Underneath an ink black Australian sky above Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, the Ladies’s World Cup recreation between the USA and Sweden on Sunday went on and on and on. For 120 minutes, it went on because the groups tried unsuccessfully to attain, with practically 28,000 followers so nervous that they may solely muster a simmer of cheers. Till penalty kicks turned up the quantity and determined all of it.
That’s when the USA’ latest dominance within the World Cup totally ended, and the People had been left surprised and devastated by their worst exhibiting on the quadrennial event. That they had arrived because the favorites after profitable two consecutive championships, in 2015 and 2019. However on Sunday, within the spherical of 16, three missed penalty kicks and a razor-thin aim by Sweden modified their destiny.
Sophia Smith, who missed a possibility to win for the USA, needed to be consoled by her teammates as she sat on the sector in tears. Kelley O’Hara, in her fourth World Cup, stormed by reporters and stared straight forward in silence after the sport, moments after her penalty kick hit the fitting publish and bounced away.
And Megan Rapinoe, the outspoken and completed U.S. ahead who had been relegated to a reserve at this World Cup, grew teary when discussing that her worldwide profession would finish together with her lacking a penalty kick, calling it “a sick joke.” Only a week in the past, Rapinoe was requested what the group’s legacy can be if it did not win the world title but once more. She answered, “I haven’t considered that.”
Now she gained’t overlook it. Sweden gained the shootout, 5-4, to get rid of the USA.
Alex Morgan, the star U.S. ahead, referred to as it “a nasty dream.”
“I’m actually upset with myself, and I want I may have offered extra with this group,” mentioned Morgan, who was on the bench for the shootouts as a result of she had been changed by Rapinoe earlier. She didn’t rating throughout the complete event.
Julie Ertz, who rushed again to the group after having a child a 12 months in the past, mentioned it was candy to see her son within the stands after the match. “Nevertheless it nonetheless hurts to lose a recreation like that,” she mentioned. She walked off, wiping the moist, smeared mascara from beneath her eyes.
All of it got here aside for the USA in a flurry of 14 kicks. Right here’s how they unfolded, feelings included:
Andi Sullivan, the midfielder, is up first to face Sweden’s goalkeeper, Zecira Musovic, together with her teammates lined up behind her, many arm in arm. She walks over to the spot with the loss of life stare of a gunslinger, then nails the shot into the decrease left of the aim. Sullivan spins again towards her teammates and pumps a fist. The group lastly comes alive and chants: “U-S-A! U-S-A!” U.S. 1, Sweden 0.
Fridolina Rolfo, a 5-foot-10 ahead who has been on the nationwide group for 10 years, is up first for Sweden in opposition to goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher a couple of month after profitable the Champions League with Barcelona. She sends the ball into the fitting aspect of the online, her blond ponytail swinging behind her. She flexes her arms and opens her mouth broad to shout in celebration, and the Swedish followers, many clad in brilliant yellow and sitting proper behind the aim, explode into cheers. U.S. 1, Sweden 1.
One of many U.S. co-captains, Lindsey Horan, has a well-known, ferocious “don’t mess with me” look on her face. It’s the look she had simply earlier than she scored the equalizer within the 1-1 tie versus the Netherlands within the group stage. It’s a lot more durable than the softer strategy she took for a lot of final week together with her teammates, as she inspired the 14 World Cup rookies, one after the other, to play with extra confidence. The Swedish followers are booing her, competing with the U.S. cheers. However Horan is steely and delivers the ball exactly to the left aspect, rocketing it into the online. U.S. 2, Sweden 1.
Elin Rubensson, a midfielder who returned to soccer simply two months after having a child in 2020, evidently decides that Horan picked a beautiful place to place the ball into the online. So she sends the ball there, too — and Naeher can’t get to it. U.S. 2, Sweden 2.
Up subsequent is Kristie Mewis, whose little sister, Sam, gained the World Cup title with the USA in 2019. The elder Mewis exhales arduous earlier than she shoots together with her left foot and sends the ball into the fitting aspect of the aim. The stadium begins to rumble. U.S. 3, Sweden 2.
