Sweden vs. Australia World Cup Bronze Match: Blagult Triumphs as Highlights and Final Score Unfold

Sweden has won the third-place playoff with a professional 2-0 win against co-hosts Australia in Brisbane.

Except for a brief period in the first half, Sweden dominated the encounter against a Matilda team plainly exhausted following a physically and emotionally demanding tournament. They can still be really pleased of their achievements, but it’s a bit of a letdown for Australia.

Hurtig is booked for a foul and then for kicking the ball away after 90+5 minutes.

90th minute: Six minutes of extra time to finish the game.

Sweden makes another substitution in the 89th minute, with Sembrant replacing Kaneryd.

Rubensson receives a yellow card in the 89th minute for a heavy foul on Chidiac.

85th minute: Sweden has taken control of the ball against a weary Australian defense in the closing few minutes. The Matildas have had a difficult finale to a wonderful campaign.

77th minute: Sam Kerr is back on her feet, indicating that her injury does not appear to be significant and that she may still play in this game.

76th minute: Unfortunately for Australia, Sam Kerr is down and appears to be in excruciating pain; this could be a recurrence of the calf injury she suffered earlier in the competition.

Chdiac and Courtney Nevin replace Polkinghorne and Ellie Carpenter, respectively, in the 74th minute; Nevin makes her World Cup debut!

Alex Chidiac is set to join the field for Australia in the 72nd minute; she is the precise person they need right now if they are to come back into this match.

70th minute: Hunt headed Cooney-Cross’ free kick across goal, which is met by Polkinghorne, her centre back partner, but the effort is straight at Musovic.

Sweden makes their first substitutions in the 67th minute, with Asllani and Blackstenius being replaced by Hurtig and Blomqvist.

The air has really come out of Brisbane Stadium with that goal; Australia had just made the adjustments to get back into the game, and now they’re two goals down.

In the 62nd Minute: Sweden’s Lead Doubles as Asllani Scores a Goal!

Sweden finished third in the 2023 Women’s World Cup after defeating co-hosts Australia 2-0 at Brisbane Stadium.
Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani goals in each half earned a deserved win for the Blagult, who negated Australia and were in almost perfect control against a Matildas team whose they succumbed to physical and mental weariness.

Both teams named unchanged lineups for a match that usually sees heavy rotation, but Australia coach Tony Gustavsson’s team looked sluggish and off the pace from the start, with Sweden Stina Blackstenius gave them their first chance after two minutes.

Hayley Raso had Australia’s finest chance when she forced Zecira Musovic into a smart save at her near post, but a contentious VAR review then awarded Sweden a penalty after Clare Hunt was found guilty of fouling Blackstenius.

Rolfo took the penalty and buried it, giving Sweden a merited lead during a half in which Australia struggled to make an impact.

Despite the fact that the team clearly needed changes, Gustavsson waited until the hour mark to make them. Sweden extended their lead two minutes later, thanks to a slick counterattack that resulted in Asllani shooting a beautiful strike past Mackenzie Arnold.

Sweden was able to comfortably see out the game and finish third in a World Cup for the fourth time as Australia failed to find a way into the game by relying on long balls and crosses.

It’s been an amazing home World Cup for Australia, taking the country on a wild rollercoaster that included a record-breaking 17 million people witnessing their 3-1 semifinal loss to England.

Their players worked tirelessly to get there, and with Gustavsson opting to employ a small number of players for extended periods of time, fatigue caught up with them in Brisbane.

The indicators were there against the Lionesses, but Gustavsson stuck with the same lineup – a strategy that backfired as passes went awry, touches were heavier than usual, and Australia was overrun by a Sweden squad who appeared to take an extra step in their stride.

Katrina Gorry and Ellie Carpenter, for example, should not have started and should have been taken off at halftime, rather than after 60 and 74 minutes, respectively.

She hasn’t always been Sweden’s outstanding player at the World Cup, but captain Kosovare Asllani turned back the clock with a great effort at both ends of the field.

Defensively, she was a persistent source of frustration for a fatigued Katrina Gorry, marking and harassing the midfielder in order to limit her efficiency and, as a result, Australia’s game.

Asllani was engaged in everything from an attacking standpoint: controlling the tempo, moving the Australians around, and scoring spectacularly from long range after excellent buildup play.

Her time in this tournament has been better controlled than others, as she was used at full strength against a struggling Matildas team.

This was a difficult way to cap off a tremendous tournament for Australia, which brought the country together and produced some of the greatest moments in football history.

Their victories over Canada, Denmark, and France elicited huge celebrations in Australia, where football is not the dominating sport, and will hopefully persuade lawmakers to increase their support for the game at all levels.
There is a sense of what might have been: what if Sam Kerr had been totally fit? What if Alanna Kennedy didn’t get hurt in the last two games? What if Gustavsson wasn’t terrified about early substitutions?

These are intriguing if speculative questions, but the overall sentiment for Australia as a nation should be one of pride now that the Matildas have become a household name.

Could this be a stepping stone for Australian football? Potentially, but action is required.

In the 62nd minute, Asllani scores again to give Sweden a bigger lead!

Asllani gets a chance from the edge of the area thanks to a devastating counter attack, and she lashes it into the far corner of the net. Australia has come a long way.

60th minute: Raso and Gorry are replaced by Vine and van Egmond, allowing for substitutions.

59th minute: As van Egmond and Vine prepare to enter the pitch, Gorry will be one of the players to leave, as she can barely manoeuvre across the pitch right now.

When Australia loses possession of the ball in midfield, Asllani eventually receives it, but Hunt is able to block the shot just in time. Australia urgently needs to make reforms.

