USWNT eliminated from World Cup by Sweden on penalty kicks

On a Sunday night in Melbourne, in the middle of a Stockholm afternoon and with the sun rising over the East Coast of the United States, Sweden’s national women’s soccer team went and delivered a result to shake up the world.

Lina Hurtig delivered the winner in penalty kicks on a bizarre shot that required an extra moment to confirm, going off Alyssa Naeher’s hands and barely crossing the line before Naeher took another swipe at it.

After the referee confirmed the win — the goal-line technology showing it crossed the line by inches — the Swedish team ran to the corner in jubilation, a 5-4 win on penalties in hand after a scoreless 120 minutes.

The stalwarts of the U.S. Women’s National Team, then, looked around in disbelief.

They hugged each other and Megan Rapinoe wore a smile of disbelief. This was a game, and a shootout, that gave way to such emotion.

After both sides hit their first two penalties, things gave way to insanity. Nathalie Bjorn hit one high.

Then, with a chance to take a decisive lead in the shootout, Rapinoe did the same. 

Rebecka Blomqvist’s fourth attempt was saved by Naeher, and Sophia Smith, with a chance to win it, missed the net entirely.

Needing to score to keep the game alive, Sweden’s Hanna Bennison did just that, then Vlatko Andonovski stepped up the insanity by having Naeher take a penalty, which she only went and made.

Kelley O’Hara, one of the stalwarts of the U.S.’ World Cup success, will wear the cruelest moment of this game, hitting her penalty off the right post after coming on in the 119th minute for the express purpose of taking one.

Then, Hurtig went and bounced the United States from the tournament two weeks ahead of schedule.