women's football - to win the World Cup with Brazil.
Marta, Brazil's six-time world player of the year and scorer of a record 17 goals at World Cup finals, would have loved to add a winner's medal to her honours list.
Spain 1-2 USA
Defending champions USA survived a testing last-16 tie against Spain to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The world number one side came through against the Spaniards thanks to two Megan Rapinoe penalties.
The three-time champions scored first from the spot after Mapi Leon had brought down Tobin Heath in the box, Rapinoe shooting low to the keeper's right.
Jennifer Hermoso scored a brilliant equaliser from range after a mix-up in the American defence, curling beautifully into the top corner.
It was the first goal that USA had conceded at the tournament, having gone 648 minutes of play since last conceding back in April, and it looked as though they might not extend their record of having always made at least the semi-finals at World Cups.
A tense second half followed, in which Jill Ellis' side converted another penalty, this time after a VAR review confirmed that Rose Lavelle had been fouled by Virginia Torrecilla.
Spanish fans booed the decision, as Lavelle went down quite theatrically, in a way that wasnt representative of the contact from Torrecilla.
Alex Morgan stepped up to take the second spot kick before Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsar left the pitch to watch the incident again, after which Rapinoe placed the ball on the spot, and held her nerve to send her side through.
Sweden 1-0 Canada
Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the match in the second half, chipping the ball over Stephanie Labbe in the Canadian goal to send her team to the next round.
It came from the first shot on target in the match in the 55th minute, Elin Rubensson won the ball back in her own half and played it wide left to Kosovare Asllani.
Asllani played it brilliantly to Blackstenius who beat Shelina Zadorsky before chipping the keeper.
Janine Beckie had a penalty brilliantly saved by Hedvig Lindahl, one of very few chances that Canada created.
Desiree Scott's shot hit the arm of Asllani, but a spot kick was only given after Kate Jacewicz the referee had consulted the pitch-side screen to change her decision.
A penalty was awarded to Sweden to ponetially put the match out of Canada's sight, before the VAR team showed a Swedish player was offside in the direct build-up to Ashley Lawrence's foul on Fridolina Rolfo.
Sweden were the fresher of the two sides, after manager Peter Gerhardsson named a weaker team in the final group match against the United States.
Jacewicz spoke with the VAR team directly following the final whistle about a possible Swedish handball by Linda Sembrant, but no penalty was awarded and the Swedes carried on celebrating.
The defeat puts doubt on whether Canadian captain Christine Sinclair will be able to break Abby Wambach's record of international goals.
The 36-year-old has scored 182 goals for her country, two behind the American record-holder, having scored once at this World Cup.
She played a long range free kick wide of the goal, and maybe in hindsight she should have taken the penalty - their only on target shot of the match.
Italy 2-0 China PR
Italy's win over Canada represents their best run at in international tournament, playing in the quarter-finals after a 20 year absence from World Cups.
Valentina Giacinti gave Le Azzurre an early lead, converting the loose ball after a Elisa Bartoli shot had been saved by Peng Shimeng.
Giacinti thought she had put Italy ahead earlier on, when she had the ball in the net in the ninth-minute before the flag was raised for offside.
But for a brilliant save by Shimeng, Valentina Bergamaschi may have doubled the lad on the half-hour mark with a effort across the goal.
Nicknamed the 'Wall of China', this save from Shimeng sparked her side into life, producing their first shot from inside the Itly area in the 41st minute, and going close twice again before the break.
Liu Shanshan also fired in a volley from outside the area which was well saved by Laura Giuliani.
Substitute Aurora Galli scored the winner, with a long range right-footed drive finding the bottom corner early in the second half.
Netherlands 2-1 Japan
The Netherlands needed a 90th-minute penalty to defeat 2011 champions Japan, becoming the seventh European side through to the quarter-finals.
The Dutch controlled the opening stages of the match , and scored their fastest ever World Cup goal to take the lead.
Lieke Martens made a near post run and converted on 17 minutes with a backheel flick through a defenders legs.
