Sports

US women move on

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The United States took the chance to rest Mia Hamm and captain Julie Foudy as they cruised into the quarter-finals of the women’s World Cup Sunday.

Two-straight first-phase wins in Group A had put the defending champions on the verge of the knockout stages, and their calculated decision to call on squad players never looked like it was backfiring in a 3-0 win over North Korea in Columbus.

A penalty converted by Abby Wambach and two second-half goals from defender Cat Reddick took the United States’ goals tally to 11 from three games.

Hamm, the leading player in the women’s game, was not used at all, while Foudy was introduced as a 46th-minute substitute.

“After we scored our first goal, we were playing very confidently, even kind of borderline cocky,” said Wambach.

“But I think that’s what’s so special about this team. We can score three goals without the most prolific goal-scorer in the world (Hamm).

“When you can do that, you know you have a great team. You know you’re going to be successful in the long run.”

The U.S. will meet 1995 world champions Norway in their quarterfinal in Foxboro, Massachusetts Wednesday, while Brazil takes on Sweden in the other quarterfinal Wednesday.

Sweden earned their passage Sunday as runners-up in Group A with a 3-0 victory over Nigeria, with the help of a double strike from Hanna Ljungberg.

In Group D, Russia was already assured of qualification after two wins, but the team missed out on the top spot after losing 1-0 to China in Portland, Ore.

Bai Jie, one of the top players of the tournament so far, scored the winner after 16 minutes to take China to seven points, one ahead of Russia.

It means China can look forward to a quarter-final match with underdogs Canada Thursday, while the Russian team has the unenviable task of overcoming an in-form Germany if it wants to reach the semi-finals.

Australia began the day with a slim hope of making the quarterfinals from Group D, but those hopes vanished in a 2-1 defeat by Ghana.