After the loss, the attention fell on US goalkeeper Hope Solo for comments she made about Sweden’s tactics to go on the defensive, saying she thought they were “a bunch of cowards”. She’s seeking to complete a sweep of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles for the first time since the 1968 Mexico City Games. I think you saw American heart. We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team.
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“The best team did not win today”, she said. “I strongly and firmly believe that”. “Just playing against the US on paper you think, ‘Oh my God, this is going to demand something special from me, ‘” Lindahl said. You saw us give everything we had [Friday]. I think it was very cowardly. “But, they won. They’re moving on”.
Sweden coach Pia Sundhage, who coached the US for five years and led the team to gold medals at both the Beijing and London Olympics, quipped: “It’s OK to be a coward if you win”. “I’m going to Rio, she’s going home”.
Solo later softened her comments a bit, but the damage was done. Her incendiary remarks went viral on social media within an hour after the match. Solo posted a picture of herself in mosquito netting and armed with insect repellant. “Zika!” almost every time she touched the ball in the opening match against New Zealand.
The Americans won their first two matches in Brazil before a surprising 2-2 draw in Manaus against Colombia, which had already been eliminated.
The two sides then played 30 scoreless minutes of overtime, followed by a penalty shootout.
The frenetic finishes in the swimming pool capped a day that included a big escape by the US men’s basketball team and a stunning loss by the women’s soccer squad. The assistant ran over and gave them to her. Dahlkvist watched the drama and smiled.
The reigning World Cup champions, who are also four-time Olympic champions, had not dropped a match this year.
The three-time defending champion United States had been the clear favorites in Brazil to become the first team to win an Olympic gold following a Women’s World Cup title. “They didn’t want to open play”, Solo said. They didn’t want to pass the ball.
Lost in all the postgame drama was the spectacular play of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who plays club soccer for Chelsea. It was a combative game. A physical game. Exactly what they wanted. Exactly what their game plan was. “They played more attacking football than we did”.
Sundhage knows the US team well, having coached the Americans for five years and led them to a pair of Olympic golds.
“And they’re winning all the time”.
“We are very surprised they are out of the competition”. And the fact that … it went to penalty kicks says something about our defending. “It brings out the best of me, at least, when I play against the U.S”.
Asked to clarify, she said: “Sweden dropped off”.
Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius scored on a breakaway, firing a shot past Solo for a 1-0 lead in the 61th minute. Alex Morgan tied it up 16 minutes later.
Sweden had won only five prior matches against the United States.
Veterans Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd attempted to engineer a stirring finish for the USA but Sweden held on defensively late.
“You’ve got to take your hat off to them because they beat us”, Solo said.
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“The game is the game, so I think tactically that’s the coach’s prerogative, the coach’s choice”, Ellis said. “They don’t have as quality of players as the American team does or as Brazil does, so they have to play a way that’s going to give them hope to beat a team like Brazil or the U.S.”.