Japan almost equalised instantly, Yuika Sugasawa striking off the post directly from the restart.
Asako Takakura's side did level the match before the break, when Yui Hasegawa shot high into Sari van Veenendaal's goal on the end of a great passing move to open up the defence.
Japan's side featured 17 players making their World Cup debuts in this tournament, and they had a number of chances to take the lead.
Hasegawa missed the far post by inches for her second goal of the night, Hina Sugita smacked the underside of the bar while substitute Yuka Momiki forced a great save from van Veenendaal at point blank range.
The European champions looked lucky to be hanging on for extra-time in the final stages, after Japan had missed many chances at goal.
WSL golden boot winner Vivianne Miedema - who had a quiet game - struck powerfully and hit Saki Kumagai's arm at close range.
Honduran referee Melissa Borjas originally gave the decison, and it was confirmed when she checked the pitch-side screen.
Martens scored from the spot, as Sarina Wiegman's side avenged their defeat by the 2015 finalists at the same stage four years ago in their nations's first Women's World Cup.
Japan's exit means there are no Asian sides in the last eight of the Women's World Cup for the first time in the competition's history.
They will now turn their attentions to attempting to win gold when they host the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Draw
Germany 3-0 Nigeria
VAR still needs work, says Nigeria coach Thomas Dennerby after his side's loss to Germany.
It has been the centre of attention at the tournament, and referee Yoshimi Yamashita referred to the video screen pitch-side for both of Germany's opening goals.
Alexandra Popp scored with a header from a corner on 20 minutes, and it was allowed to stand after a review showed Svenja Huth was not interfering with play despite being in an offside position.
She was stood directly in front of the keeper, and while she didn't move at all towards the ball, her attention may have been on Huth instead of Popp who headed goalwards.
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| Photo from Sahara Reporters |
The ball had gone out for a throw-in before Yamashita awarded a spot kick three minutes later.
Sara Dabritz scored from 12-yards before Lea Schuller scored the third, angling her strike past the youthful Super Falcons keeper.
The second half may have been different if Desire Oparanozie had converted a low cross from Rasheedat Ajibade, but that was as close as Nigeria got to scoring.
Norway 1-1 (1-1 AET) 4-1p Australia
Norway reached the last eight at the World Cup for the first time in 12 years by beating Australia 4-1 in a penalty shootout, with Ingrid Systad Engen scoring the winning spot kick.
The match was 1-1 before extra-time, Isabell Herlovsen had put Norway ahead, with Karina Saevik splitting the defence open with a perfect through ball before Herlovsen's clinical finish.
Australia then had a penalty kick overturned by VAR, German referee Riem Hussein had pointed to the spot when the ball appeared to strike Chelsea defender Maria Thorisdottir on the arm when trying to clear.
Captain Sam Kerr had placed the ball on the spot, but after a long delay Norway's players celebrated when the decision was changed.
Further frustration came for Australia, looking for a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final, when a Kerr goal was ruled out for offside.
The equaliser came from a corner by Elise Kellond-Knight, curling through a sea of legs and nestling in the net.
Australia appealed for a second spot kick when Tameka Yallop went down in side the box, before Caroline Graham Hansen hit the post.
Alanna Kennedy received the first straight red card of the tournament, for a foul on Lisa-Maria Utland when she was bursting through on goal.
Australia keeper Lydia Williams produced outstanding saves to deny the impressive Hansen and Vilde Boe Risa, while Norway hit the woodwork a second time through Risa's attempt from 35 yards.
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| Photo from CBC |
Kerr then skied Australia's first penalty, before Guro Reiten doubled Norway's lead.
Ingrid Hjelmseth made a great save to deny substitute Emily Gielnik, and captain Maren Mjelde made it 3-0 to Norway.
Stephanie Catley scored Australia's only spot kick, before Engen scored to put Norway through to the next round.
England 3-0 Cameroon
England beat Cameroon to progress to the World Cup quarter-final, in a bizarre match where Cameroon's players were outraged at the refereeing decisions and VAR.
