THE US Women’s National Team were eliminated from the Women’s World Cup following one of the narrowest VAR calls you are likely to see.
An entire 120 minutes of action was not enough to separate the former world champions and Sweden, leading them to a penalty shootout.
And this turned out to be a thrilling back-and-forth encounter, with the pendulum swinging both ways.
But it was Sweden who scored the killing blow in the most dramatic of circumstances.
After Kelly O’Hara had missed the USA’s seventh kick off the shootout, Lina Hurtig stepped up to try and put Sweden into the quarter finals.
The 27-year-old shot towards her left, but US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher appeared equal to it as she dived to her right.
However, Naeher only managed to palm the ball upwards and crucially not over the bar.
As gravity brought the ball down to earth, the backspin saw the ball tumble towards the goal.
Naeher scrambled to claw the ball out of net. And the 35-year-old appeared to have succeeded.
But Hurtig was adamant the ball had crossed the line and could be seen asking the ref to check.
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And following a goal-line technology check, the ref declared the ball had crossed the line, sending the Swedish players into pandemonium as they won 6-5 on penalties.
VAR images shown after the shootout showed how incredibly tight the call was, with the ball going over the line by the finest of margins.
And Swedish players were seen checking out the narrow decision in the dressing room after the game, crowding around a mobile phone which displayed the decision.
Being knocked out left Megan Rapinoe in tears after blazing her penalty over the crossbar.
It means USA will not be champions for the first time since 2011, with the Stars and Stripes winning in both 2015 and 2019.
And defeat makes this the USWNT’s worst-ever World Cup appearance, having never failed to make the semi-final stage.
USA captain Lindsey Horan gave an emotional interview following the game, which ended hopes of a third-straight title.
She told FOX: “A lot went into this performance. It was about being confident, patient. We played some beautiful football today.
“This is part of the game. Penalties suck. They are cruel. I’m proud of every player who took a penalty today. It’s courageous.”
And soccer fans could barely believe the VAR drama they had witnessed, taking to social media.
One gasped: “That was the craziest shootout I’ve ever seen.”
Another wrote: “How was that so close??”
While a third said: “I’m so happy for them. Big win for Sweden.”
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Of the nations left, the only former World Cup winner remaining is Japan – who will face Sweden in the quarter-finals.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
