Italy, in contrast, face a few days of intense scrutiny for their set-piece failings before meeting livewire outfit South Africa, with the winner set to join Sweden in the knockout phase.
A draw might be enough to progress, depending on results in other matches.
Le Azzurre started strongest on a crisp and still night in Wellington, with Lucia Di Guglielmo poking wide after Sofia Cantore’s shot was spilled.
For the opening half-hour, this was a tightly contested affair with few signs of the whitewash to come.
In a scintillating period, Amanda Ilestedt, Fridolina Rolfo and Stina Blackstenius scored within seven first-half minutes, easing the Swedes' passage into the knockout rounds.
Ilestedt doubled up just after the break, rising highest again from a Jonna Andersson corner, who produced three of the Scandinavians' goals.
Ilestedt is the World Cup’s unlikely top scorer to date, with three in total.
Showing their ruthlessness, substitute Rebecka Blomqvist added a fifth in the last minute of injury time, gut-running from an Italy corner to finish a sweeping counter-attack.
Sweden were scintillating at times and well supported by their viking army among the 29,143-strong Wellington crowd.
Their win means the world No.3s are all but guaranteed to top the group, and can lock up top spot with a draw against Argentina next Wednesday.
The scoreline might have been uglier for Italy if not for Durante, who made a great save to deny Blackstenius who was clean through during Sweden’s rampage late in the first-half.
Durante came to her country’s aid several times more in the second half but was powerless to stop the late breakaway, when Blomqvist confirmed Sweden’s five-star performance — and Italy’s worst loss at a major tournament.
AAP
