Sweden goalscorer Kosovare Asllani and coach Peter Gerhardsson are delighted to leave the Women’s World Cup campaign with victory over Australia.
A well-earned 2-0 victory for Sweden over co-hosts Australia hoisted the European nation on to the FIFA Women’s World Cup podium for a fifth time and earned them a record fourth bronze medal.
The Blågult managed to shut out all the noise of a raucous Brisbane Stadium to take a first-half lead via a Fridolina Rolfo penalty. Kosovare Asllani doubled her side’s advantage midway through the second half to make sure of their spot on the podium, a feat the AC Milan dynamo is immensely proud of.
“We won a medal today. I am proud of this effort we are making, that we managed to recharge and perform the kind of football that we did today,” the 34-year-old said following the victory. “I think it felt controlled and we had a lot of possession so it was very fun to play today.”
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Today’s exploits are hardly unchartered waters for the likes of Asllani. Some 16 of this year’s squad featured when the Swedes took home bronze four years prior in France, while Linda Sembrant, Sofia Jakobsson and Caroline Seger have all completed a hat-trick of third-place medals.
Coach Peter Gerhardsson, who also took charge in France, was delighted to end their journey Down Under on a positive note: “[It’s] extremely nice after losing the last time to be able to win this bronze and to be able to go home with a victory in the last match. It’s wonderful,” the 63-year-old told ViaPlay following the victory.
For Australia, though, an undeniably-successful tournament has ended on a disappointing note. Two second round victories already underlined these global finals as their best-ever showing, but there’s nothing the Matildas would have loved more than capping it with a bronze medal.
“It’s a difficult moment to find the right words right now,” head coach Tony Gustavsson said following the defeat. “We’re hurt, we wanted to bring a medal for this team, these fans and this nation.
“Maybe we won something bigger than a medal though [referring to the impact the tournament has had], it’s difficult now but when we distance ourselves, I think we won something bigger.”