USA, the current champions, are out of the World Cup on penalties in front of more than 27,000 fans in Melbourne. Lina Hurtig’s spot‑kick sent Sweden to the quarter-finals, helped significantly by the brilliance of Zecira Musovic between the sticks. It is the first time in the tournament’s history that USA have been eliminated at this early a stage.
In the end it came down to a matter of millimetres as Alyssa Naeher desperately clawed at the final penalty but failed to keep it out. “It’s a tough moment,” Vlatko Andonovski, the USA head coach, said.
