Sweden stun USA women’s football team in shock 3-0 win at Tokyo 2020 to end favourites’ 44-match unbeaten streak

SWEDEN ended the US women’s team’s 44-match unbeaten run in emphatic style with a 3-0 win at the Tokyo Olympics.

The world’s No.1 ranked side were given a humbling masterclass by the Swedes in what was their first loss since January 2019.

Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius delivered the US a devastating double before Lina Hurtig put the final nail in their coffin.

Blackstenius, 25, opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a header, before striking again in the 54th.

And Juventus star Hurtig added the third in the last twenty minutes.

Before the game the US were the tournament’s favourites and their loss puts a huge dent in their hopes of becoming the first team to follow up a World Cup winner’s trophy with an Olympic gold.

US winger and OL Reign captain Megan Rapinoe, who came on as a second-half sub in the game, was brutally honest about her side’s thumping.

The 36-year-old veteran didn’t mince her words and admitted that the US had got their arses kicked by Peter Gerhardsson’s side.

She told NBC Sports: “We got our arses kicked, didn’t we? I thought we were a little tight, a little nervous, just doing dumb stuff.”

But it’s not the first time that the Swedes have rained on the US Olympic parade.

They also knocked them out of the competition five years ago at the quarter-final stage on penalties.

The Team GB squad will be keeping tabs on the US side’s form throughout the group stages in Tokyo.

The Americans are one of the teams who stand in their way of gold glory at the Olympics.

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And after Team GB’s enthralling 2-0 win over Chile, fans are daring to dream of the shiny prize.

Manchester City ace Ellen White stole the show with a double for Hege Riise’s side.

Both strikes, one in each half, were close-range – from a combined distance of nine yards – but they have gone a long way to sending GB towards the knock-out phase.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk