Set for one more assembly with previous foes the US, Sweden is not going to solely look to construct on their 3-0 win on the Tokyo Olympics within the rematch but in addition use extending the legendary profession of Caroline Seger as further motivation to “ensure that we’ll knock out the U.S.”
A failure to high Group E has put the USWNT heading in the right direction for an additional collision with Sweden within the spherical of 16, a fixture which has been beforehand performed six occasions at a Ladies’s World Cup stage and in every of the final 5 tournaments.
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However whereas it is the U.S. that maintain the general benefit in these conferences, it was Sweden that emerged victorious within the final aggressive assembly between the 2 within the group levels of the Tokyo Olympics: a Stina Blackstenius brace lifting Sweden to a 3-0 win that ended the USWNT’s 44-game unbeaten streak.
Having topped Group E with three straight wins — scoring 9 objectives towards only one conceded — to arrange the assembly with their previous rivals, Chelsea midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd mentioned that they might take issues each “mentally and technically” from that Tokyo victory.
“We have had some good outcomes towards them within the final couple of years,” she mentioned. “We’re assured and I feel we all know learn how to damage them, however it’s gonna be a difficult sport and we have now plenty of respect for them. It is a actually, actually good crew who gained the final World Cup.
“They need, a bit bit like us, they wish to play with plenty of velocity they usually wish to win the ball and go for assaults straightaway. I really feel like that is the place we will go for the assault as nicely.
“We’re the perfect after we win the ball excessive up the pitch and actually damage them there. So hopefully, if we get that half proper from the beginning, I feel we will have an excellent sport.”
The width of a goalpost all that stood between them and group-stage elimination by the hands of Portugal, alarm bells have been ringing over the type of the two-time defending champions, questioning if their type line is one that may produce a World Cup winner.
On Wednesday, captain Lindsey Horan mentioned that the aspect’s type would enhance once they “get a bit bit extra of that pleasure again,” however when requested if Sweden might counter that and lengthen the distress, defender Nathalie Bjorn had a easy reply.
“That we have now the ball,” she mentioned. “If you play soccer, we wish to have the ball and if the US has the ball an excessive amount of they’ll management the sport. We do not need them to regulate the sport.
“We wish to have the ball and create our personal probabilities, we have to be very vital in our press and attempt to make them power errors.”
No matter who comes out on high on Sunday, the fixture will symbolize the ultimate curtain on the World Cup profession of a minimum of one legend, with USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe and Sweden icon Seger already asserting that that is their last bow on the world stage.
And guaranteeing that Seger’s profession does not come to a untimely conclusion, at the exact same floor that Christine Sinclair and Marta’s World Cup careers ended earlier this week, is serving as a robust motivator for Sweden.
“We get very, very motivated by that,” mentioned Bjorn. “We’ve not even considered that type of end result [Seger’s World Cup career ending].
“We may have full concentrate on Sunday. We’ll do all the pieces we will as a crew, as people, after which we’ll ensure that we’ll knock out the US.”
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