Sweden beats Australia to win another bronze medal
BRISBANE, Australia — Nobody beats Sweden on the rebound from a Women’s World Cup semifinal loss. Not even the tournament hosts.
The Swedish women extended their perfect record in World Cup third-place matches to four, with Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani scoring Saturday in a clinical 2-0 win over Australia.
“It feels amazing. We showed from minute one, we were the better team,” Rolfo said. “We deserve this medal.”
It was a disappointing finish for the Matildas, who captivated their country during their run to the semifinals for the first time.
The tournament cohosted by Australia and New Zealand has set attendance records, and two of Australia’s matches became the most-watched programs on domestic commercial TV in 20 years.
With the Sydney Opera House lit up in the greenand-gold colors of Australia and supporters flocking to fan zones to watch on giant screens in cities across the country, there was still hope of some kind of medal for the Matildas.
Ultimately, it ended with back-to-back losses to the No. 3- and No. 4-ranked teams in the world even with star striker Sam Kerr back in the starting lineup. “We wanted to win, we wanted to have some hardware to take home. Wasn’t to be,” Kerr said. But, “the way the fans have got behind us, the way girls have carried themselves, I think we’ve proven to the world we are a footballing nation.
“We couldn’t get it done tonight, but hopefully we’ve inspired people for many years to come.”
European champion England and Spain are meeting in the final in Sydney on Sunday, and Sweden’s win means European nations will finish first, second and third.
The Swedes won all three group games and then ousted the two-time defending champion U.S. team on penalties in the round of 16 and beat Japan in the quarterfinals.
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