Even after three rounds, Sweden captain Caroline Seger beat Hope Solo, and Christen Press’ attempt against Hedvig Lindhal went over the net.
Advertisement
Solo’s harsh words stemmed from the game plan the Swedish team employed in defeating the American squad.
Sweden eliminated the U.S, recording one of the sport’s biggest shocks by beating the holders 4-3 on penalties after the two sides drew 1-1 after extra time.
Rafael Nadal won his second Olympic Games gold medal on Friday and took a step closer to a third by reaching the Rio singles semi-final.
I also think we played a bunch of cowards.
“We played a creative game”, she told reporters.
The team came up well short of that goal. I don’t think they’re going to make it far in the tournament. The best team did not win [Friday].
“They didn’t try to press”, she added. You saw us give everything that we had today.
“I think we did, because to say we didn’t is to say it doesn’t exist, and we did feel that”, she said. “I thought, why is that necessary”. “We won”, she said.
After all, she coached the Americans for five years and won gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics. “I’m going to Rio, she’s going home”. While Dahlkvist stood, she was smiling, waiting – and then the Swedish professional football midfielder scored, based on the report of USA Today.
Several athletes chose not to come to Brazil citing Zika scares and Solo posted pictures on social media wearing a mosquito mask over her face and carrying industrial quantities of repellent. “Zika!” for a week, has courted controversy for her comments in the past.
The match finished 1-1 after extra time, which sent the game to penalties.
Solo said the Swedes were cowardly for declining to play a more aggressive, free-flowing style of soccer. The assistant ran over and gave them to her. Dahlkvist watched the drama and smiled. Morgan tied it when she converted from in front in the 76th minute.
The hopes of becoming the first team to win the Olympics following a World Cup are also dashed. It was not to be. Nearly immediately thereafter, Sweden’s Lotta Schelin beat Solo, only to have the ref wave off her goal on a dubious offside call.
She elaborated on her “cowards” quote a bit later on Friday – but stopped well short of apologizing.
“Sweden dropped off, they didn’t want to open play, they didn’t want to pass the ball”, Solo said. Rather than play the ball over the ground, creating overloads on the flanks and cutting the ball back to their many attacking weapons, they offered the Swedes the kind of attack the tall and sturdy women were best equipped to defend. They didn’t want to play great soccer, entertaining soccer.
“It was a combative game”.
“We played a creative game”.
Advertisement
“According to Hope Solo, I think you should define what is a good team”, Sundhage told the Los Angeles Times. Every time the USA pushed for the advantage, Montenegro answered, and an unusual brutality call on Alex Roelse made life even more hard for the Americans.
