How the U.S. Was Eliminated, Shot by Shot

Under an ink black Australian sky above Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, the Women’s World Cup recreation between the United States and Sweden on Sunday went on and on and on. For 120 minutes, it went on because the groups tried unsuccessfully to attain, with practically 28,000 followers so nervous that they might solely muster a simmer of cheers. Until penalty kicks turned up the quantity and determined all of it.

That’s when the United States’ current dominance within the World Cup totally ended, and the Americans had been left shocked and devastated by their worst exhibiting on the quadrennial match. They had arrived because the favorites after profitable two consecutive championships, in 2015 and 2019. But on Sunday, within the spherical of 16, three missed penalty kicks and a razor-thin objective by Sweden modified their destiny.

Sophia Smith, who missed a chance to win for the United States, needed to be consoled by her teammates as she sat on the sphere in tears. Kelley O’Hara, in her fourth World Cup, stormed by reporters and stared straight forward in silence after the sport, moments after her penalty shot hit the correct submit and bounced away.

And Megan Rapinoe, the outspoken and completed U.S. ahead who had been relegated to a reserve at this World Cup, grew teary when discussing that her worldwide profession would finish together with her lacking a penalty kick, calling it “a sick joke.” Just every week in the past, Rapinoe was requested what the crew’s legacy could be if it did not win the world title but once more. She answered, “I haven’t thought about that.”

Now she gained’t neglect it. Sweden gained the shootout, 5-4, to remove the United States.

Alex Morgan, the star U.S. ahead, referred to as it “a bad dream.”

“I’m really disappointed with myself, and I wish I could have provided more with this team,” mentioned Morgan, who was on the bench for the shootouts as a result of she had been changed by Rapinoe earlier. She didn’t rating throughout your entire match.

Julie Ertz, who rushed again to the crew after having a child a 12 months in the past, mentioned it was candy to see her son within the stands after the match. “But it still hurts to lose a game like that,” she mentioned. She walked off, wiping the moist, smeared mascara from below her eyes.

It all got here aside for the United States in a flurry of 14 kicks. Here’s how they unfolded, feelings included:

Andi Sullivan, the midfielder, is up first to face Sweden’s goalkeeper, Zecira Musovic, together with her teammates lined up behind her, many arm in arm. She walks over to the spot with the demise stare of a gunslinger, then nails the shot into the decrease left of the objective. Sullivan spins again towards her teammates and pumps a fist. The crowd lastly comes alive and chants: “U-S-A! U-S-A!” U.S. 1, Sweden 0.

Fridolina Rolfo, a 5-foot-10 ahead who has been on the nationwide crew for 10 years, is up first for Sweden towards goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher a few month after profitable the Champions League with Barcelona. She sends the ball into the correct facet of the web, her blond ponytail swinging behind her. She flexes her arms and opens her mouth extensive to shout in celebration, and the Swedish followers, many clad in vivid yellow and sitting proper behind the objective, explode into cheers. U.S. 1, Sweden 1.

One of the U.S. co-captains, Lindsey Horan, has a well-known, ferocious “don’t mess with me” look on her face. It’s the look she had simply earlier than she scored the equalizer within the 1-1 tie versus the Netherlands within the group stage. It’s a lot more durable than the softer strategy she took for a lot of final week together with her teammates, as she inspired the 14 World Cup rookies, one after the other, to play with extra confidence. The Swedish followers are booing her, competing with the U.S. cheers. But Horan is steely and delivers the ball exactly to the left facet, rocketing it into the web. U.S. 2, Sweden 1.

Elin Rubensson, a midfielder who returned to soccer simply two months after having a child in 2020, evidently decides that Horan picked an exquisite place to place the ball into the web. So she sends the ball there, too — and Naeher can’t get to it. U.S. 2, Sweden 2.

Up subsequent is Kristie Mewis, whose little sister, Sam, gained the World Cup title with the United States in 2019. The elder Mewis exhales onerous earlier than she shoots together with her left foot and sends the ball into the correct facet of the objective. The stadium begins to rumble. U.S. 3, Sweden 2.

