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The USWNT suffered a shocking loss against Sweden in the opening fixture of their Tokyo Olympics 2020 campaign. The 3-0 loss brought an end to their 44-match unbeaten streak. Two goals from Stina Blackstenius and 1 from Lina Hurtig made the scoreline 3-0 in favor of the Sweden national team.

Christen Press, on the other hand, had a golden opportunity to put one back for the US. However, Press’s crucial miss at the 71st minute meant that the USWNT couldn’t put even one goal back for the team. This was Team USA’s first loss since their 2017 loss against France.

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Sweden started the game in a dangerous manner, putting constant pressure on the United States. They scored their first goal in the 24th minute. Blackstenius put the ball home with a glancing header from a well-delivered cross.

The first half was a complete display of dominance from Swedes. They had 11 shots on target compared to their opponent’s 3. USWNT started taking control of the ball after the half-time break. Carli Lloyd and Julie Ertz were subbed on for Alex Morgan and Sam Mewis.

They connected passes together and controlled possession really well. But that spell was short-lived as Sweden scored their second of the game via Blackstenius again on the 54th minute. Lina Hurtig put the final nail in the coffin in the 72nd minute, scoring their third goal of the game.

Can USWNT bounce back from their loss?

This is not the first time USWNT has lost their opening Olympic fixture. They suffered the same fate at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well. But they went on to win gold that time. However, one might argue that the performance against Sweden was really very disappointing by the USWNT.

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The loss brought back shades of the 2016 Rio Olympics. They bowed out to Sweden on that occasion, too. But one might argue that there is still enough time left in the competition.

And the team should not be worried about their campaign just yet. They have plenty of firepower and stars in the team to reverse the results in their favor in the coming matches of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

 

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