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sports DIAHUEBS 22 JULI 2021
Australia downs New Zealand 2-1 in Olympic women’s soccer

(AP) — Sam Kerr and minute and Kerr added her Gabi Rennie’s goal in stop- This is New Zealand’s fourth The group stage continues
Tameka Yallop both scored goal in the 33rd to put the page time. Olympics. The Ferns are led Saturday with New Zea-
and Australia opened the Matildas up before halftime. by Tom Sermanni, the for- land set to play the United
Olympic women’s soccer Australia, ranked No. 9 in the Australia has advanced to the mer coach of Australia and States, while Australia meets
tournament with a 2-1 vic- world, is playing in its fifth Olympic quarterfinals twice, the U.S. national team. Sweden in Saitama. Earlier
tory over New Zealand on Olympics. including at the 2016 Games. Wednesday, the Swedes upset
Wednesday. Fourteen players from that New Zealand’s best Olympic the Americans 3-0 at Tokyo
New Zealand, ranked No. team are on the Tokyo squad. showing was a quarterfinals Stadium.
Yallop scored in the 20th 22, narrowed the gap with appearance in 2012.

Sweden stuns US 3-0 in women’s soccer at Olympics

Coach Vlatko Andonovski the compact schedule of the lete you go through ups and
made changes for the second tournament she was held out downs, and this is a hard
half, subbing in Carli Lloyd of the opener. result but it’s the nature of
for Alex Morgan and Julie a tough tournament,” U.S.
Ertz for Sam Mewis. Tokyo is Sweden’s seventh forward Christen Press said.
Olympics. After getting elim- “It wasn’t going to be easy.
But Blackstenius scored again inated by Sweden on penal- We weren’t going to breeze
in the 54th minute, beating ties in the quarterfinals five through six games no matter
goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, as years ago, U.S. goalkeeper what. So here we are.”
the Americans continued to Hope Solo famously called
struggle. Lina Hurtig added the Swedes cowards for their It was just the sixth time that
the final goal in the 72nd. defensive tactics. the United States had lost by
three or more goals.
Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Sweden went on to win the
Lindahl acknowledged the silver medal, losing to Ger- Sweden now leads Group G
win over the favorites was many 2-1 in the final. heading into Saturday’s game
(AP) — Sweden didn’t when the Americans lost to encouraging, but it’s still just against Australia in Saitama,
have to bunker down on France in the run-up to the the beginning of the tourna- The United States has been while the United States fac-
defense against the Amer- World Cup. It was the U.S. ment. Ahead are group games to all seven Olympics that es New Zealand at the same
icans this time. team’s only draw this year. against Australia and New have included women’s soc- stadium. The top two teams
Zealand. cer, too, winning four Olym- in the group advance to the
Stina Blackstenius scored a “Did we expect this result pic gold medals, more than knockout round.
pair of goals and the Swedes tonight? No,” said U.S. for- “I know for a fact that you any other nation. The team
stunned the United States at ward Megan Rapinoe, who can go very far in a tourna- is vying to become the first to “It is what it is,” Rapinoe
the Olympics with a 3-0 vic- did not start but came on as ment even if you lose to the win Olympic gold following said. “We got bopped, and we
tory Wednesday in the wom- a substitute in the 64th min- USA or whoever you play in a World Cup title. have two more games com-
en’s soccer tournament. ute with the score 2-0. “It’s the first game,” Lindahl said. ing quick and fast. And now
frustrating, and it’s frustrat- “So in the end I don’t know In 2008, the United States we know exactly what we
The Americans, ranked No. ing that it’s Sweden. They how much it means, but for also lost its first match, 2-0 to need to do. We need to win
1 in the world and the fa- found a lot of space on us. I sure we showed the world Norway, but went on to win these games and eventually
vorites to win gold in Tokyo, don’t even know how many and ourselves that we can the gold medal. get out of the group and go
were riding a 44-match un- goals we have given up this play well against a team like from there.”
beaten streak heading into whole year. I don’t remem- the U.S. or any team.” “I think ultimately as an ath-
the match. But Sweden, ber the last time we gave up
ranked No. 5, has been the a goal. So to give up three is The loss was the first for the
U.S. team’s nemesis of sorts not great.” United States under An-
in recent years. The Swedes donovski, who took over
bounced the Americans Sweden’s offense deserved when former coach Jill Ellis
from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro all the credit. Blackstenius’ stepped down following the
Games in the quarterfinals, header into the far corner off team’s World Cup victory in
the earliest U.S. Olympic exit a cross from Sofia Jakobsson France. Late in the match,
ever, by making a defensive in the 26th minute gave the Andonovski sat expression-
stand. team a first-half lead. less on the bench.

This April, Sweden played The United States, which The Swedes were without
the United States to a 1-1 came out stale, had its best Magda Eriksson because of
draw in Stockholm, which chance of the opening half in injury. The team said she has
snapped a winning streak the final moments when Rose been training, but because of
dating back to January 2019 Lavelle’s shot hit the post.