United States coach Vlatko Andonovski stated his workforce was extra deserving of victory than winner Sweden after Monday’s spherical of 16 conflict through which the defending champion Americans crashed out of the Women’s World Cup with a dramatic 5-4 loss on penalties.
After the groups completed further time locked at 0-0 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, three U.S. gamers, together with talisman Megan Rapinoe, missed spot-kicks earlier than Sweden’s Lina Hurtig scored to sentence the U.S. to their earliest exit.
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The U.S. dominated play and had 11 photographs heading in the right direction via the tip of additional time however might by no means get previous goalkeeper and player-of-the-match Zecira Musovic.
“Very proud of them and devastated for them,” Andonovski instructed a press convention.
“That they would have to go out the way we did I thought that we deserved a lot more.
“We deserved to win this game. I thought we created enough to win this game. I felt that we put up a fight, a battle.”
Having taken over the U.S. after Jill Ellis guided them to back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2019, success has eluded Andonovski in two international tournaments, with the U.S. additionally disenchanted to get a bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympics.
With followers on social media fast to name for his dismissal, Andonovski insisted he had not thought of his future.
“I never even thought what was (the future) for me,” he stated. “For this team, the future is bright.
“I know even though it didn’t end up the way we wanted, it’s huge experience for some of these young players and some of the other ones that had a few minutes.
“These are good football players who will make a mark in the future.”
The U.S. bows out after sneaking into the knockout section after attracts towards the Netherlands and Portugal, and a 3-0 win in its opener towards Vietnam.
The Sweden defeat marked Rapinoe’s final worldwide and star ahead Alex Morgan can be 38 when the following World Cup rolls round in 2027.
“Just devastated,” stated Morgan.
“Feels like a bad dream and the team put everything out there tonight.
“I feel like we dominated but it doesn’t matter… it’s the highs and lows of the sport of soccer. So yeah, it just doesn’t feel great.”
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher had a effective sport and nailed her spot-kick however the match ended bitterly for her.
She managed to get palms to Hurtig’s last spot-kick, just for VAR to verify it had crossed the road.
“We just lost the World Cup by a millimetre. That’s tough,” she stated.
“To come up short hurts. It’s going to hurt for a long time.”
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com