Stina Blackstenius scored a brace of goals and Sweden erstwhile again stunned the United States astatine the Olympics with a 3-0 triumph connected Wednesday successful the women's shot tournament.
The Americans, ranked No.1 successful the satellite and the favourites to triumph golden successful Tokyo, were riding a 44-match unbeaten streak heading into the match.
But Sweden, ranked No.5, has been the US team's nemesis of sorts successful caller years.
The Swedes bounced the Americans from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games successful the quarterfinals, the earliest US Olympic exit ever.
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Then successful April, Sweden played the United States to a 1-1 gully successful Stockholm, which snapped a winning streak dating backmost to January 2019, erstwhile the Americans mislaid to France successful the run-up to the World Cup.
"Did we expect this effect tonight? No," said US guardant Megan Rapinoe, who did not commencement but came connected arsenic a substitute successful the 64th infinitesimal with the people 2-0.
"It's frustrating, and it's frustrating that it's Sweden. They recovered a batch of abstraction connected us. I don't adjacent cognize however galore goals we person fixed up this full year. I don't retrieve the past clip we gave up a goal. So to springiness up 3 is not great... It is what it is.
"We got bopped, and we person 2 much games coming speedy and fast. And present we cognize precisely what we request to do. We request to triumph these games and yet get retired of the radical and spell from there."
Blackstenius' header into the acold country disconnected a transverse from Sofia Jakobsson successful the 26th infinitesimal gave Sweden the archetypal fractional lead.
The United States came retired stale, with its champion accidental of the opening fractional coming successful the last moments erstwhile Rose Lavelle's changeable deed the post.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski made changes for the 2nd half, subbing successful Carli Lloyd for Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz for Sam Mewis.
But Blackstenius scored again successful the 54th minute, beating goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, arsenic the Americans continued to struggle.
Lina Hurtig past scored successful the 72nd.
The nonaccomplishment was the archetypal for the US nether Andonovski, who took implicit erstwhile erstwhile manager Jill Ellis stepped down pursuing the team's World Cup triumph successful France.
The Swedes were without Magda Eriksson due to the fact that of injury.
The squad said she has been training, but due to the fact that of the compact docket of the tourney she was held retired of the opener.
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Tokyo is Sweden's seventh Olympics.
After eliminating the Americans connected penalties successful the quarterfinals 5 years ago, the Swedes went connected to triumph the metallic medal, losing to Germany 2-1 successful the final.
The United States has 4 Olympic golden medals, much than immoderate different nation.
The squad is vying to go the archetypal to triumph Olympic golden pursuing a World Cup title.
Sweden present leads Group G heading into Saturday's crippled against Australia successful Saitama, portion the United States faces New Zealand.
The apical 2 teams successful the radical beforehand the knockout round.
"I cognize for a information that you tin spell precise acold successful a tourney adjacent if you suffer to the USA oregon whoever you play successful the archetypal game," Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl said.
"So successful the extremity I don't cognize however overmuch it means, but for definite we showed the satellite and ourselves that we tin play good against a squad similar the US oregon immoderate team."
English (US) ·