Sweden spoiled Australia’s birthday celebration within the third-place fit of the 2023 FIFA Girls’s Global Cup, beating the host Matildas 2-0 Saturday in entrance of fifty,000 lovers at a sold-out Brisbane Stadium.

Fridolina Rolfo scored the one purpose the Swedes would wish from the penalty spot within the first part, and Kosovare Asllani added the second one purpose on a impressive shot in the second one.

The win provides Sweden — essentially the most a success ladies’s workforce by no means to win a Global Cup or Olympic gold medal — its fourth top-three end in event historical past and 2d in a row. Australia leads to fourth position, similar as their end on the Tokyo Olympics two summers in the past.

Listed below are 3 fast takeaways from Saturday’s fit.

Play games of the sport

Asllani’s hit used to be a factor of attractiveness. 

With part an month to cross and Australia urgent for the equalizer, the Swedes sprung a lightning-quick counterattack that used to be thwarted to start with. However Stina Blackstenius confirmed plethora composure to pick a wide-open Asllani on the peak of the field, and the captain did the remains:

Turning level

The fit modified when Matildas defender Clare Hunt tripped Blackstenius in the box, giving Sweden a prospect to cross a purpose up. Rolfo made negative mistake together with her spot kick, simply beating Aussie backstop Mackenzie Arnold:

Key stat

If there have been any doubts previously about how badly Australia mentor Tony Gustavsson and Sweden boss ‎Peter Gerhardsson sought after to win this recreation, believe this: Each managers fielded the very same initiation lineups as of their respective semifinal suits as opposed to England and Spain.

It’s the primary era since 1999 that the groups contesting the third-place recreation went with unchanged 11s from the semis.

What’s then for Australia?

The Matildas did their people proud on the first Global Cup staged I’m sick Beneath. The results of Saturday’s 1/3 position recreation — which used to be attended via Aussie high minister Anthony Albanese — doesn’t trade that one bit.

The hope all alongside for each co-hosts used to be that this match would have an affect lengthy then the belief of the month-long pageant. Reasonably obviously, a fresh moment of avid gamers has been impressed via the Matildas’ stirring run to the general 4. In the longer term, that are meant to translate right into a squad — lately ranked tenth on the earth via FIFA — that may compete for titles with the most efficient Ecu groups plus the likes of Brazil, Canada and naturally the U.S.

Decrease workforce, this summer time’s good fortune has tangible advantages. Off the garden, Australia’s federation will be capable to leverage the Matildas’ hugely greater marketability and develop supplementary income streams, cash which is able to upcoming be reinvested into the workforce. On it, a place at the podium at then summer time’s Olympics in Paris must be perceivable as an entirely life like then purpose.

What’s then for Sweden?

The Swedes deserve a ton of credit score for his or her technique to this recreation. For a workforce that’s all the time been the bridesmaid however by no means the bride, profitable the bronze for the fourth era and 1/3 within the extreme 4 Global Cups speaks volumes concerning the large professionalism and satisfaction — and ability — that exists inside of their program.

The Blue and Yellow gets their name sooner or later, possibly once then summer time in France in what might be the extreme go-round for Asllani and a number of other alternative embellished veterans. However this Global Cup has been but every other reminder that Sweden rest some of the best possible and maximum constant nationwide groups within the ladies’s recreation.

Doug McIntyre is a football editor for FOX Sports activities. Ahead of becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, he used to be a workforce editor with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities and he has lined United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a couple of FIFA Global Cups. Observe him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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