Steph Houghton scored the opener from in indirect free-kick, when Augustine Ejangue passed into her goalkeepers arms before appearing to spit on Toni Duggan.
Yvonne Leuko had earlier been booked for an elbow on Nikita Parris, it may have been red had VAR spotted it.
It was Duggan who rolled the ball to the Lionesses captain and she fired low into the bottom corner through a wall of 11 Cameroonian players.
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| Photo from Fox Sports |
The match referee had been told that she didn't need to consult the pitch-side screen as it was a clear decision to be overturned.
It's difficult to know what the Cameroon players were disgruntled by, but they appeared to gesture to the big screen in the stadium, that showed that Parris was in an offside position but did not affect play.
They got into a huddle before kicking off at 2-0, and within a few seconds, the referee had blown for the break.
Some of their players were in tears in the tunnel, and even accusing FIFA of being racist for allowing the White goal to stand.
Their frustrations were compounded early in the second half when Ajara Nchout thought she had got her team back in the match, only for a VAR review to show that she was marginally offside.
There was some sloppy play by Karen Bardsley and her defence to give the ball away and then some poor marking allowed the effort on goal.
Alexandra Engolo then twice went close after more poor England defending, but the majority of their performance over the 90 minutes was strong.
England's third goal came courtesy of a set-piece routine off the training pitch - Alex Greenwood making a run towards the near post around the group of defenders to pick up the ball from Duggan's low corner, and fire into the net in the second half.
Frustration got the better of the African side, fouling Fran Kirby which may have been a penalty with a different referee, and a potential career-ending tackle by Alexandra Takounda on Houghton for which she received a yellow card, but could and should have been red.
Jodie Taylor scuffed wide late on as they pushed for a fourth goal, as the Lionesses won a fifth straight World Cup game - stretching back to 2015's third-place play-off - for the first time.
France 1-1 (2-1 AET) Brazil
Hosts France reached the quarter-finals with an extra-time winning goal.
Valerie Gauvin thought she had put her side ahead when she rose high to head home from Kadidiatou Diani's cross, before VAR judged that she fouled goalkeeper Barbara in the 23rd minute.
Elation turned to frustration as the French crowd gave their reaction to their side not having a shot on target in the first half.
The fans then adopted the Thunderclap, made famous by Icelandic fans at the European Championships in France three years ago, to support their team.
It was Gauvin who combined with Diani to score the opener though, sliding the ball into the net early in the second half.
Brazil equalised when Thaisa converted after Cristiane's header was tipped on to the bar - having been originally ruled out for offside and VAR corrected the decision.
Eugenie Le Sommer could have won it in normal time for Les Bleues, while Brazil lost Cristiane to injury after 90 minutes.
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| Photo from The Guardian |
This may have been the last chance for Cristiane, Formiga and Marta - three of the world's icons in women's football - to win the World Cup with Brazil.
Marta, Brazil's six-time world player of the year and scorer of a record 17 goals at World Cup finals, would have loved to add a winner's medal to her honours list.
Spain 1-2 USA
Defending champions USA survived a testing last-16 tie against Spain to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The world number one side came through against the Spaniards thanks to two Megan Rapinoe penalties.
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| Photo from The Denver Post |
Jennifer Hermoso scored a brilliant equaliser from range after a mix-up in the American defence, curling beautifully into the top corner.
It was the first goal that USA had conceded at the tournament, having gone 648 minutes of play since last conceding back in April, and it looked as though they might not extend their record of having always made at least the semi-finals at World Cups.
A tense second half followed, in which Jill Ellis' side converted another penalty, this time after a VAR review confirmed that Rose Lavelle had been fouled by Virginia Torrecilla.
Spanish fans booed the decision, as Lavelle went down quite theatrically, in a way that wasnt representative of the contact from Torrecilla.
Alex Morgan stepped up to take the second spot kick before Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsar left the pitch to watch the incident again, after which Rapinoe placed the ball on the spot, and held her nerve to send her side through.
Sweden 1-0 Canada
Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of the match in the second half, chipping the ball over Stephanie Labbe in the Canadian goal to send her team to the next round.
