Tokyo Olympics: US Women Football Team's 44-Game Unbeaten Run Ended By Sweden At Olympics

Four-time Olympic champions the United States suffered a first defeat in 45 matches Wednesday as they lost 3-0 to Sweden in their opening game of the women's football tournament in Tokyo.

Four-time Olympic champions the United States suffered a first defeat in 45 matches Wednesday as they lost 3-0 to Sweden in their opening game of the women's football tournament in Tokyo. Stina Blackstenius scored twice and Lina Hurtig added a third goal to give 2016 silver medallists Sweden a dream start to their Group G campaign at a Tokyo Stadium devoid of fans due to Covid-19 restrictions. The US, who go on to play New Zealand and Australia in their next two group games, hadn't lost since going down 3-1 to France in a friendly in January 2019. It was just the second loss over 90 minutes for the US at the Olympics. They were beaten in their first game of the 2008 tournament but still went on to win gold in Beijing. Sweden shattered US hopes in a quarter-final penalty shootout in Rio five years ago, a bitter exit that served as a driving force behind the Americans' run to a fourth World Cup title in 2019. US captain Becky Sauerbrunn called the loss in Brazil "one of the worst results" the national team has had at an international tournament. The US had won 22 of 23 games since Vlatko Andonovski replaced Jill Ellis as coach in October 2019, with a 1-1 draw against the Swedes in April the only blemish.