The second half begins in the 46th minute; will Australia turn the tide after a rough first half? Nothing has changed on either side.

Half Time:

It will be intriguing to watch what changes Gustavsson makes. Except on a few of times, he prefers to make substitutes after 70 minutes; if he does the same tonight, the game will most likely be over.

Half Time:

It’s halftime in Brisbane, and Sweden leads the third-place playoff 1-0 after to a penalty from Fridolina Rolfo.

Clare Hunt’s foul gave Sweden the opportunity to score from the spot, and they did not disappoint. Australia had some chances but delivered a lethargic and sluggish performance that would require significant improvement if they are to finish third.

45+8 minutes: Asllani was treated for considerably longer, but she, like Foord, is back on her feet.

45+6 minutes: This one has a lot of bite, Gorry and Asllani get into a bit of push and shove, and after a big shot from Kerr, Asllani and Foord collide and are treated.

45+2 minutes: Arnold keeps Australia in the game by diving low to stop a close-range attempt. At the end of the first half, Australia was on the ropes.

45th minute: Gorry receives a yellow card for a cynical foul on Asllani, resulting in five minutes of additional time.

45th minute: Cooney-Cross’ speculative effort almost fools Musovic as it bounces in front of her and she fights to collect it. But she gradually faces the threat.
43rd minute: Rolfo cuts inside and attempts a goal, but it goes wide. The Matildas are on the verge of conceding another goal before halftime.

40th minute: Asllani takes a shot at goal, but Arnold easily saves it. Sweden was the superior team in the first half.

33rd minute: Kerr nearly controls a Carpenter long ball, but it evades her and goes to Musovic.

ROLFO CONVERTS AND SWEDEN LEAD IN THE 29TH MINUTE!

Arnold makes the correct guess, but Rolfo’s penalty is perfectly placed, and she scores her third goal of the tournament.
27th minute: Referee Cheryl Foster consults with VAR about a probable penalty after Clare Hunt makes contact with Blackstenius… AND SHE AWARDS A PENALTY! The contact was minor, but Foster thought it sufficient to point to the location.

Rolfo scores in the 26th minute! Asllani’s cross is met by the winger, but her header is deflected off the crossbar and out.

Raso creates a terrific chance in the 23rd minute when she smashes a shot at the near post, forcing Musovic to be alert and make a stop.

19th minute: Polkinghorne gets a header away from Catley’s corner, but it skims off her head and bounces well wide of the goal.

18th minute: Raso steals Ilestadt’s ball, allowing Australia a sustained period of possession that results in Foord’s cross being turned behind for a corner. Much better from the hosts!
11th minute: Sweden continues to dominate possession but lacks a cutting edge in attack; the Matildas know this might change in an instant and must pick up the pace after a lethargic start.

In the sixth minute, Australia is initially under pressure, but they quickly break away, and Foord is awarded a free kick when Bjorn’s arm was struck by her cross.

2nd minute: Blackstenius takes a solid attempt on goal for Sweden, and Mackenzie Arnold requires a powerful right hand to divert it away before Carpenter clears.

Kick Off:

The third-place playoff is underway in Brisbane; will the co-hosts be able to repay the supporters for their support with a win?

3 minutes until kickoff: The anthems are finished, and the game is about to begin!

7 minutes before kickoff: The teams are about to enter Brisbane Stadium after a raucous Welcome to Country!

15 minutes before kickoff: Gustavsson’s decision to field a full-strength team with so many players having played little or no time at the tournament has been met with varied reactions.
30 minutes before kickoff: These teams previously played at the end of last year in Melbourne, when Australia won 4-0 thanks to a second-half clinic. It was the start of a great run of form that has largely continued till now. Sweden will be hoping for a much stronger showing today.

Sweden’s only match in Australia this tournament, having played the majority of their games in New Zealand, is set to begin in 45 minutes.

Their last match in the country, though, was memorable, as they defeated the USA in a thrilling Round of 16 penalty shootout!
1 hour before kickoff: Brisbane Stadium has the distinction of hosting both Australia’s low point in the tournament — a 3-2 loss to Nigeria in the group stage — and its high point — a stunning penalty shootout victory over France in the quarterfinals. Will they be able to experience the same high this evening?

1 hour 30 minutes before kickoff: The team news is in, and in a departure from what has historically been seen in this match, both sides have made no changes from their semifinal defeats, electing to go into this match at full strength.

 This means Zecira Musovic, Fridolina Rolfo, and Stina Blackstenius will start for Sweden, while Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler will start for Australia. It’s surprising to see Australia make no changes, especially after appearing to be fatigued in their loss against the Lionesses on Wednesday.

• Sweden starting lineup (4-2-3-1): 1. Musovic (GK) — 2. Andersson, 13. Ilestedt, 6. Eriksson, 14. Bjorn — 16. Angeldal, 23. Rubensson — 19. Kaneryd, 9. Asllani, 18. Rolfo — 11. Blackstenius
• Australia starting lineup (4-4-2): 18. Arnold (GK) — 21. Carpenter, 15. Hunt, 4. Polkinghorne, 7. Catley — 16. Raso, 19. Gorry, 23. Cooney-Cross, 9. Foord  — 11. Fowler — 20. Kerr

2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Sweden’s third-place playoff match vs Australia in the 2023 Women’s World Cup!

After their World Cup dreams were dashed in the semifinals, both teams will want to rebound and end their campaigns on a high note by claiming bronze medals, while 50,000 Australian fans will relish the opportunity to celebrate their World Cup heroes one last time after their magical journey.

Expect some adjustments from both teams, which will nonetheless field good teams and play an entertaining game of football!