Women’s World Cup hosts Australia were beaten 2-0 in the third-place play-off by Sweden, in what turned into a one-sided affair in Brisbane.
Australia were dealt the crushing blow of losing to England in the semi-finals and have again tasted defeat just a few days later, as goals from Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani gave Sweden a straightforward victory.
The Swedes were the better side throughout, creating multiple chances, and were perhaps unlucky not to win by more. Australia, by comparison, were always the underdogs coming into the game, but they were undone by the concession of a penalty, from which Rolfo opened the scoring, and then a superb strike from the edge of the box by Asllani.
Sam Kerr had been the star of the tournament for Australia and she scored a screamer in the semi-final, but she was kept quiet by the resilient Swedish defence, as they limited her to ineffective touches outside of the penalty area. Without her playmaking ability, the Matildas struggled to find any rhythm throughout the encounter.
Australia will reflect on a pulsating World Cup adventure, while Sweden’s players head home with a bronze medal each.
