19 August 2023 , 10:06
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Sweden triumphed over tournament co-hosts Australia 2-0 to finish in third place at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Australia had already achieved their country's best-ever World Cup finish, having fallen just short in their semi-final clash with England. The Matildas have captured the hearts of a nation in recent weeks - breaking attendance records and attracting unprecedented TV viewing figures - but they were hoping to cap off the tournament with a win in Saturday's third-place playoff.
It was Sweden who made the brighter start to the contest, with Arsenal forward Stina Blackstenius forcing an early save from Mackenzie Arnold. And Peter Gerhardsson's side were soon rewarded for their early dominance, with VAR intervening to award a penalty after Blackstenius was felled in the area by Clare Hunt.
The spot-kick was coolly dispatched by Fridolina Rolfo to give Sweden the lead inside 29 minutes. The Scandinavians almost doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time, with Arnold getting down smartly to tip Filipa Angeldahl's close-range effort to safety.
Sweden eventually did double their tally in the second half, with captain Kosovare Asllani rifling the ball into the bottom corner after a clever cut-back from Blackstenius. Australia nearly pulled one back minutes later, with Clare Polkinghorne poking towards goal after a well-worked free kick, but a good stop from Zecira Musovic kept the Matildas out.
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While the tournament co-hosts will be disappointed not to have picked up the bronze medal, Tony Gustavsson's side have already had a seismic impact on the women's game in Australia.
“It feels like we’ve done something amazing for the country … but there is definitely work still to be done," captain Sam Kerr said in her pre-match press conference.
"For us, this has been the most amazing four weeks of our careers. What's happened on the pitch but also off the pitch. The way the country has got behind us, we never dreamed this could happen."