Fairytale home of Australia’s Women’s World Cup ends in defeat to Sweden in third-place playoff | CNN

CNN
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It has been a Women’s World Cup that has made history and has changed the rules of the game for Australiabut the matildas Participation in the tournament ended with a 2-0 loss to Sweden in the third-place playoff on Saturday.

Still, this match marked new frontiers for women’s soccer in Australia following a World Cup that has seen soccer mania grip the nation as the matildas He achieved his best result in the tournament.

No one wants to appear in the third-place playoff and it usually produces a subdued atmosphere, but such has been the support for the of matilda this World Cup that, even after Sweden had ultimately taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, the crowd in Brisbane still cheered every pass, every tackle, every Test run.

But even in the face of this partisan atmosphere, Sweden showed their class with a first-half Fridolina Rolfö penalty and a brilliant goal from captain Kosovare Asllani secured victory and third place.

For Sweden, finishing third is a familiar way to end the World Cup, having done so in 1991, 1995 and 2019, and marks a brighter end to the tournament after a heartbreaking loss to Spain in the dying moments of their semi-final. .

The Matildas, meanwhile, finish fourth without ever making it past the quarterfinals in previous tournaments.

Sweden had the better of the early exchanges, forcing the of matilda without the ball and dominating possession. Blågult had shown determination from the first minute, when Stina Blackstenius pushed past the Australian defence, latched on to Asllani’s pass and fired on goal, but a save from Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold deflected the danger.

And while Australia was initially limited to counter-attacks, it looked as if the tide had begun to turn as the of matildaThe light blue away jerseys flowed up the field and sustained a period of pressure for the Swedish defense.

So, just like the of matilda were finding a foothold in the game, Sweden delivered a blow in the 30th minute when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) awarded a penalty against Australia for contact in the box.

Rolfö stepped up and coolly pushed the ball into the side of the net, inches beyond the tips of Arnold’s outstretched fingers, giving Sweden a 1-0 lead.

And the Blue yellow They nearly took a 2–0 half-time lead when Filippa Angeldal fired the ball towards goal just before half time, but Arnold dove, picking the ball up off the ground and keeping Australia within reach.

Sweden never seemed likely to relinquish its leadership and although the mildildas They continued to press after half time, lacked a clinical advantage, often lost possession, and their attempts on goal left Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović relatively calm.

Asllani’s magic moment came in the 62nd minute when he broke through midfield and found Blackstenius. The striker was heavily marked and fed back to Asllani on the edge of the box, who fired the ball into the corner of the net, past a diving Arnold.

Eight minutes later, Australia had a chance to halve Sweden’s lead, but Claire Polkinghorne’s shot landed comfortably in the arms of Mušović and, with Sam Kerr limping, who had left the field briefly injured late in the game. , he of matildaThe attack was ultimately unable to find the back of the net.