USWNT shuts out Sweden 2-0, sweeps Group F in World Cup

LE HAVRE, France – The U.S. Women’s National Team notched an impressive 2-0 win against rival Sweden to claim first place in Group F in front of 22,418 fans at Stade Océane.

Lindsey Horan’s strike in the third minute was the fastest opening goal of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while the USA’s second goal gave the team 18 in group play – the most any nation has scored during a group stage in the history of the tournament.

U.S. head coach Jill Ellis returned to almost the same starting lineup that the USA featured in the first game of the World Cup, the lone exception being Becky Sauerbrunn’s installation at center back in place of Julie Ertz, who was held out with a minor injury as a precaution since the U.S. was already guaranteed advancement to the knockout rounds.

From the opening whistle, the USA played with the same energy and determination that highlighted their emphatic wins against Thailand and Chile to start the tournament. The banner start earned the U.S. the fastest opening goal of the 2019 competition when Horan stabbed home Samantha Mewis’ flicked pass off a corner kick from the left side in the third minute.

From there the USA established itself as the dominant force in the match, amassing 62 percent possession and a 16-7 shot advantage, including 4-2 shots on goal, while limiting Sweden to counter attacks, several of which proved dangerous. On the few occasions that Sweden did threaten, U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was on hand to make the necessary saves.

Just after the break, the USA doubled its lead when Heath ripped a sharp-angle shot that glanced of Sweden defender Jonna Andersson, over goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl into the net.

In the day’s other Group F match, Chile just missed out on advancing to the knockout stage as it needed one more goal in a 2-0 defeat of Thailand in Rennes in order to advance. The USA (3-0-0; 9 points) won its group for the sixth time in World Cup history while Sweden (2-1-0; 6 points) finished second, Chile (1-2-0; 3 points) third and Thailand (0-3-0; 0 points) was fourth.

2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Group F Standings

Next on the Schedule: The USA faces Spain in the first knockout round on Monday, June 24 at 12 p.m. ET at Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims.
Broadcast information: FS1, Telemundo
Social: Twitter , Instagram (@ussoccer_wnt) and Facebook

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Lindsey Horan (Samantha Mewis), 3rd minute: Megan Rapinoe sent a low corner kick toward the near left post where Mewis got a touch to steer the ball through traffic to a crashing Horan who had only to push the ball across the line into the center of the net for the fastest opening goal at 2019 WWC. USA 1, SWE 0 [WATCH]

USA – Own Goal (Jonna Andersson), 50th minute: A cross from Rapinoe to the center of the box was only partially cleared to the right side of the box where Heath collected the loose ball and juked away from Andersson, who stuck out a foot to try and block the shot. Heath’s blast glanced off the Sweden defender and zipped over Lindahl in the Sweden goal USA 2, SWE 0 [WATCH] FINAL

Additional Notes:

• With the win, the USA is now 4-1-1 against Sweden at the Women’s World Cup, having faced the Scandinavians in five consecutive World Cups.
• Overall the U.S. holds a 22-6-11 record against Sweden.
• Lindsey Horan’s goal was her second of the tournament and 10^th of her WNT career. Horan now has three goals in her last six appearances after notching three in her previous 17 caps.
• Horan’s goal is the fourth the US has scored in the opening three minutes of a WWC match, and the first since Carli Lloyd did so in the 2015 World Cup final against Japan.
• The USA (1991, 1999, 2003, 2019) and Germany (1991, 2003, 2011, 2019) are the only two nations to have won all three of their group stage matches in four separate World Cups.
• The U.S. kept their seventh clean sheet in their last eight WWC matches. The only game that they have conceded in over that time was the 2015 final against Japan.
• It has now been 594 minutes since the U.S. last conceded a goal, which came in the 81st minute of the American’s 5-3 win against Australia in April.

– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Sweden
Date: June 20, 2019
Competition: 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup – Group F
Venue: State Océane; Le Havre, France
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local)
Attendance: 22,418
Weather: 62 degrees, sunny

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                         1 1 2
SWE                        0 0 0

USA – Lindsey Horan (Samantha Mewis) 3rd minute
USA – Jonna Andersson (own goal) 50

Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 9-Lindsey Horan, 3-Samantha Mewis, 16-Rose Lavelle (23-Christen Press, 63); 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan (capt.) (10-Carli Lloyd, 46), 15-Megan Rapinoe (2-MalloryPugh, 83)
Substitutes not used: 6-Morgan Brian, 8-Julie Ertz, 11-Ali Krieger, 12-Tierna Davidson, 14-Emily Sonnett, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Allie Long, 21-Adrianna Franch, 22-Jessica McDonald
Head Coach: Jill Ellis

SWE: 1-Hedvig Lindahl; 15-Nathalie Bjorn, 13-Amanda Ilestedt, 3-Linda Sembrant, 2-Jonna Andersson; 16-Julia Zigiotti, 17-Caroline Seger (4-Hanna Glas, 63); 10-Sofia Jakobsson, 9-Kosovare Asllani (8-Lina Hurtig, 79), 22-Olivia Schough (18-Fridolina Rolfo, 57); 11-Stina Blackstenius
Substitutes not used: 12-Jennifer Falk, 21-Zecira Musovic, 5-Nilla Fischer, 6-Magdalena Eriksson, 7-Madelen Janogy, 14-Julia Roddar, 23-Elin Rubensson, 19-Anna Anvegard, 20-Mimmi Larsson
Head Coach: Peter Gerhardsson

Stats Summary: USA / SWE
Shots: 16 / 7
Shots on goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 4 / 10
Offside: 3 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Kelley O’Hara (caution) 59^th minute
SWE – Sofia Jackobsson (caution) 87

Officials:
Referee: Anastasia Pustovoytova (RUS)
Assistant Referee 1: Ekaterina Kurochkina (RUS)
Assistant Referee 2: Petruta Iugulescu (ROU)
Fourth Official: Esther Staubli (SUI)

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Tobin Heath