Forward Stina Blackstenius converted in the 25th minute, rocketing a header past USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher with an assist from Sofia Jakobsson. The shot-stopper recorded five saves in the first half as a dominant Swedish forward line crashed through the American defence. The match was personal for Team USA after the Swedes knocked the four-time World Cup winners out of the tournament on penalties in the quarter-finals in 2016. The defeat was the United States' first under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who took over from Jill Ellis in 2019. The United States next face New Zealand in the group stage, while Sweden play Australia, both on Saturday.

Source: Daily Mail July 21, 2021 10:24 UTC