Sweden blanks Australia for 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
Sweden gesture to supporters as they celebrate with their bronze medals after defeating Australia in the Women’s World Cup third place match in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday.
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.
Staying compact and organized and exploiting holes in the defense, Sweden was dominant for most of the match against Australia.
Rolfo converted from the penalty spot with a low, curling left-foot shot in the 30th minute after Australian defender Clare Hunt was penalized after a VAR review for tripping up Stina Blackstenius.
Asllani’s well-timed strike to finish off a long-range Swedish counterattack in the 62nd sealed the win.
Goalkeeper Zecira Musovic kept another clean sheet in outstanding tournament for Sweden, blocking Kerr’s angled right-foot strike in first-half stoppage time and again stopping Clare Polkinghorne’s shot from right in front in the 70th.
“It’s a sense of relief and a wonderful feeling at the final whistle,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said.
Kerr missed Australia’s wins over Ireland and Canada and upset loss to Nigeria in the group stage after injuring
her left calf muscle on the eve of the tournament. She made a tentative, late return in the round-of-16 win over Denmark and went on as a second-half substitute in the dramatic, penalty shootout win over France in the quarterfinals. She started on Saturday in an unchanged Australian lineup following Wednesday’s 3-1 semifinal loss to England.
Kerr injured her right leg in a tackle in the 75th minute and limped off the field for some quick treatment but returned to continue playing.
A 2-1 loss to Spain in Auckland sent Sweden into familiar territory. The
Swedes, runners-up in 2003, beat Germany in 1991, France in 2011 and England four years ago in their previous bronze-medal matches. A fifth podium finish is second only to the four-time champion United States in terms of success at the Women’s World Cup. The Swedes were also silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics and the Rio Games in 2016.
While the Swedish squad was taking bows in front of their clusters of fans in the capacity, almost 50,000-strong crowd, the Matildas did a lap to say thanks.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
always work out exactly how you want. Can you get a bunch of guys that can work basic fundamentals to give themselves a chance, and then can they just play their tails off through the whistle?”
Right guard Quinn Meinerz said that commitment is what ultimately will instill confidence in Payton to rely on the front line.
“We set the tone in the run game and it’s our job to get the movement and to, at the end of the day, influence or make the coach want to call more runs,” he said. “That’s a lot of fun for us.”
Sometimes Payton’s run in New Orleans is treated as a yearslong festival in aerial acrobatics. After all, quarterback Drew Brees threw for 5,000-plus yards five times and nearly hit the mark two other years. Wide receiver Michael Thomas set the NFL single-season record for catches with 149 in 2019.
“That’s a thing,” said tight end Adam Trautman, who spent his first three seasons in New Orleans, including 2020-21 with Payton. “That’s all people think about, that Drew threw for 5,000 yards I think five times, which is absolutely insane. But (Payton’s) always built the teams up front. We’ve always had great offensive lines, tight ends who can block, receivers who can stick their head in there and dig out safeties and stuff.
“So, it’s a huge emphasis and that’s part of our identity.”
In three of his final four years in New Orleans, Payton’s offense finished No. 30 in the NFL in passing rate once and No. 28 twice. The only other year — No. 13 in 2019 — was the record-breaking season for Thomas.
Otherwise, the Saints ran the ball as much as anybody in the NFL.
“It makes you have to load the box,” Trautman said. “You want to play six in the box and we’re in (one running back, two tight
was among the officials on the podium to present the bronze medals to the victors. And he later commiserated with the Matildas on the field.
“It’s sad that it’s come to an end. This has been the best four weeks of our careers,” Kerr said of the first Women’s World Cup to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere. “It would have been nice to go out on a high. But we have to reflect and think of how amazing this is.
“We’ve never come fourth before. Although it’s disappointing (now), we’ll think back to this in a couple of weeks and be really proud of how we did.”
ends) personnel? Good luck. We’re going to run the ball.”
Players like Trautman, Burton and Manhertz have all played for Payton in the past, as have receiver Marquez Callaway and running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Dwayne Washington, among others. They know the mentality the coach wants. Part of the reason Mcglinchey and Powers were priorities in March is because their play told Payton and the Denver front office that they’d fight right in on that front, too.
“I firmly believe that you have to win games by running the football and you command the whole flow of a game by being able to run the football,” said Mcglinchey, who is recovering from a sprained knee but played for San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan in the NFL’S model rushing offense the first five yeas of his career. “The NFL is about running the football and converting on third down. If you can do those things well, you’re going to have a really successful offensive football team. I think we’re built to do it. I think we have a great stable of backs, a great offensive line and coaches that are getting us all on the same page.
“It takes all 11 guys on offense to be able to run the ball well; it’s not just the offensive line. I think we have a really great shot to do it, and I love the mindset from (Payton).”
One of the Broncos’ biggest questions offensively is how quickly the collective mindset of the players develops with Mcglinchey having missed time and without any preseason reps with the entire firstteam offense on the field together.
How the Broncos answer will go a long way toward determining just how much of an identity this group truly has in 2023. Just don’t expect any true insight until Sept. 10, when the Raiders come to Empower Field.