The followers are beginning to assume this would possibly by no means finish. Nathalie Bjorn, the fitting again for Sweden, tries to shoot into the left nook, however the ball has different concepts. It goes flying over the aim and the Sweden followers sigh in unison. She buries her face in her fingers. The momentum has modified. Peter Gerhardsson, Sweden’s coach, says after the sport: “You’re simply ready. You need it to be over, and also you need it to go your method.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.
The U.S. followers go wild when Megan Rapinoe walks up. She had are available in for Morgan as an alternative and was certain the ball would go straight into the again of the online, simply because it had so many instances earlier than, together with within the ultimate of the 2019 World Cup. That is her ultimate World Cup, her fourth one, after she introduced in July that she would retire this 12 months. However now, her shot isn’t even shut.
She sends the ball flying over the aim. On the way in which again to her group, she smiles as a result of she simply can’t consider it. That is how a global profession ends? She thinks she final missed a penalty kick possibly in 2018.
“That’s some darkish humor, me lacking,” she says after the sport. “I really feel like I joke too usually, at all times within the mistaken locations and inappropriately, so possibly that is ha-ha on the finish.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.
Sweden’s Rebecka Blomqvist shoots and Naeher makes a superhero-like dive to knock the shot down. U.S. 3, Sweden 2.
The USA scored solely 4 targets at this World Cup, and ahead Sophia Smith scored half of them. She will be able to win it for the U.S. group, and takes her time organising. When she connects with the ball, it soars over the fitting aspect of the publish. The win was there for the taking, and she or he couldn’t seize it. She buries her face in her black-gloved fingers. She won’t be the star as we speak. Horan tells her later: “The perfect gamers on the earth miss.” Smith explains to reporters later: “However you’ve bought to recollect, that is a part of soccer. You get again up and it’s going to harm. It’s going to harm for ceaselessly.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.
Hanna Bennison, an alternative to Sweden, has an opportunity to save lots of her group from what had regarded like catastrophe. She scores, sending her group right into a frenzy. Gerhardsson says later: “Settle for that you’re nervous, in order that being nervous doesn’t make you extra nervous.” U.S. 3, Sweden 3.
There’s a rumble amongst U.S. followers once they see who’s taking the subsequent shot: It’s Alyssa Naeher, the goalkeeper. She has flipped the swap in her head and is now taking over Musovic, her counterpart. Her shot goes smack into the center of the aim after Musovic guesses mistaken. U.S. 4, Sweden 3.
Magdalena Eriksson, a seasoned middle again, wants to attain to maintain Sweden alive. And he or she delivers to the higher proper nook. Sweden 4, U.S. 4.
It’s as much as Kelley O’Hara, in her fourth World Cup. She sprints to the spot. She desires to win this recreation and this event and has rallied her group to believe that it’s going to do each. However her shot bounces off the fitting publish and away alongside the baseline.
Sweden’s followers begin to social gathering, waving their blue-and-yellow flags and dancing. Naeher says she feels horrible for her teammates who missed: “They’ve educated for it. They’ve ready for it. And, , sadly, these issues occur. My coronary heart hurts for them.” Sweden 4, U.S. 4.
Lina Hurtig, the ahead who scored when Sweden humbled the USA on the Tokyo Olympics, can win it. She shoots towards the left aspect of the aim. Naeher leaps for it, hitting it as soon as with each fingers to make it fly upward. The ball goes up, and Naeher hits it once more together with her proper arm whereas on the bottom, stretched backward, to maintain it out of the aim.
Did it go in, in spite of everything? Naeher insists she saved it. Hurtig raises her arms, and shadows the referee, Stéphanie Frappart, to make her case for a aim. The play is reviewed with cameras and monitoring expertise.
Then Frappart waves her arms: The sport is over; it’s dominated a aim. Hurtig takes off towards her teammates and the Swedish gamers run onto the sector to rejoice.
The ball, certainly, had crossed totally into the aim, in line with the replay system. By the seems of it, the margin could also be a millimeter. “I believed I had it. Sadly it will need to have simply slipped in. However that’s powerful. Ugh, we simply misplaced the World Cup. It’s heartbreak,” Naeher says. Sweden 5, U.S. 4.