The followers are beginning to assume this would possibly by no means finish. Nathalie Bjorn, the correct again for Sweden, tries to shoot into the left nook, however the ball has different concepts. It goes flying over the objective and the Sweden followers sigh in unison. She buries her face in her fingers. The momentum has modified. Peter Gerhardsson, Sweden’s coach, says after the sport: “You’re just waiting. You want it to be over, and you want it to go your way.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.

The U.S. followers go wild when Megan Rapinoe walks up. She had are available in for Morgan instead and was certain the ball would go straight into the again of the web, simply because it had so many instances earlier than, together with within the ultimate of the 2019 World Cup. This is her ultimate World Cup, her fourth one, after she introduced in July that she would retire this 12 months. But now, her shot isn’t even shut.

She sends the ball flying over the objective. On the best way again to her crew, she smiles as a result of she simply can’t consider it. This is how a global profession ends? She thinks she final missed a penalty shot perhaps in 2018.

“That’s some dark humor, me missing,” she says after the sport. “I feel like I joke too often, always in the wrong places and inappropriately, so maybe this is ha-ha at the end.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.

Sweden’s Rebecka Blomqvist shoots and Naeher makes a superhero-like dive to knock the shot down. U.S. 3, Sweden 2.

The United States scored solely 4 targets at this World Cup, and ahead Sophia Smith scored half of them. She can win it for the U.S. crew, and takes her time organising. When she connects with the ball, it soars over the correct facet of the submit. The win was there for the taking, and she or he couldn’t seize it. She buries her face in her black-gloved fingers. She is not going to be the star in the present day. Horan tells her later: “The best players in the world miss.” Smith explains to reporters later: “But you’ve got to remember, this is part of football. You get back up and it’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt for forever.” U.S. 3, Sweden 2.

Hanna Bennison, an alternative choice to Sweden, has an opportunity to save lots of her crew from what had regarded like catastrophe. She scores, sending her crew right into a frenzy. Gerhardsson says later: “Accept that you are nervous, so that being nervous doesn’t make you more nervous.” U.S. 3, Sweden 3.

There’s a rumble amongst U.S. followers after they see who’s taking the following shot: It’s Alyssa Naeher, the goalkeeper. She has flipped the change in her head and is now taking up Musovic, her counterpart. Her shot goes smack into the center of the objective after Musovic guesses mistaken. U.S. 4, Sweden 3.

Magdalena Eriksson, a seasoned middle again, wants to attain to maintain Sweden alive. And she delivers to the higher proper nook. Sweden 4, U.S. 4.

It’s as much as Kelley O’Hara, in her fourth World Cup. She sprints to the spot. She desires to win this recreation and this match and has rallied her crew to believe that it’ll do each. But her shot bounces off the correct submit and away alongside the baseline.

Sweden’s followers begin to celebration, waving their blue-and-yellow flags and dancing. Naeher says she feels horrible for her teammates who missed: “They’ve trained for it. They’ve prepared for it. And, you know, unfortunately, those things happen. My heart hurts for them.” Sweden 4, U.S. 4.

Lina Hurtig, the ahead who scored when Sweden humbled the United States on the Tokyo Olympics, can win it. She shoots towards the left facet of the objective. Naeher leaps for it, hitting it as soon as with each fingers to make it fly upward. The ball goes up, and Naeher hits it once more together with her proper arm whereas on the bottom, stretched backward, to maintain it out of the objective.

Did it go in, in any case? Naeher insists she saved it. Hurtig raises her arms, and shadows the referee, Stéphanie Frappart, to make her case for a objective. The play is reviewed with cameras and monitoring know-how.

Then Frappart waves her arms: The recreation is over; it’s dominated a objective. Hurtig takes off towards her teammates and the Swedish gamers run onto the sphere to rejoice.

The ball, certainly, had crossed solely into the objective, based on the replay system. By the appears of it, the margin could also be a millimeter. “I thought I had it. Unfortunately it must have just slipped in. But that’s tough. Ugh, we just lost the World Cup. It’s heartbreak,” Naeher says. Sweden 5, U.S. 4.