Surprise: Sweden eliminates the USWNT from the Women’s World Cup
The reigning world champions lost on penalties in the round of 16. In the tournament, they made headlines more for their contempt for the national anthem than for good play.
August 6, 2023, Melbourne, Australia: USA forward MEGAN RAPINOE #15 reacts after missing the penalty kick after the full time of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Round Of 16 match against Sweden at Melbourne Rectangle Stadium in, Melbourne, Australia. Sweden won 5:4 on penalty kicks and advanced to the quarter-finals. (Credit Image: © Ira L. Black/ZUMA Press Wire)
Sweden sealed the disappointing fate of the women's national soccer team (USWNT). The reigning champions were favored to retain the title and become the first country to win their third consecutive trophy, but they lost in the round of 16 on penalties in an underwhelming performance. In fact, the players have been more in the news for their repeated disrespect for the national anthem than for their play on the field. Megan Rapinoe missed her penalty in what turned out to be her farewell to the national team.
Musovic, Sweden's wall
Despite the fact that Vlatko Andonovski's team deserved to win during the 90 minutes, the Swedish goalkeeper Musovic was a wall and repelled all the chances created by the American players. Rodman, Morgan and Williams tried several times, but they crashed again and again in front of the Swedish goalkeeper.
In the penalty shootout, although the Swedish team missed first, the errors of Rapinoe, who was the first to miss, Smith and O'Hara led to the national team’s defeat. The loss was confirmed in agonizing fashion, after the VAR had to review whether the ball, which Naeher managed to repel, subsequently crossed the line, as the video shows.
More controversy than solid play for the USWNT
The national team's performance has been far from what was expected since the tournament began. In the first round, they were on the verge of elimination, only to be saved because Portugal hit the post in the final minutes of the match. Had Portugal scored, it would have been a historic underachievement for the USWNT. Their poor record of just one win and two draws is the worst in the history of the women's national team at a World Cup.
In fact, on this occasion, the players have been in the news more for the controversy over the disrespect by most of the team members of the national anthem than for the soccer they played. The players remained silent while the anthem was played, generating criticism in the country for their lack of respect. This was repeated against Sweden.
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