It came from the first shot on target in the match in the 55th minute, Elin Rubensson won the ball back in her own half and played it wide left to Kosovare Asllani.
Asllani played it brilliantly to Blackstenius who beat Shelina Zadorsky before chipping the keeper.
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| Photo from BBC Sport |
Desiree Scott's shot hit the arm of Asllani, but a spot kick was only given after Kate Jacewicz the referee had consulted the pitch-side screen to change her decision.
A penalty was awarded to Sweden to ponetially put the match out of Canada's sight, before the VAR team showed a Swedish player was offside in the direct build-up to Ashley Lawrence's foul on Fridolina Rolfo.
Sweden were the fresher of the two sides, after manager Peter Gerhardsson named a weaker team in the final group match against the United States.
Jacewicz spoke with the VAR team directly following the final whistle about a possible Swedish handball by Linda Sembrant, but no penalty was awarded and the Swedes carried on celebrating.
The defeat puts doubt on whether Canadian captain Christine Sinclair will be able to break Abby Wambach's record of international goals.
The 36-year-old has scored 182 goals for her country, two behind the American record-holder, having scored once at this World Cup.
She played a long range free kick wide of the goal, and maybe in hindsight she should have taken the penalty - their only on target shot of the match.
Italy 2-0 China PR
Italy's win over Canada represents their best run at in international tournament, playing in the quarter-finals after a 20 year absence from World Cups.
Valentina Giacinti gave Le Azzurre an early lead, converting the loose ball after a Elisa Bartoli shot had been saved by Peng Shimeng.
Giacinti thought she had put Italy ahead earlier on, when she had the ball in the net in the ninth-minute before the flag was raised for offside.
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| Photo from BBC |
Nicknamed the 'Wall of China', this save from Shimeng sparked her side into life, producing their first shot from inside the Itly area in the 41st minute, and going close twice again before the break.
Liu Shanshan also fired in a volley from outside the area which was well saved by Laura Giuliani.
Substitute Aurora Galli scored the winner, with a long range right-footed drive finding the bottom corner early in the second half.
Netherlands 2-1 Japan
The Netherlands needed a 90th-minute penalty to defeat 2011 champions Japan, becoming the seventh European side through to the quarter-finals.
The Dutch controlled the opening stages of the match , and scored their fastest ever World Cup goal to take the lead.
Lieke Martens made a near post run and converted on 17 minutes with a backheel flick through a defenders legs.
Japan almost equalised instantly, Yuika Sugasawa striking off the post directly from the restart.
Asako Takakura's side did level the match before the break, when Yui Hasegawa shot high into Sari van Veenendaal's goal on the end of a great passing move to open up the defence.
Japan's side featured 17 players making their World Cup debuts in this tournament, and they had a number of chances to take the lead.
Hasegawa missed the far post by inches for her second goal of the night, Hina Sugita smacked the underside of the bar while substitute Yuka Momiki forced a great save from van Veenendaal at point blank range.
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| Photo from Los Angeles Times |
WSL golden boot winner Vivianne Miedema - who had a quiet game - struck powerfully and hit Saki Kumagai's arm at close range.
Honduran referee Melissa Borjas originally gave the decison, and it was confirmed when she checked the pitch-side screen.
Martens scored from the spot, as Sarina Wiegman's side avenged their defeat by the 2015 finalists at the same stage four years ago in their nations's first Women's World Cup.
Japan's exit means there are no Asian sides in the last eight of the Women's World Cup for the first time in the competition's history.
They will now turn their attentions to attempting to win gold when they host the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Draw
Section One
Norway 1-1 (1-1 AET) 4-1pAustralia
Norway 1-1 (1-1 AET) 4-1p
England 3-0 Cameroon
France 1-1 (2-1 AET) Brazil
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Norway vs England - 27 June, 20:00, Le Havre
France vs USA - 28 June, 20:00, Paris
Section Two
Italy 2-0China PR
Italy 2-0
Netherlands 2-1 Japan
Germany 3-0 Nigeria
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