Sweden, ranked third in the FIFA rankings, defeated Australia (10th in the FIFA rankings) 2-0 in the third-place match of the 2023 Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup at Brisbane Stadium in Australia on the 19th. Sweden ranked third in the women’s world cup for the second time in a row following the 2019 French Games.
Sweden, whose best performance was runner-up in 2003, is a team that caused an unexpected change by beating the U.S., the No. 1 FIFA player, who challenged the World Cup for three consecutive wins in the round of 16 at the tournament. After beating Japan 2-1 in the quarterfinals, they were defeated by Spain 1-2 in the semifinals and were pushed back to the third and fourth place match, but they finished well by beating host Australia.
Australia, which defeated Denmark in the round of 16 and France in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in women’s World Cup history, had to settle for fourth place after losing 1-3 to England in the semifinals. 스포츠토토
While Sweden was leading the game from the beginning, Australia was also looking for opportunities little by little with counterattacks and set pieces, and the penalty kick broke the balance in the 30th minute of the first half. The referee’s on-field review was conducted on the foul situation of Australian defender Claire Hunt, who was blocking Swedish front-line striker Stina Blakstenius, who broke through the right side of the penalty area, and a penalty kick was declared. Sweden’s kicker, Friedolina Rolfoe, kicked low with her left foot and became the main character of the first winning goal.
Australia, backed by overwhelming support from home fans who filled the 49,000-seat Brisbane Stadium, later stepped up its offensive but allowed another goal in the 17th minute of the second half. During Sweden’s counterattack, Kosovare Aslani hit the ball back from the left side of the penalty area with his right foot inside the penalty arc to score an additional goal.
Meanwhile, the final match between England and Spain, which will mark the finale of the tournament, will be held at the Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, from 7 p.m. on the 20th (Korea time). Both teams are the first to advance to the finals, so no matter who wins, they will achieve their “first-ever championship.”