The home World Cup ended with another disappointment for the Australian footballers. The team around superstar Sam Kerr lost 0:2 (0:1) to Sweden in the match for third place.
Barcelona professional Fridolina Rolfö scored in front of almost 50,000 spectators in Brisbane after half an hour with a penalty kick to make it 1-0. Captain Kosovare Asllani made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute for the largely sovereign Swedes.
The Australians had previously missed out on a place in the final against England (1-3). Captain Kerr was unlucky and had to be treated after 75 minutes. “It’s sad that it’s over. It was the best four weeks of our career,” said the 29-year-old. “It would have been nice if we had left on a high. But we have to think about it and realize how great that is.”
Your coach Tony Gustavsson lost to his home country’s team in the end. For Australia, fourth place in eighth World Cup participation was the best result. The co-host had sparked great euphoria in the country at the tournament, but the players were denied medals.
England and Spain are playing for World Cup titles
The Swedish team had achieved their best result so far in 2003 when they finished second in the World Cup and finished third for the fourth time after 1991, 2011 and 2019. The final between European champions England and Spain will take place on Sunday (12:00 noon CEST/ZDF) in Sydney.
In a varied game, there was a penalty after video evidence when Clare Hunt brought down the Swede Stina Blackstenius – the former Munich and Wolfsburg player Rolfö hit the right corner from the point. Asllani’s goal on the bottom right made it 2-0. She initiated the attack herself. The Matildas were mostly harmless on offense.
“It’s a great feeling. We showed from the first minute that we’re the better team,” said Rolfö. “We deserve this medal.” At the end of the day, two Bundesliga players also celebrated for the Swedes: Bayern newcomer Magdalena Eriksson impressed in central defence. Rebecka Blomqvist from VfL Wolfsburg came on after a good hour.
