Sweden 0-0 USA(5-4 pens): Sweden into last 8 after dramatic penalty shootout

Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup after defeating the USWNT 5-4 on penalties following a dramatic last-16 clash.

2023 Women's World Cup

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Match Report

The World Cup holders headed into the game under pressure, having come second in their group and faced a Sweden side who had topped theirs with three comfortable wins from three.

Vlatko Andonovski's outfit were much better as they dominated the clash but were thwarted by several superb saves from Swedish stopper Zecira Musovic.

Lindsey Horan also hit the crossbar in the first half, before Musovic pulled off a sensational one-handed stop from her in the second half. In the final moments of the 90 minutes, she also prevented a certain Alex Morgan goal from point-blank range.

The US continued to dominate in extra-time but couldn't force a breakthrough before a dramatic penalty shootout.

It was a heavyweight clash we had not expected to see in the last 16, but contrasting group stages - perfect from Sweden, indifferent from the USA - saw them meet for the first time in the knockout rounds of a World Cup.

But the group form was flipped on its head with Sweden registering just one shot on target in 120 minutes of play, while the USA could not beat goalkeeper Musovic, who made a string of sensational saves to ultimately guide Sweden into the last eight.

Indeed, Sweden were on the verge of an exit during the penalty shootout, but misses from Megan Rapinoe - on what is likely to be her final World Cup appearance - and Sophia Smith saw the kicks go to sudden death.

After Kelley O'Hara hit the post, Arsenal's Lina Hurtig stepped up, with her penalty being scooped out of the goal by USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

It was unclear whether the ball had gone all the way over in what was the game's pivotal moment. After a nervous 30 seconds of checks from referee Stephanie Frappart, the ball was shown to be over the line by the barest of margins, with mere millimetres seeing Sweden through.

Despite a better performance from the USA, it is a heart-breaking end for the reigning champions, who will not be able to win their third successive World Cup title. Sweden will now face Japan on Friday in the quarter-finals.

Line-ups

Sweden XI: K. Asllani, J. Andersson, E. Rubensson, A. Ilestedt, F. Rolfö, M. Ericsson, S. Blackstenius, Z. Musovic, N. Björn, F. Angeldal, J. Rytting-Kaneryd

Subs: L. Sembrant, C. Seger, S. Jakobsson, O. Schough, Lina Hurtig, J. Falk, M. Janogy, T. Enblom, R. Blomqvist, H. Bennison, Anna Linnea Sandberg, Hanna Lundkvist

USA (w) XI: C. Dunn, L. Horan, A. Naeher, A. Morgan, J. Ertz, A. Sullivan, E. Sonnett, S. Smith, E. Fox, N. Girma, T. Rodman

Subs: M. Rapinoe, K. Mewis, K. O'Hara, L. Williams, S. Huerta, C. Murphy, A. Cook, Aubrey Kingsbury, A. Sanchez, S. Demelo, Alyssa Thompson