Sweden sends a warning shot to future challengers, including USA
A rapid barrage of goals led by defender Amanda Ilestedt put Sweden on course for a swashbuckling 5-0 victory over Italy – and you can guarantee that the United States was paying attention.
Ilestedt scored with a pair of headers that began her team's scoring onslaught after 39 minutes and ended it on 50, as the Swedes sent out an emphatic signal of intent to all but wrap up top spot in Group G of the Women's World Cup.
[Golden Boot race tracker: Sweden's Amanda Ilestedt ties for lead]
That matters to the USA because it now puts the second-place team in Group E on a collision course with in-form Sweden, while the winner of the group – currently headed by the USWNT and the Netherlands – would, as things stand, face the much easier task of facing Italy in the Round of 16.
The Americans currently hold a goal differential advantage on the Netherlands (+3 compared to +1) but face the significantly tougher task of matching up with Portugal in their third game on Tuesday (coverage begins at 1 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), while the Dutch take on already-eliminated Vietnam in Dunedin at the same time on FS1.
There is women's soccer history between Sweden and the USA. The national team's hopes of winning the 2016 Rio Olympics were dashed by its Scandinavian rival at the quarterfinal stage on penalty kicks, condemning the squad to the program's worst-ever Olympic finish.
Sweden vs. Italy Highlights | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Goalkeeper Hope Solo reacted to that defeat with some ungracious comments about Sweden's "cowardly" style of play, which earned her a suspension from US Soccer.
Another Olympic embarrassment followed in Tokyo, with Sweden winning 3-0 in the group stage. Sweden also inflicted the only group-stage defeat the USA has ever sustained in the World Cup, a 2-1 upset in Germany in 2011.
Based on Saturday, Ilestedt and her colleagues look like a team to try to avoid.
Having already headed home a late game-winning header against South Africa from a corner kick, Ilestedt repeated the trick for the opener against Italy at Wellington Regional Stadium.
Fridolina Rolfo added a second minutes later after Italy again failed to clear a corner, and there was still time for Stina Blackstenius to score another before half-time.
Ilestedt, sure enough, with another header, made it four, while substitute Rebecka Blomqvist added the finishing touch deep into injury time.
Sweden closes its group campaign against winless Argentina on Wednesday (3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), needing only a point to be mathematically certain of winning Group G.
'World Cup NOW' crew recaps Sweden vs. Italy | World Cup NOW
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
