The U.S. National Team is out of soccer’s 2023 Women’s World Cup thanks to an utterly heartbreaking final goal.
Sunday’s round of 16 match against Sweden went to a penalty kick tiebreaker after the two sides battled to a 0-0 draw over the first 120 minutes. Both teams converted on four of their first six opportunities in the penalty shootout — with U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher coming up big on two saves.
But the pressure was on Naeher once again after U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara missed wide right on America’s seventh try — meaning a Sweden goal would win the match. Sweden’s Lina Hurtig stepped up and fired a strike towards the middle of the goal. Naeher dove to her right, and remarkably swatted the ball straight up in the air. She then hustled back and punched it out of the goal altogether.
But after a video review, it was determined that the ball just barely crossed the goal line, and Sweden was awarded the match-winner.
And it cannot be overstated just how slim the losing margin was for the U.S. This image below shows the ball getting over the line by just a few millimeters.
It is the earliest exit ever in the event for the U.S. side – which won the last two World Cups and was seeking a three-peat, which has never been done in either men’s or women’s soccer.
Watch above, via Fox Sports.