PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sweden knocked the USA out of the World Cup on penalties.
The scapegoat was superstar Megan Rapinoe in her very last World Cup match.
In the middle of the blue-yellow victory celebration, the American received a beautiful gesture.
Sunday morning offered the greatest possible drama when Sweden and the USA settled for a ticket to the World Cup quarter-finals. It was also a pure duel for two of women’s football’s biggest players Caroline Victory and Megan Rapinoe about who would get to play their very last World Cup match in their career.
Rapinoe disappointed
However, 38-year-old Seger remained on the bench for 120 minutes while 38-year-old Rapinoe was replaced in extra time with the task of stepping in with her routine in the penalty shootout. The American, who is one of the skilled penalty shooters, however, did not manage to keep her nerves under control and missed her penalty when it was to be decided.
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Sweden won the shootout and celebrated big on the pitch while Rapinoe was scapegoated in her home country when she said goodbye in her very last World Cup match. A very heavy farewell to the championship that she won on two different occasions.
– Of course you always want to win everything, that’s the goal, but I’m proud that I was still able to make a difference on the field and proud of this team, said a very disappointed Rapinoe immediately after the match to Sportbladet.
– It’s a bit of dark humor that I missed that penalty in this match. I joke too much at the wrong times so maybe this was karma. It’s kind of funny, you thought I’d put it? Then I shoot it up into the sky.
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The Swedish gesture
Superstar Megan Rapinoe has come under fire for smiling and laughing after her penalty miss but it was her way of dealing with the hopeless disappointment of letting her team down when it was needed most. She was one of three Americans not to score in the shootout.
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After the match, a very beautiful gesture from one of the Swedish World Cup heroes is revealed in the middle of the blue-yellow victory celebration. Swedish team captain Magdalena Erikssonwho scored on her penalty, walked over and hugged the distraught Rapinoe.
Then the American responded with a few well-chosen words to “Magda”.
– Go and win the whole tournament, she said to the Swede.
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Asllani pays homage
After the match, the Swedish superstar also pays tribute Kosovar Asllani the experienced opponent who meant so much to women’s football for so many years.
– Rapinoe is an incredibly fine player. She has been a pioneer in that she has taken on more responsibility even off the field, and has had a really nice national team career, Asllani tells the evening newspaper.
Megan Rapinoe can still look back on the tournament and her career with pride.
– I wish we had moved on, but that doesn’t take anything away from this experience or the career I’ve had. It would have been hard to feel disappointed in any way. Obviously there’s an immediate disappointment of being out of the championship, but generally I’m fine. I’m ready to be done and feel comfortable with that, she says in the interview.
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