Sweden has won another bronze medal at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday, August 19, with Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani scoring in a 2-0 win over co-host Australia.
The third-ranked Swedes played in their second straight bronze medal match, having finished third at the 2019 World Cup.
The Swedish women extended their strong run in the World Cup coming third-place after a great game against Australia.
ABC News reported that Rolfo said, “It feels amazing. We showed from minute one, we were the better team.
“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.
Ultimately, it ended with back-to-back losses to the No. 3 and No. 4-ranked teams in the world, England and Sweden respectively.
“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.”
With European champion England and Spain meeting in the final in Sydney on Sunday, Sweden’s win means European nations will dominate the first, second and third positions.
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 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.
