By Philip O’Connor
(Reuters) – ABBA’s music has become a familiar sound in the winning team’s dressing room following Women’s World Cup games but after Sweden once again lost in the semi-finals, this time 2-1 to Spain, they will need no reminding that the winner does indeed take it all.
During the chaotic final frame, Spain broke the deadlock in the 81st minute before the Swedes equalised, but Spain struck again in the 90th minute from a short corner to extend Sweden’s wait to lift the World Cup trophy by at least another four years.
“I think everyone feels a sadness, a huge disappointment. Today there is a momentum in the game, when we make it 1-1 we feel the joy, and a minute later it goes in the other direction,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said.
The pain of missing out on a chance to face either co-hosts Australia or European champions England in the final will no doubt linger for a while.
After utilising their suffocating defence and skill at set pieces to knock out holders USA and 2011 champions Japan, Sweden had a tremendous opportunity against a Spanish side missing some of their best players.
None of the four semi-finalists had ever won the tournament and the Swedes could be forgiven for thinking that they have had their fill of lost opportunities.
Sweden, who at world number three were the highest-ranked nation in the last four, were appearing at their fifth World Cup semi-final. They have played in all nine editions but only reached the final once, when they lost to Germany in 2003.
The Scandinavians also reached the semi-finals of last year’s Euros, while finishing runners-up at the last two Olympics.
Their defending throughout the 2023 tournament had been tremendous, and they often forced set pieces from which they profited handsomely.
Ironic, then, that they were ultimately undone by a collective defensive collapse that led to a goal by from a short corner Spain’s Olga Carmona.
The players spoke bravely of bouncing back for the third-place playoff, and with Sweden having won all three of their previous appearances in the bronze-medal game, they could well do so.
But after a fourth World Cup semi-final defeat, it will be cold comfort for a team that is forever coming up short at a time when nations like Spain have caught up and are already passing them by.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor)
