A late goal from substitute Mana Iwabuchi lifted defending champion Japan into the semifinals of the Women's World Cup with a 1-0 win over Australia on Saturday.

Iwabuchi, 22, tallied in the 87th minute in a tense quarterfinal dominated by Japan in sweltering 31 C heat in Edmonton.

It put Japan through to the last four, where it next meets England, which beat Canada 2-1 in Vancouver earlier in the day.