Sweden finishes third, beating Australia 2-0 – Liberation

The Swedes, victorious thanks to Fridolina Rulfo and captain Kosovare Aslani, finished third in their fourth World Cup.

Matilda fails at the foot of the platform. Australia, hosts of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, lost 2-0 to Sweden on Saturday 19 August in Brisbane. The Swedes triumphed, thanks to Fridolina Rulfo (penalty in the 30th minute) and captain Kosovari Aslani (62), and finished third in their fourth World Cup after 1991, 2011 and 2019.

This final success heals the disappointment in the semi-finals, which they lost to Spain (2-1), a junior team at this level that Sweden has never lost. Up to this snag, Amanda Ellistit’s teammates had eliminated the last two teams to be world champions, the United States in the Round of 16 (0-0 after extra time, 5-4 pens), and Japan in the next round (2-1).

If the Australians don’t win this minor final in front of their home crowd, they are on the best run in their history. Superstar Sam Kerr confirmed on Friday that the Australian players have lived “The four most amazing weeks of their career”.

popular enthusiasm

The popular fervor, demonstrated by national television audience records (17.15 million cumulative viewers for Australia and England), has carried the world’s 10th nation to the last four for the first time, in eight.

Australia and Sweden started the match with the same starting line-up that started in the semi-final. The match turned to the Swedes after a penalty awarded by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for a foul committed by Claire Hunt on Stina Plakstenius.

And Rulfo didn’t flinch in front of goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s penalty shoot-out champion against France in the quarter-finals (0-0 after extra time, 7-6 in the pens). Captain Aslani widened the gap after returning from the locker room. And the Milan player, who passed through Paris Saint-Germain, had already scored in the 2019 mini final, against England (2-1).

The English face Spain on Sunday, in a final between two selections that have never been decided in the competition. Some 75,000 fans are expected to once again host the Australian Stadium in Sydney for the culmination of the World Cup, as attendance records at Australian and New Zealand stadiums have been tied since July 20.