Sweden downs Australia to take third place again at Women’s World Cup
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 Nos. 3- and 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
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many years to come.”
European champion England and Spain are meeting in the final in Sydney today, 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.
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 longrange Swedish counterattack in the 62nd sealed the win.
Goalkeeper Zecira Musovic kept another clean sheet in an 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 bronzemedal matches.
A fifth podium finish is second only to the fourtime 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 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.”
OK, so, Ryan Crouser didn’t set a world record. This win felt even better than that.
Just before the American shot-putter was scheduled to leave for the world athletics championships in Budapest, Hungary, Crouser was diagnosed with two blood clots in his lower leg. The doctors told him it was safe to fly and it was up to him and his family whether to compete.
He showed up and defended his world title Saturday night with a championship-record throw of 77 feet, 13/4 inches using a new technique he invented that’s been dubbed the “Crouser Slide.”
Moments after his final attempt, Crouser dropped to his knees and lifted his arms in the air.
Relief.
“After all that it was the best performance of my life, given the health issues, the stress and all of it,” Crouser said. “The last throw was testament to all the hard work and dedication over the last year. The last few days have been hard, so with all that has happened it was a phenomenal throw.”
Crouser set the standard with his first attempt of 743. No one would catch him as Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri took second and Crouser’s teammate and 2019 world champion Joe Kovacs earned bronze.
With the competition locked up, Crouser went for it on his final attempt. It fell just short of world-record range. He’s broken the record twice over the past 26 months, with his mark standing at 23.56 (77-3 3/4).
“It wasn’t quite a world record but to me it was,” Crouser said.
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan stumbled and fell in the home stretch of the 10,000 meters, spoiling her bid to win three medals like she did at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Another tumble featured in the final race of the night, the 4x400 mixed relay. Netherlands runner Femke Bol cramped and fell right before the finish line, her baton bouncing across the finish line as she hit the track. Alexis Holmes went by for a win for the United States.
It was business as usual for Noah Lyles in the first round of the 100 meters as he used a fast start to cruise to a relaxed-looking time of 9.95 seconds.
His American teammate and top rival Fred Kerley had some drama in the fifth heat. The sprinters were called to stand up four times by the starter. Then, there was a false start, followed by another gun to get them to stop after bursting out of the blocks. Finally, on the seventh try, they took off, with Kerley finishing second behind Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who went 9.86 seconds for the top time.
Gauff finally defeats Swiatek, reaches final
Coco Gauff had never won a set against Iga Swiatek in seven previous meetings. On Saturday, the 19-year old beat the No. 1-ranked player in the world, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, to advance to today’s final in the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.
Swiatek, winner of three of the past six Grand Slam titles, survived three match points before Gauff finished off the upset to the delight of a large crowd that loudly supported the American.
The seventh-seeded Gauff hadn’t won more than four games in a set against Swiatek since their first meeting in Rome in 2021 until winning the tiebreaker to take the opening set on Saturday.
Gauff will face either Karolina Muchova or second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in today’s final.
FIFA head Infantino angers female stars
The world’s best female soccer players can achieve pay equality — if only they “convince us men” first, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, sparking a near-immediate backlash.
“I say to all the women that you have the power to change. Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do,” Infantino said on Friday at the second FIFA Women’s Football Convention in Sydney.
He added: “You do it. Just do it. With me, with FIFA, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open.”
A number of female athletes were quick to denounce the remarks. Norwegian player and the first female Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter: ‘Working on a little presentation to convince men. Who’s in?’
Former Canadian international Amy Walsh joked that women should title their worldwide push for equality the ‘Convince the Men — A Gianni Infantino Joint.’
The comments come during the final stages of the Women’s World Cup, taking place in Australia and New Zealand, which has seen record ticket sales and a huge uptick in sponsorship revenue. England will face Spain in today’s final in Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
Two billion people tuned in to watch the World Cup around the globe and two million attended matches in person, both records. The tournament also broke even, generating $570 million, according to the FIFA president, unlike the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cup competitions. Yet women have continued to face lagging pay even as the popularity of the sport continues to jump.
The winning team in this year’s tournament will receive $10.5 million, with $6.2 million earmarked for distribution to its players. By contrast, Argentina, the winners of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year, received $42 million.
To be sure, Infantino has in the past been a vocal proponent of the women’s game. He has called for better sporting conditions, demanded that broadcasters offer higher bids to show the tournament on television — which he has linked to lower prize money — and demanded that more countries set up women’s leagues.
The FIFA president has previously said he hopes to offer equal prize money for the men’s and women’s World Cups within a few years.
Concluding his remarks in Sydney, Infantino said: “Just keep pushing, keep the momentum going, keep dreaming and let’s really go for a full equality.
• Angel City earned a 1–1 draw at Racing Louisville, following goals by ACFC forward Katie Johnson and Louisville midfielder Kirsten Davis.
Ohio State wrestling champion Sasso shot
Ohio State two-time Big Ten wrestling champion Sammy Sasso was shot in Columbus and was in the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, the university’s wrestling coach said in a statement.
Police said a call came in around 8:30 p.m. Friday for a shooting near the University District, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Sasso was found in an alley near campus and taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in serious condition, the newspaper reported.
Few details were available on the shooting, which some reports said was connected with a robbery attempt, the Dispatch reported, and no suspects had been taken into custody.
Sasso was a fifth-year senior this past season and is a two-time NCAA runner-up.
• Carson Beck will open the season as No. 1 Georgia’s starting quarterback as the Bulldogs begin their quest for a third straight national championship. Beck was the top backup for Stetson Bennett in 2022 and ended spring practice atop Georgia’s depth chart.