Sweden beats Australia for bronze

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 co-hosted 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 green-and-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-toback losses to the No. 3- and No. 4ranked teams in the world even with