By Choi Song-ah Reporter = Sweden has finished third at the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup for the second consecutive time.
Sweden, ranked No. 3 in the FIFA rankings, defeated Australia, ranked No. 10, 2-0, in the third-place match of the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup 2023 at Brisbane Stadium in Australia on Monday.
It was Sweden’s second consecutive Women’s World Cup third-place finish, following the 2019 tournament in France.
The Swedes, whose best finish at the tournament was runner-up in 2003, were the upset winners in the round of 16, defeating FIFA No. 1 USA on penalties as they attempted to win their third straight World Cup.
After beating Japan 2-1 in the quarterfinals, the Swedes lost 1-2 to Spain in the semifinals to fall into the third-fourth place match, but beat hosts Australia in the final.
Australia, who defeated Denmark in the round of 16 and France in the quarterfinals to reach the last four for the first time in their history at a Women’s World Cup, had to settle for fourth place after losing 1-3 to England in the semifinals.
With Sweden dominating the early stages of the match, the Socceroos started to create some chances on the counter-attack and from set pieces, but a penalty kick in the 30th minute upset the balance.
An on-field review by the assistant referee showed a foul on Australian defender Claire Hunt as she stopped Swedish forward Stina Blaxtonius as she broke through on the right side of the penalty area, and a penalty kick was awarded.
Swedish kicker Fridolina Rolfe stepped up to the plate and slotted home a low left-footed effort for the game-winning goal.
Backed by the overwhelming support of the home fans in the 49,000-capacity Brisbane stadium, Australia upped the ante, only to concede again 17 minutes into the second half.
On a Swedish counter-attack, Blaxtonius cut back a ball from the left side of the penalty area and Kosovare Aslani struck it home with his right foot from inside the penalty arc.
Australia showed great determination to stay in the game despite losing key striker Sam Kerr, the all-time A-match record holder for goals (64), in the final 30 minutes when she injured her calf in a contest with an opponent.카지노
On the day, Sweden had 46% and Australia 37% of possession (17% contested), with both teams finishing with an equal 11 shots and five on target.
Meanwhile, the tournament finale between England and Spain will take place on Tuesday at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
For both teams, it will be their first time in the final, so whoever wins will achieve a ‘first ever win’.